In-situ regeneration of Bi^(0) active site to renew surface activation for long-term stable and efficient CO_(2)-to-formate electrosynthesis

CO_(2)-to-formate electrosynthesis with high selectivity and stability has been a long-sought objective.Unfortunately,most catalysts undergo structural and valence state changes due to surface oxidation during operation or storage,resulting in decreased catalytic performance.Herein,we report a efficient and stable BiIn@Cu-foam electrode through the in-situ regeneration of Bi^(0) active sites to renew the surface activation.The electronic structure of Bi site can be regulated by introducing In,thereby enhancing the adsorption strength of*OCHO.The optimized electrode exhibits over 90%FE_(formate)at a wide potential window(-0.9–-2.2 V),and formation rate for 3.15 mM cm^(-1)h^(-1).Especially,the electrode can maintain the high performance at continuously electrolysis for more than 300 h,or for more than 50 cycles,even repeated operation and storage for more than 2 years.This work provides a promising candidate and new insight to construct industrially viable stable Bi-based catalyst for formate electrosynthesis.

Multi-objective optimization and evaluation of supercritical CO_(2) Brayton cycle for nuclear power generation

The supercritical CO_(2) Brayton cycle is considered a promising energy conversion system for Generation IV reactors for its simple layout,compact structure,and high cycle efficiency.Mathematical models of four Brayton cycle layouts are developed in this study for different reactors to reduce the cost and increase the thermohydraulic performance of nuclear power generation to promote the commercialization of nuclear energy.Parametric analysis,multi-objective optimizations,and four decision-making methods are applied to obtain each Brayton scheme’s optimal thermohydraulic and economic indexes.Results show that for the same design thermal power scale of reactors,the higher the core’s exit temperature,the better the Brayton cycle’s thermo-economic performance.Among the four-cycle layouts,the recompression cycle(RC)has the best overall performance,followed by the simple recuperation cycle(SR)and the intercooling cycle(IC),and the worst is the reheating cycle(RH).However,RH has the lowest total cost of investment(C_(tot))of$1619.85 million,and IC has the lowest levelized cost of energy(LCOE)of 0.012$/(kWh).The nuclear Brayton cycle system’s overall performance has been improved due to optimization.The performance of the molten salt reactor combined with the intercooling cycle(MSR-IC)scheme has the greatest improvement,with the net output power(W_(net)),thermal efficiencyη_(t),and exergy efficiency(η_(e))improved by 8.58%,8.58%,and 11.21%,respectively.The performance of the lead-cooled fast reactor combined with the simple recuperation cycle scheme was optimized to increase C_(tot) by 27.78%.In comparison,the internal rate of return(IRR)increased by only 7.8%,which is not friendly to investors with limited funds.For the nuclear Brayton cycle,the molten salt reactor combined with the recompression cycle scheme should receive priority,and the gas-cooled fast reactor combined with the reheating cycle scheme should be considered carefully.

Strong hetero-interface interaction in 2D/2D WSe_(2)/ZnIn_(2)S_(4) heterostructures for highly-efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation

Green hydrogen is urgently required for sustainable development of human beings and rational construction of heterostructures holds great promising for photocatalytic hydrogen generation.Herein,2D/2D WSe_(2)/ZnIn_(2)S_(4) heterostructures with strong hetero-interface interaction and abundant contact were constructed via an impregnation-annealing strategy.Efficient charge transfer from ZnIn_(2)S_(4) to WSe_(2)was evidenced by transient absorption spectroscopy in crafted heterostructures owing to the tight and2D face-to-face contact.As a result,the prepared WSe_(2)/ZnIn_(2)S_(4) heterostructures exhibited boosted photocatalytic performance and a highest hydrogen evolution rate of 3.377 mmol/(g h)was achieved with an apparent quantum yield of 45.7%at 420 nm.The work not only provides new strategies to achieve efficient 2D/2D heterostructures but also paves the way for the development of green hydrogen in the future.

