Recent advances in elaborate interface regulation of BiVO_(4)photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Bismuth vanadate(BiVO_(4))is an excellent photoanode material for photoelectrochemical(PEC)water splitting system,possessing high theoretical photoelectrocatalytic conversion efficiency.However,the actual PEC activity and stability of BiVO_(4)are faced with great challenges due to factors such as severe charge recombination and slow water oxidation kinetics at the interface.Therefore,various interface regulation strategies have been adopted to optimize the BiVO_(4)photoanode.This review provides an in-depth analysis for the mechanism of interface regulation strategies from the perspective of factors affecting the PEC performance of BiVO_(4)photoanodes.These interface regulation strategies improve the PEC performance of BiVO_(4)photoanode by promoting charge separation and transfer,accelerating interfacial reaction kinetics,and enhancing stability.The research on the interface regulation strategies of BiVO_(4)photoanode is of great significance for promoting the development of PEC water splitting technology.At the same time,it also has inspiration for providing new ideas and methods for designing and preparing efficient and stable catalytic materials.

Interface water-induced hydrophobic carbon chain unfolding in water

The folding and unfolding of the carbon chain,which is the basic constitutional unit of polymers,are important to the performance of the material.However,it is difficult to regulate conformational transition of the carbon chain,especially in an aqueous environment.In this paper,we propose a strategy to regulate the conformational transition of the carbon chain in water based on the all-atom molecular dynamics simulations.It is shown that the unfolded carbon chain will spontaneously collapse into the folded state,while the folded carbon chain will unfold with an external electric field.The regulation ability of the electric field is attributed to the electric field-induced redistribution of interface water molecules near the carbon chain.The demonstrated method of regulating conformational transition of the carbon chain in water in this study provides an insight into regulating hydrophobic molecules in water,and has great potential in drug molecule design and new polymer material development.

The diffusive fluxes of inorganic nitrogen across the intertidal sediment-water interface of the Changjiang Estuary in China

Ammonium and nitrate concentrations were analyzed in near-bottom water and pore water collected from ten stations of the intertidal flat of the Changjiang Estuary during April, July, November and February. The magnitudes of the benthic exchange fluxes were determined on the basis of concentration gradients of ammonium and nitrate at the near-bottom water and interstitial water interface in combination with calculations of a modified Fick＇ s first law. Ammonium fluxes varied from - 5.05 to 1.43 μg/（ cm^2·d） and were greatly regulated by the production of ammonium in surface sediments, while nitrate fluxes ranged from - 0. 38 to 1.36 μg/ （ cm^2·d） and were dominated by nitrate concentrations in the tidal water. It was found that ammonium was mainly released from sediments into water columns at most of stations whereas nitrate was mostly diffused from overlying waters to intertidal sediments. In total, 823.75 t/a ammonium-N was passed from intertidal sediments to water while about 521.90 t/a nitrate-N was removed from overlying waters to intertidal sediments. This suggests that intertidal sediments had the significant influence on modulating inorganic nitrogen in the tidal water.

Nonlinear Behavior and Domain Feature at Oil/Water Interface

Studies on nonlinear behavior at oil/water interface membrane were performed. This system showed rhythmic oscillations and chaos of electrical potential in a given concentration domain. The nonlinear behavior response at the liquid membrane apparently resembled that of biological chemoreceptive membrane. The possibility of developing a new type of chemical sensor with the ability to simulate substance equilibrium in living organisms was suggested in the paper.

Study on the Voltammetric Behaviour of Emulsifier OP across the Water-nitrobenzene Interface and its Application

A new kind of nonionic surfactant ionophore is introduced to facilitate metal ion transfer across a liquid/liquid interface. The transfer of Na+ facilitated by emulsifier OP across the water/nitrobenzene interface has been studied by semi-differential cyclic voltammetry, and a new method for the determination of emulsifier OP was established. The proposed method is simple, easy and effective.

