Electrokinetic-mechanism of water and furfural oxidation on pulsed laser-interlaced Cu_(2)O and CoO on nickel foam

The electrocatalytic oxidation of biomass-derived furfural(FF)feedstocks into 2-furoic acid(FA)holds immense industrial potential in optics,cosmetics,polymers,and food.Herein,we fabricated Co O/Ni O/nickel foam(NF)and Cu_(2)O/Ni O/NF electrodes via in situ pulsed laser irradiation in liquids(PLIL)for the bifunctional electrocatalysis of oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and furfural oxidation reaction(FOR),respectively.Simultaneous oxidation of NF surface to NiO and deposition of CoO and/or Cu_(2)O on NF during PLIL offer distinct advantages for enhancing both the OER and FOR.CoO/NiO/NF electrocatalyst provides a consistently low overpotential of~359 m V(OER)at 10 m A/cm^(2),achieving the maximum FA yield(~16.37 m M)with 61.5%selectivity,79.5%carbon balance,and a remarkable Faradaic efficiency of~90.1%during 2 h of FOR at 1.43 V(vs.reversible hydrogen electrode).Mechanistic pathway via in situ electrochemical-Raman spectroscopy on CoO/NiO/NF reveals the involvement of phase transition intermediates(NiOOH and CoOOH)as surface-active centers during electrochemical oxidation.The carbonyl carbon in FF is attacked by hydroxyl groups to form unstable hydrates that subsequently undergo further oxidation to yield FA products.This method holds promise for large-scale applications,enabling simultaneous production of renewable building materials and fuel.

Assembly of low-voltage driven co-production of hydrogen and sulfur via Ru nanoclusters on metal-sulfur coordination:Insights from DFT calculations

Herein,we propose a simple and rapid approach for synthesizing a CuS/Ru composite that serves as a bifunctional electrocatalyst to promote hydrogen production and concurrently convert sulfion into a value-added sulfur product.This composite comprises Ru nanoclusters supported on the CuS nanostructure,achieved through simple pulsed laser irradiation in liquid approach.The optimized CuS/Ru-30 electrocatalyst demonstrates remarkable bifunctional electrocatalytic activity,exhibiting a negligible working potential of 0.28 V(vs.RHE)for the anodic sulfion oxidation reaction(SOR)and a minimal overpotential of 182 m V for cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)to achieve 10 mA cm^(-2)of current density.Moreover,the Cu S/Ru-30 electrocatalyst shows exceptional selectivity for converting sulfion into valuable sulfur during anodic oxidation reactions.Remarkably,in a two-electrode electrolyzer system utilizing Cu S/Ru-30 as both the anode and cathode,the SOR+HER coupled water electrolysis system demands only 0.52 V to reach 10 mA cm^(-2),which is considerably lesser compared to the OER+HER coupled water electrolysis(1.85 V).The experimental results and density function theory(DFT)calculations reveal that the strong electron interaction between CuS and Ru nanoclusters generates a built-in electric field,greatly enhancing electron transfer efficiency.This significantly boosts the HER performance and facilitates the adsorption and production of sulfur intermediates.This study presents a rapid and simple strategy for synthesizing a dual-functional catalyst suitable for low-voltage hydrogen generation while facilitating the recovery of valuable sulfur sources.

Effect of Ultrashort Pulsed Laser and X-Ray Irradiation on Au^+ -Doped Glass

Au nanoparticles were precipitated inside Au+-doped glass samples after irradiation by femtosecond laser or x-ray. Femtosecond laser and X-ray irradiation result in decreasing of anneal temperature and critical size for the precipitation of Au nanoparticles.