Automatic Code Generation for Android Applications Based on Improved Pix2code

With the expansion of the Internet market,the traditional software development method has been difficult to meet the market demand due to the problems of long development cycle,tedious work,and difficult system maintenance.Therefore,to improve software development efficiency,this study uses residual networks and bidirectional long short-term memory(BLSTM)networks to improve the Pix2code model.The experiment results show that after improving the visual module of the Pix2code model using residual networks,the accuracy of the training set improves from 0.92 to 0.96,and the convergence time is shortened from 3 hours to 2 hours.After using a BLSTM network to improve the language module and decoding layer,the accuracy and convergence speed of the model have also been improved.The accuracy of the training set grew from 0.88 to 0.92,and the convergence time was shortened by 0.5 hours.However,models improved by BLSTM networks might exhibit overfitting,and thus this study uses Dropout and Xavier normal distribution to improve the memory network.The results validate that the training set accuracy of the optimized BLSTM network remains around 0.92,but the accuracy of the test set has improved to a maximum of 85%.Dropout and Xavier normal distributions can effectively improve the overfitting problem of BLSTM networks.Although they can also decrease the model’s stability,their gain is higher.The training and testing accuracy of the Pix2code improved by residual network and BLSTM network are 0.95 and 0.82,respectively,while the code generation accuracy of the original Pix2code is only 0.77.The above data indicate that the improved Pix2code model has improved the accuracy and stability of code automatic generation.

Response of successive three generations of cotton,bollworm,Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner),fed on cotton bolls under elevated CO_2

The growth, development and consumption of successive three generations of cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera （Htibner）, fed on cotton bolls grown under elevated CO2 （double-ambient vs. ambient） in open-top chambers were examined. Significant decreases in protein, total amino acid, water and nitrogen content and increases in free fatty acid were observed in cotton bolls. Changes in quality of cotton bolls affected the growth, development and food utilization of H. armigera. Significantly longer larval development duration in three successive generations and lower pupal weight of the second and third generations were observed in cotton bollworm fed on cotton bolls grown under elevated CO2. Significantly lower fecundity was also found in successive three generations of H. armigera fed on cotton bolls grown under elevated CO2. The consumption per larva occurred significant increase in successive three generations and frass per larva were also significantly increased during the second and third generations under elevated CO2. Significantly lower relative growth rate, efficiency of conversion of ingested food and significant higher relative consumption rate in successive three generations were observed in cotton bollworm fed on cotton bolls grown under elevated CO2. Significantly lower potential female fecundity, larval numbers and population consumption were found in the second and third generations of cotton bollworm fed on cotton bolls grown under elevated CO2. The integrative effect of higher larval mortality rate and lower adult fecundity resulted in significant decreases in potential population consumption in the latter two generations. The results show that elevated CO2 adversely affects cotton bolls quality, which indicates the potential population dynamics and potential population consumption of cotton bollworm will alleviate the harm to the plants in the future rising CO2 atmosphere.

Phenotype Observation and Variation Analysis of F_2 Generation of Ion Implanted Chili Pepper Seeds

[Objective]The aim was to investigate inheritance of the mutagenic properties caused by ion implantation from F1 to F2 generation in chili pepper.[Method]Chili pepper seeds were implanted with different ion combinations at different doses,and the F1 generation seeds of five groups in which biological mutation occurred were selected to sow in the field.Then the main phenotype changes in F2 generation were observed,the biochemical changes caused by ion implantation were analyzed by determination of peroxidase isozyme.[Result]Seed implanted with 9×1011 P2＋/cm2 and 1×1012 Cu2＋/cm2（No.21）on its both sides could maintain the superiority in yield per plant to F2 generation,while the mutagenic effects of F1 generation in other groups were not inherited by the F2 generation.[Conclusion]The prominent biological characters induced in the seeds of group No.21 were relatively inherited,so the seeds were worth further breeding.

Demonstration of a small‐scale power generator using supercritical CO_(2)

The supercritical CO_(2)(sCO_(2))power cycle could improve efficiencies for a wide range of thermal power plants.The sCO_(2)turbine generator plays an important role in the sCO_(2)power cycle by directly converting thermal energy into mechanical work and electric power.The operation of the generator encounters challenges,including high temperature,high pressure,high rotational speed,and other engineering problems,such as leakage.Experimental studies of sCO_(2)turbines are insufficient because of the significant difficulties in turbine manufacturing and system construction.Unlike most experimental investigations that primarily focus on 100 kW‐or MW‐scale power generation systems,we consider,for the first time,a small‐scale power generator using sCO_(2).A partial admission axial turbine was designed and manufactured with a rated rotational speed of 40,000 rpm,and a CO_(2)transcritical power cycle test loop was constructed to validate the performance of our manufactured generator.A resistant gas was proposed in the constructed turbine expander to solve the leakage issue.Both dynamic and steady performances were investigated.The results indicated that a peak electric power of 11.55 kW was achieved at 29,369 rpm.The maximum total efficiency of the turbo‐generator was 58.98%,which was affected by both the turbine rotational speed and pressure ratio,according to the proposed performance map.