Application of Air-cooled Blast Furnace Slag Aggregates as Replacement of Natural Aggregates in Cement-based Materials：A Study on Water Absorption Property

The influence of air-cooled blast furnace slag aggregates as replacement of natural aggregates on the water absorption of concrete and mortar was studied, and the mechanism was analyzed. The interface between aggregate and matrix in concrete was analyzed by using a micro-hardness tester, a laser confocal microscope and a scanning electron microscope with backscattered electron image mode. The pore structure of mortar matrixes under different curing conditions was investigated by mercury intrusion porosimetry. The results showed that when natural aggregates were replaced with air-cooled blast furnace slag aggregates in mortar or concrete, the content of the capillary pore in the mortar matrix was reduced and the interfacial structure between aggregate and matrix was improved, resulting in the lower water absorption of mortar or concrete. Compared to the concrete made with crushed limestone and natural river sand, the initial absorption coefficient, the secondary absorption coefficient and the water absorption capacity through the surface for 7 d of the concrete made from crushed air-cooled blast furnace slag and air-cooled blast furnace slag sand were reduced by 48.9%, 52.8%, and 46.5%, respectively.

Dynamic simulation and modeling of PCP transport between sediment and water

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Seawater Intrusion in the Longkou-Laizhou Area, Shandong

The extensive intrusion （covering an area of 83.7-238.3 km;and accounting for 18.6-31.5% of the total area of the plain）, the presence of a transitional zone 1.5-6.0 km in width, and the interconnection in distribution between the seawater intrusion district and the region lower than the sea level caused by the strong drop of the groundwater level are major characteristics of the seawater intrusion in the study area. Cation exchange played an important role during the formation of chemical composition of the groundwater in the seawater intrusion district.

Evaluation of mercury biogeochemical cycling at the sediment–water interface in anthropogenically modified lagoon environments

The Marano and Grado Lagoon is well known for being contaminated by mercury（Hg） from the Idrija mine（Slovenia） and the decommissioned chlor-alkali plant of Torviscosa（Italy）.Experimental activities were conducted in a local fish farm to understand Hg cycling at the sediment–water interface. Both diffusive and benthic fluxes were estimated in terms of chemical and physical features. Mercury concentration in sediments（up to 6.81 μg/g）showed a slight variability with depth, whereas the highest methylmercury（MeHg） values（up to 10 ng/g） were detected in the first centimetres. MeHg seems to be produced and stored in the 2–3 cm below the sediment–water interface, where sulphate reducing bacteria activity occurs and hypoxic–anoxic conditions become persistent for days. DMeHg in porewaters varied seasonally（from 0.1 and 17% of dissolved Hg（DHg）） with the highest concentrations in summer. DHg diffusive effluxes higher（up to 444 ng/m^2/day） than those reported in the open lagoon（~ 95 ng/m^2/day）, whereas DMeHg showed influxes in the fish farm（up to-156 ng/m^2/day）. The diurnal DHg and DMeHg benthic fluxes were found to be higher than the highest summer values previously reported for the natural lagoon environment. Bottom sediments, especially in anoxic conditions, seem to be a significant source of MeHg in the water column where it eventually accumulates. However, net fluxes considering the daily trend of DHg and DMeHg, indicated possible DMeHg degradation processes. Enhancing water dynamics in the fish farm could mitigate environmental conditions suitable for Hg methylation.

In situ Observation of the Photochromism in the Langmuir Monolayer of a Non-typical Amphiphilic Spiropyran Derivative at the Air/Water Interface

In situ photochromic process in the monolayer of a photochromic spiropyran derivative without long alkyl chain, was investigated. The photochromism at the air/water interface under different surface pressures was studied by surface pressure area isotherms, surface pressure time curves, area time curves and Brewster angle microscopy. Both forms of the compound were found to form monolayers at the air/water interface although it does not have long alkyl chain. A large area expansion in the monolayer corresponding to a zero th order reaction was found at the initial stage of the UV light irradiation. A series of dynamic investigations revealed that at high pressure after phase transition in the monolayer, the surface pressure changes greatly under alternative irradiation of UV and visible light. An obvious morphological change accompanying with the photochromism was observed in situ .