Gastroscopy-conjugated photoacoustic and ultrasonic dual-mode imaging for detection of submucosal gastric cancer:in vitro study

This paper presents photoacoustic and ultrasonic dual-mode imaging for real-time detection of submucosal gastric cancer with a combination of gastroscopy.The diagnostic capacity was directly addressed via several phantoms and ex vivo experiments.Results demonstrated that superficial and submucosal gastric cancer can be diagnosed with a perceptible depth of 6.33 mm,a lateral accuracy of 2.23 mm,and a longitudinal accuracy of 0.17 mm though capturing the morphology of angiogenesis,which is a main character of the therioma-related change.The capability of gastroscopy-conjugated photoacoustic and ultrasonic dual-mode imaging system will own great potential in improving the clinical diagnostic rate of submucosal gastric cancer.

Manifolding active sites and in situ/operando electrochemical-Raman spectroscopic studies of single-metal nanoparticle-decorated CuO nanorods in furfural biomass valorization to H_(2) and 2-furoic acid

Here,CuO nanorods fabricated via pulsed laser ablation in liquids were decorated with Ir,Pd,and Ru NPs(loading~7 wt%) through pulsed laser irradiation in the liquids process.The resulting NPs-decorated CuO nanorods were characterized spectroscopically and employed as multifunctional electrocatalysts in OER,HER,and the furfural oxidation reactions(FOR).Ir-CuO nanorods afford the lowest overpotential of~345 mV(HER) and 414 mV(OER) at 10 mA cm^(-2),provide the highest 2-furoic acid yield(~10.85 mM) with 64.9% selectivity,and the best Faradaic efficiency~72.7% in 2 h of FOR at 1.58 V(vs.RHE).In situ electrochemical-Raman analysis of the Ir-CuO detects the formation of the crucial intermediates,such as Cu(Ⅲ)-oxide,Cu(OH)_(2),and Ir_x(OH)_y,on the electrode-electrolyte surface,which act as a promoter for HER and OER.The Ir-CuO ‖ Ir-CuO in a coupled HER and FOR-electrolyzer operates at~200 mV lower voltage,compared with the conventional electrolyzer and embodies the dual advantage of energy-saving H_(2) and 2-furoic acid production.

Embedding laser generated GaAs nanocrystals in perovskite wires for enhanced charge transport and photodetection

Solution-processed perovskite wires are attractive candidates for photodetectors(PDs)due to their simple processibility as well as one-dimensional(1D)geometry with desirable charge carrier transport.However,the performance of the perovskite PDs is generally restricted by the charge carrier transport and extraction efficiency.Herein,we demonstrate that the charge transport and the consequent photodetection performance of MAPbI_(3)perovskite wires can be effectively enhanced by incorporating nanocrystals(NCs)of GaAs-a semiconductor with high charge carrier mobility.Taking advantage of the pulsed laser irradiation technique,we successfully fabricate ligand-free GaAs NCs with a size of~7 nm and homogeneously embed them in MAPbI_(3) perovskite wires through a simple solution-processed synthesis route.Compared with the pristine perovskite wires,the GaAs NCs modulated perovskite wires show improved charge carrier transport with the mobility rising from 1.13 to 3.67 cm^(2)V^(-1)s^(-1),and the resultant PD shows significant improvement in responsivity and detectivity.This study provides a new strategy for improving optoelectronic properties of halide perovskite materials and optimizing the device performance.

Laser-enhanced thermal effect of moderate intensity focused ultrasound on bio-tissues

For avoiding extra-damage to healthy tissues surrounding the focal point during high intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU) treatment in medical therapy, to reduce the ultrasonic intensity outside the focal point is expected. Thus, the heating processes induced by moderate intensity focused ultrasound(MIFU) and enhanced by combined irradiation of laser pulses for bio-tissues are studied in details. For fresh bio-tissues, the enhanced thermal effects by pulsed laser combined with MIFU irradiation are observed experimentally. To explore the mechanisms of these effects, several tissue-mimicking materials composed of agar mixed with graphite powders are prepared and studied for comparison, but the laser-enhanced thermal effects in these mimicking materials are much less than that in the fresh bio-tissues. Therefore, it is suggested that the laser-enhanced thermal effects may be mainly attributed to bio-activities and related photo-bio-chemical effects of fresh tissues.