Oxidation of emerging organic contaminants by in-situ H_(2)O_(2) fenton system

The existence and risk of emerging organic contaminants(EOCs)have been under consideration and paid much effort to degrade these pollutants.Fenton system is one of the most widely used technologies to solve this problem.The original Fenton system relies on the hydroxyl radicals produced by Fe(Ⅱ)/H_(2)O_(2) to oxidize the organic contaminants.However,the application of the Fenton system is limited by its low iron cycling efficiency and the high risks of hydrogen peroxide transportation and storage.The introduction of external energy(including light and electricity etc.)can effectively promote the Fe(Ⅲ)/Fe(Ⅱ)cycle and the reduction of oxygen to produce hydrogen peroxide in situ.This review introduces three in-situ Fenton systems,which are electro-Fenton,Photo-Fenton,and chemical reaction.The mechanism,influencing factors,and catalysts of these three in-situ Fenton systems in degrading EOCs are discussed systematically.This review strengthens the understanding of Fenton and in-situ Fenton systems in degradation,offering further insight into the real application of the in-situ Fenton system in the removal of EOCs.

Highly Aligned Ternary Nanofiber Matrices Loaded with MXene Expedite Regeneration of Volumetric Muscle Loss

Current therapeutic approaches for volumetric muscle loss(VML)face challenges due to limited graft availability and insufficient bioactivities.To overcome these limitations,tissue-engineered scaffolds have emerged as a promising alternative.In this study,we developed aligned ternary nanofibrous matrices comprised of poly(lactide-co-ε-caprolactone)integrated with collagen and Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene nanoparticles(NPs)(PCM matrices),and explored their myogenic potential for skeletal muscle tissue regeneration.The PCM matrices demonstrated favorable physicochemical properties,including structural uniformity,alignment,microporosity,and hydrophilicity.In vitro assays revealed that the PCM matrices promoted cellular behaviors and myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts.Moreover,in vivo experiments demonstrated enhanced muscle remodeling and recovery in mice treated with PCM matrices following VML injury.Mechanistic insights from next-generation sequencing revealed that MXene NPs facilitated protein and ion availability within PCM matrices,leading to elevated intracellular Ca^(2+)levels in myoblasts through the activation of inducible nitric oxide synthase(i NOS)and serum/glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1(SGK1),ultimately promoting myogenic differentiation via the m TOR-AKT pathway.Additionally,upregulated i NOS and increased NO–contributed to myoblast proliferation and fiber fusion,thereby facilitating overall myoblast maturation.These findings underscore the potential of MXene NPs loaded within highly aligned matrices as therapeutic agents to promote skeletal muscle tissue recovery.

Fra-1 protooncogene regulates IL-6 expression in macrophages and promotes the generation of M2d macrophages

The tumor microenvironment （TME） plays a prominent role in the growth of tumor cells. As the major inflammatory component of the TME, M2d macrophages are educated by the TME such that they adopt an immunosnppressive role that promotes tumor metastasis and progression. Fra-1 forms activator protein-1 heterodimers with Jun partners and drives gene transcription. Fra-1 is thought to drastically induce tumorigenesis and progression. However, the functional role of Fra-1 in the generation of M2d macrophages is poorly understood to date. Here, we demonstrate that 4T1 mammary carcinoma cells, when co-cultured with RAW264.7 macrophage cells, skew the RAW264.7 macrophage cell differentiation into M2d macrophages. The 4T1 cells stimulate de novo overexpression of Fra-1 in RAW264.7 cells, and then Fra-1 binds to the interleukin 6 （IL-6） promoter to increase the production of the cytokine IL-6 in RAW264.7 cells. IL-6 acts in an autocrine fashion to skew RAW264.7 macrophage cell differentiation into M2d macrophages. These findings open new insights into how to reverse M2d macrophage-induced immune tolerance to improve the efficacy of immunotherapeutic approaches.

Methanol Adsorption on TiO2 Film Studied by Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy

A broadband infrared surface sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy （SFG-VS） and an in situ UV excitation setup devoted to studying surface photocatalysis have been constructed. With a home-made compact high vacuum cell, organic contaminants on TiO2 thin film surface prepared by RF magnetron sputtering were in situ removed under 266 nm irradiation in 10 kPa 02 atmosphere. We obtained the methanol spectrum in the CH3 stretching vibration region on TiO2 surface with changing the methanol pressure at room temperature. Features of both molecular and dissociative methanol, methoxy, adsorbed on this surface were resolved. The CH3 symmetric stretching vibration frequency and Fermi resonance of molecular methanol is red-shifted by about 6-8 cm-1 from low to high coverage. Moreover, the recombination of dissociative methanol and H on Surfaces in vacuum was also observed. Our results suggest two equilibria exist： between molecular methanol in the gas phase and that on surfaces, and between molecular methanol and dissociative methanol on surfaces.