Effects of sulfate-reducing bacteria on methylmercury at the sediment–water interface

Sediment cores（containing sediment and overlying water） from Baihua Reservoir（SW China）were cultured under different redox conditions with different microbial activities, to understand the effects of sulfate-reducing bacteria（SRB） on mercury（Hg） methylation at sediment–water interfaces. Concentrations of dissolved methyl mercury（DMe Hg） in the overlying water of the control cores with bioactivity maintained（BAC） and cores with only sulfate-reducing bacteria inhibited（SRBI） and bacteria fully inhibited（BACI） were measured at the anaerobic stage followed by the aerobic stage. For the BAC and SRBI cores, DMe Hg concentrations in waters were much higher at the anaerobic stage than those at the aerobic stage, and they were negatively correlated to the dissolved oxygen concentrations（r =- 0.5311 and r =- 0.4977 for BAC and SRBI, respectively）. The water DMe Hg concentrations of the SRBI cores were 50% lower than those of the BAC cores, indicating that the SRB is of great importance in Hg methylation in sediment–water systems, but there should be other microbes such as iron-reducing bacteria and those containing specific gene cluster（hgc AB）, besides SRB,causing Hg methylation in the sediment–water system.

Template-free synthesis of inorganic hollow spheres at water/“water-brother”interfaces as Fenton-like reagents for water treatment

This paper reports a template-free method to synthesize a series of inorganic hollow spheres（IHSs）including Cu-1,Cu-2,Ni-1,Ni-2 based on mineralization reactions at water/＂water-brother＂ interfaces. ＂Water-brother＂ was defined as a solvent which is miscible with water,such as ethanol and acetone. The water/＂water-brother＂ interfaces are very different from water/oil interfaces. The ＂water-brother＂ solvent will usually form a homogenous phase with water. Interestingly,in our method,these interfaces can be formed,observed and utilized to synthesize hollow spheres. Utilizing the unique porous properties of the spheres,their potential application in water treatment was demonstrated by using Cu-1 IHSs as Fenton-like reagents for adsorption and decomposition of Congo Red from aqueous solution. The final adsorption equilibrium was achieved after 30 min with the maximum adsorption capacity of 86.1 mg/g,and 97.3% removal of the dye in 80 min after adsorption equilibrium. The IHSs can be reused as least 5 times after treatment by Na OH.This method is facile and suitable for large-scale production,and shows great potential for watertreatment. 更多

高速滑行船体的气水界面效应模拟

High-speed planing crafts have successfully evolved through developments in the last several decades.Classical approaches such as inviscid potential flow–based methods and the empirically based Savitsky method provide general understanding for practical design.However,sometimes such analyses suffer inaccuracies since the air–water interface effects,especially in the transition phase,are not fully accounted for.Hence,understanding the behaviour at the transition speed is of fundamental importance for the designer.The fluid forces in planing hulls are dominated by phenomena such as flow separation at various discontinuities viz.,knuckles,chines and transom,with resultant spray generation.In such cases,the application of potential theory at high speeds introduces limitations.This paper investigates the simulation of modelling of the pre-planing behaviour with a view to capturing the air–water interface effects,with validations through experiments to compare the drag,dynamic trim and wetted surface area.The paper also brings out the merits of gridding strategies to obtain reliable results especially with regard to spray generation due to the air–water interface effects.The verification and validation studies serve to authenticate the use of the multi-gridding strategies on the basis of comparisons with simulations using model tests.It emerges from the study that overset/chimera grids give better results compared with single unstructured hexahedral grids.Two overset methods are investigated to obtain reliable estimation of the dynamic trim and drag,and their ability to capture the spray resulting from the air–water interaction.The results demonstrate very close simulation of the actual flow kinematics at steady-speed conditions in terms of spray at the air–water interface,drag at the pre-planing and full planing range and dynamic trim angles.