Photocatalytic H2 generation via CoP quantum-dot-modified g-C3N4 synthesized by electroless plating

Photocatalytic water splitting is a promising method for hydrogen production.Numerous efficient photocatalysts have been synthesized and utilized.However,photocatalysts without a noble metal as the co-catalyst have been rarely reported.Herein,a CoP co-catalyst-modified graphitic-C3N4(g-C3N4/CoP)is investigated for photocatalytic water splitting to produce H2.The g-C3N4/CoP composite is synthesized in two steps.The first step is related to thermal decomposition,and the second step involves an electroless plating technique.The photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reactions of g-C3N4 is distinctly increased by loading the appropriate amount of CoP quantum dots(QDs).Among the as-synthesized samples,the optimized one(g-C3N4/CoP-4%)shows exceptional photocatalytic activity as compared with pristine g-C3N4,generating H2 at a rate of 936μmol g^-1 h^-1,even higher than that of g-C3N4 with 4 wt%Pt(665μmol g^-1 h^-1).The UV-visible and optical absorption behavior confirms that g-C3N4 has an absorption edge at 451 nm,but after being composited with CoP,g-C3N4/CoP-4%has an absorption edge at 497 nm.Furthermore,photoluminescence and photocurrent measurements confirm that loading CoP QDs to pristine g-C3N4 not only enhances the charge separation,but also improves the transfer of photogenerated e--h+pairs,thus improving the photocatalytic performance of the catalyst to generate H2.This work demonstrates a feasible strategy for the synthesis of highly efficient metal phosphide-loaded g-C3N4 for hydrogen generation.

Surface functionalized N-C-TiO_(2)/C nanocomposites derived from metal-organic framework in water vapour for enhanced photocatalytic H generation

Surface-functionalized nitrogen/carbon co-doped polymorphic TiO_(2) phase junction nanoparticles uniformly distributed in porous carbon matrix were synthesized by a simple one-step pyrolysis of titanium based metal-organic framework(MOF),NH_(2)-MIL^(-1)25(Ti) at 700℃ under water vapour atmosphere.Introducing water vapour during the pyrolysis of NH_(2)-MIL^(-1)25(Ti) not only functionalizes the derived porous carbon matrix with carboxyl groups but also forms additional oxygen-rich N like interstitial/intraband states lying above the valence band of TiO2 along with the self-doped carbo n,which further narrows the energy band gaps of polymorphic TiO2 nanoparticles that enhance photocatalytic charge transfer efficiency.Without co-catalyst,sample N-C-TiO2/CArW demonstrates H_(2) evolution activity of 426 μmol gcat-1h^(-1),which remarkably outperforms commercial TiO_(2)(P-25) and N-C-TiO_(2)/CAr with a 5-fold and 3-fold H_(2) generation,respectively.This study clearly shows that water vapour atmosphere during the pyrolysis increases the hydrophilicity of the Ti-MOF derived composites by functionalizing porous carbon matrix with carboxylic groups,as well as enhancing the electrical conductivity and charge transfer efficiency due to the formation of additional localized oxygen-rich N like interstitial/intraband states.This work also demonstrates that by optimizing the anatase-rutile phase composition of the TiO2 polymorphs,tuning the energy band gaps by N/C co-doping and functionalizing the porous carbon matrix in the N-C-TiO2/C nanocomposites,the photocatalytic H_(2) generation activity can be further enhanced.

Hot‐electron‐assisted S‐scheme heterojunction of tungsten oxide/graphitic carbon nitride for broad‐spectrum photocatalytic H_(2)generation

Extended light absorption and dynamic charge separation are vital factors that determine the effectivenessof photocatalysts.In this study,a nonmetallic plasmonic S‐scheme photocatalyst was fabricatedby loading 1D plasmonic W_(18)O_(49)nanowires onto 2D g‐C_(3)N_(4)nanosheets.W_(18)O_(49)nanowiresplay the dual role of a light absorption antenna—that extends light adsorption—and a hot electrondonor—that assists the water reduction reaction in a wider light spectrum range.Moreover,S‐scheme charge transfer resulting from the matching bandgaps of W_(18)O_(49)and g‐C_(3)N_(4)can lead tostrong redox capability and high migration speed of the photoinduced charges.Consequently,in thisstudy,W_(18)O_(49)/g‐C_(3)N_(4)hybrids exhibited higher photocatalytic H2 generation than that of pristineg‐C_(3)N_(4)under light irradiation of 420–550 nm.Furthermore,the H2 production rate of thebest‐performing W_(18)O_(49)/g‐C_(3)N_(4)hybrid was 41.5μmol·g^(−1)·h^(−1)upon exposure to monochromaticlight at 550 nm,whereas pure g‐C_(3)N_(4)showed negligible activity.This study promotes novel andenvironmentally friendly hot‐electron‐assisted S‐scheme photocatalysts for the broad‐spectrumutilization of solar light.

Core-shell particles of C-doped CdS and graphene: A noble metal-free approach for efficient photocatalytic H_(2) generation

To achieve efficient photocatalytic H_(2) generation from water using earth-abundant and cost-effective materials,a simple synthesis method for carbon-doped CdS particles wrapped with graphene(C-doped CdS@G)is reported.The doping effect and the application of graphene as cocatalyst for CdS is studied for photocatalytic H_(2) generation.The most active sample consists of CdS and graphene(CdS-0.15G)exhibits promising photocatalytic activity,producing 3.12 mmol g^-(1) h^-(1) of H_(2) under simulated solar light which is^4.6 times superior than pure CdS nanoparticles giving an apparent quantum efficiency(AQY)of 11.7%.The enhanced photocatalytic activity for H_(2) generation is associated to the narrowing of the bandgap,enhanced light absorption,fast interfacial charge transfer,and higher carrier density(N_(D))in C-doped CdS@G samples.This is achieved by C doping in CdS nanoparticles and the formation of a graphene shell over the C-doped CdS nanoparticles.After stability test,the spent catalysts sample was also characterized to investigate the nanostructure.

Efficient removal of Al(Ⅲ)and P507 from high concentration MgCl_(2)solution based on in-situ reaction strategy

For a highly efficient recycling of a wastewater containing a high concentration of MgCl_(2),Al(Ⅲ)and P507 were scheduled to be removed in advance.In this study,the in-situ removal of Al(Ⅲ)and P507 from a high concentration MgCl_(2)solution at different pH values and Al/P molar ratios was investigated.The results showed that P507 formed organic complexes of Al_(x)(OH)_y^(Z+)-P507 at pH of 2.0-4.0.At pH of 4.0-5.0,Al(Ⅲ)precipitated and transferred into Al(OH)_(3)with a flocculent amorphous morphology.Active sites on the Al(OH)_(3)surface enhanced the removal efficiency of P507.At pH of 6.0-6.5,Al(Ⅲ)and Mg(Ⅱ)formed layered crystalline Al(OH)_(3)and MgAl_(2)(OH)_(8with)small pore channels and fewer active sites,resulting in a reduced removal efficiency of P507.When the Al/P molar ratio exceeded 13 and the pH was between 4.0 and 5.0,the removal rates of both Al(Ⅲ)and P507 were higher than98%,while the concentration loss of Mg(Ⅱ)was only 0.2%-0.9%.

A Simplified Model for SO_(2) Generation during Spontaneous Combustion of Coal Gangue

A simplified model for SO_(2) generation during spontaneous combustion of coal gangue was put forward and validated using the measured data.Using the proposed model,the effects of initial temperature inside the gangue and fresh air supply on SO_(2) generation were discussed.The results showed that,higher initial temperature inside the gangue could accelerate the oxidation rate of FeS_(2) and increase the maximum concentration of SO_(2).If initial temperature inside the gangue increased by about 37%,the total SO_(2) generation increased by 166%.Fresh air supply had less significant effect on the oxidation rate of FeS_(2).However,the higher the fresh air supply was,the more FeS_(2) could be oxidized,which ultimately produced more SO_(2).Although the computed results and the measured data concerning the inner locations inside the gangue had a certain degree of error,the proposed model can provide a relatively precise total release of SO_(2) within acceptable accuracy.Besides,this method provides a useful prototype to predict the generation of hazardous materials,such as CO,NO_(x),and chlorine during the spontaneous combustion of coal gangue.