Adsorption of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide at the silica gel/water interface

The adsorption isotherms of cetyltrimethylammonium ion (CTA^+) together with that of the Br^- counterion on silica gel, and the effects of pH and added salts(NaF, NaCl and NaBr)have been systematically determined at 25℃. Electrophoretic mobilities of the silica gel particles have also been measured in the same conditions. The adsorption isotherm of CTA^+ consists of four regions. Region I, at low concentrations of surfactant, the adsorption results primarily from electrostatic force between CTA^+ and the negatively charged silica surface. Region II (first plateau), at medium concentrations, the adsorption is due to both the electrostatic force and the specific attraction (vdW forces) between CTA^+ and the surface. Region III, characterized by an abrupt increase in the slope of the isotherm when the concentration reaches a particular point known as hemimicelle concentration (HMC). The abrupt increase in the adsorption is due to the hydrophobic interaction between hydrocarbon chains. Region IV(second plateau), at or above CMC, the limiting adsorption is reached as the micelle is not adsorbed, Based on this model. the experimental results can be explained reasonably. The results show that the HMC is about half of the CMC. According to the assumption that, each adsorbed CTA^+ ion in the first plateau is an active center for surface aggregation, the average aggregation number of hemimicelle have been calculated.

The phase transfer mechanism of 18-molybdophosphate anion at the water/nitrobenzene interface

The phase transfer mechanism of 18-molybdophosphate anion at the water/nitrobenzene interfaca has been investigated by chronopotentiometry with cyclic linear current-scanning (CLC) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The transfer species is 18-molybdophosphtae anion with a charge number of-4, H_2[P_2Mo_(18)O_(62)]^(4-). The transfer process is controlled by diffusion at a slow polarization rate and considerably influenced by pH of the aqueous phase. The stable forms and pH range of the heteropoly anion in the aqueous solution can be directly confirmed through voltammetric behavior. The theoretical analysis of the relationship between the transfer potential and solution pH is identical to the experimental results. The linear concentration relationship with the transfer peak current is suggested to be used in the determination of heteropoly acids(salts).

Molecular-scale processes affecting growth rates of ice at moderate supercooling

The growth kinetics of ice are modeled using the Water Potential from Adaptive Force Matching for Ice and Liquid （WAIL） potential with molecular dynamics. The all-atom WAIL model provides a good description of the properties of both ice and liquid with an equilibrium temperature of 270 K at 1 bar. The growth kinetics captured by this model can thus reflect those of real ice. Our simulation indicates that the growth rate of ice on the basal plane is fastest at approximately 20 K supercooling, consistent with experimental findings, where the growth rate increases monotonically as the supercooling increases to 18 K. The key factors that control the growth kinetics leading to the optimal growth temperature are investigated. The simulation revealed a bilayer-by-bilayer growth mechanism on the basal plane that proceeds in two steps. Whereas water molecules lose translational motion and become ice-like quickly, the establishment of orientational order to form ice is a slow and activated process. Enhanced by the templating effect of sublayers, the rapid reduction in translational motion in the formation of the prefreezing layer might explain the significantly faster growth rate relative to the nucleation rate of water. Whereas remelting of the prefreezing layer is observed at low supercooling and may be responsible for the lower growth rate close to the melting temperature, the slow orientational ordering of the prefreezing layer into the final ice conformation is partly responsible for the reduced growth rate at deeper supercooling.

Membrane Insertion by Trichosanthin Using the Monolayer Method

A monolayer technique was used to investigate the interaction between the ribosome inactivating protein trichosanthin (TCS) and phospholipid membrane. The adsorption experiments show that the negatively charged 1,2 dipalmitoyl sn glycerol 3 phosphoglycerol (DPPG) causes obvious enrichment of TCS beneath the monolayer, indicating electrostatic attraction between TCS and the negatively charged phospholipid. When TCS was incorporated into the DPPG monolayer at low pH, it could not be completely squeezed out until the monolayer collapsed. The results suggest that the electrostatic attraction and the hydrophobic force are involved in the interaction between TCS and phospholipids at different stages. These findings may be correlated with the membrane translocation mechanism of TCS.