Comparative performance of hybrid generations reveals the potential application of F_(2)hybrids in upland cotton

Background:The utilization of heterosis has greatly improved the productivity of cotton worldwide.However,a major constraint for the large-scale promotion of F_(1) hybrid cotton is artificial emasculation and pollination.This study proposed the potential utilization of F_(2) hybrids to improve upland cotton production through a comparative evaluation of hybrid generations.Results:Eight upland cotton varieties were analyzed and crosses were made according to NCII incomplete diallel cross-breeding design in two cotton belts of China.Variance analysis revealed significant differences in agronomic,yield,and fiber quality in both generations and environments.The broad-sense heritability of agronomic and yield traits was relatively higher than quality traits.Furthermore,the narrow-sense heritability of some traits was higher in F_(2) than in the F_(1) generation in both cotton belts.Overall,parental lines Zhong901,ZB,L28,and Z98 were observed with maximum combining ability while combinations with strong special combining ability were ZB×DT,L28×Z98,and ZB×851.The yield traits heterosis was predominant in both generations.However,the level of heterosis was altered with trait,hybrid combination,generation,and environment.Interestingly,L28×Z98 performed outstandingly in Anyang.Its lint yield(LY)was 24.2%higher in F_(1) and 11.6%in F_(2) than that of the control Ruiza 816.The performance of SJ48×Z98 was excellent in Aral which showed 36.5%higher LY in F_(2)and 10.9%in F_(2)than control CCRI 49.Further results revealed most hybrid combinations had shown a low level of heterosis for agronomic and fiber quality traits in both generations.Comparatively,ZB×DT and L28×Z98 showed hybrid vigor for multiple traits in both generations and cotton belts.It is feasible to screen strong heterosis hybrid combinations with fine fiber in early generations.In the two environments,the correlation of some traits showed the same trend,and the correlation degree of Anyang site was higher than that of Aral site,and the correlation of some traits showed the opposite trend.According to the performance of strong heterosis hybrid combinations in different environments,the plant type,yield and fiber traits associated with them can be improved according to the correlation.Conclusions:Through comparative analysis of variance,combining ability,and heterosis in F_(2)and F_(2)hybrids in different cotton belts,this study proposed the potential utilization of F_(2)hybrids to improve upland cotton productivity in China.

Influence of chloride salts on hydrogen generation via hydrolysis of MgH_2 prepared by hydriding combustion synthesis and mechanical milling

The effects of chloride salts(NaCl,MgCl2and NH4Cl)on the hydrolysis kinetics of MgH2prepared by hydridingcombustion synthesis and mechanical milling(HCS+MM)were discussed.X-ray diffraction(XRD)analyses show that high-purityMgH2was successfully prepared by HCS.Hydrolysis performance test results indicate that the chloride salt added during the millingprocess is favorable to the initial reaction rate and hydrogen generation yield within60min.A MgH2?10%NH4Cl composite exhibitsthe best performance with the hydrogen generation yield of1311mL/g and a conversion rate of85.69%in60min at roomtemperature.It is suggested that the chloride salts not only play as grinding aids in the milling process,but also create fresh surface ofreactive materials,favoring the hydrolysis reaction.

Mesoporous cadmium bismuth niobate(CdBi2Nb2O9)nanospheres for hydrogen generation under visible light

Herein, we report visible light active mesoporous cadmium bismuth niobate（CBN） nanospheres as a photocatalyst for hydrogen（H） generation from copious hydrogen sulfide（HS）. CBN has been synthesized by solid state reaction（SSR） and also using combustion method（CM） at relatively lower temperatures.The as-synthesized materials were characterized using different techniques. X-ray diffraction analysis shows the formation of single phase orthorhombic CBN. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and high resolution-transmission electron microscopy showed the particle size in the range of.5–1 μm for CBN obtained by SSR and 50–70 nm size nanospheres using CM, respectively. Interestingly, nanospheres of size 50–70 nm self assembled with 5–7 nm nanoparticles were observed in case of CBN prepared by CM.The optical properties were studied using UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and showed band gap around.0 eV for SSR and 3.1 eV for CM. The slight shift in band gap of CM is due to nanocrystalline nature of material. Considering the band gap in visible region, the photocatalytic activity of CBN for hydrogen production from HS has been performed under visible light. CBN prepared by CM has shown utmost hydrogen evolution i.e. 6912 μmol/h/0.5 g which is much higher than CBN prepared using SSR.The enhanced photocatalytic property can be attributed to the smaller particle size, crystalline nature,high surface area and mesoporous structure of CBN prepared by combustion method. The catalyst was found to be stable, active and can be utilized for water splitting.