Hydrogen from wet air and sunlight in a tandem photoelectrochemical cell

A solid-state photoelectrochemical (SSPEC) cell is an attractive approach for solar water splitting, especially when it comes to monolithic device design. In a SSPEC cell the electrodes distance is minimized, while the use of polymer-based membranes alleviates the need for liquid electrolytes, and at the same time they can separate the anode from the cathode. In this work, we have made and tested, firstly, a SSPEC cell with a Pt/C electrocatalyst as the cathode electrode, under purely gaseous conditions. The anode was supplied with air of 80% relative humidity (RH) and the cathode with argon. Secondly, we replaced the Pt/C cathode with a photocathode consisting of 2D photocatalytic g-C₃N₄, which was placed in tandem with the photoanode (tandem-SSPEC). The tandem configuration showed a three-fold enhancement in the obtained photovoltage and a steady-state photocurrent density. The mechanism of operation is discussed in view of recent advances in surface proton conduction in absorbed water layers. The presented SSPEC cell is based on earth-abundant materials and provides a way towards systems of artificial photosynthesis, especially for areas where water sources are scarce and electrical grid infrastructure is limited or nonexistent. The only requirements to make hydrogen are humidity and sunlight.     

共价有机框架材料及其在关键核素分离中的应用进展

共价有机框架材料（COFs）是一类由共价键连接的多孔晶态材料。因具有单体链接方式灵活、结构可调、活性位点丰富、比表面积大、理化性质相对稳定等特点，它们在气体储存与分离、能量储存、催化和光电学领域受到了广泛的关注。本文主要从结构设计、合成方法及功能化、材料的分析表征和晶形控制等方面概括地介绍了COFs材料。在此基础上，综述了COFs材料在关键核素分离方面的研究进展，并展望了其在核素分离领域的应用前景和今后的研究方向。     

The Art of Masonry

Brick masonry is not only a question of building physics, building construction and durability, i.e. sustainability, but has much to do with aesthetics and making sense, which may have been forgotten in modern architecture with its absolute lack of décor. Masonry as an art form has been scarce since the era of brick expressionism. Recently, there have been some exceptions – and thoroughly welcome. The ”Fjordenhus“ in Vejle, Denmark, is an astonishing example.     

Hierarchical Coherent Phonons in a Superatomic Semiconductor

The coupling of phonons to electrons and other phonons plays a defining role in material properties, such as charge and energy transport, light emission, and superconductivity. In atomic solids, phonons are delocalized over the 3D lattice, in contrast to molecular solids where localized vibrations dominate. Here, a hierarchical semiconductor that expands the phonon space by combining localized 0D modes with delocalized 2D and 3D modes is described. This material consists of superatomic building blocks (Re₆Se₈) covalently linked into 2D sheets that are stacked into a layered van der Waals lattice. Using transient reflectance spectroscopy, three types of coherent phonons are identified: localized 0D breathing modes of isolated superatom, 2D synchronized twisting of superatoms in layers, and 3D acoustic interlayer deformation. These phonons are coupled to the electronic degrees of freedom to varying extents. The presence of local phonon modes in an extended crystal opens the door to controlling material properties from hierarchical phonon engineering.     

有色冶炼二次含砷物料碱法脱砷工艺现状

分析了典型二次含砷物料化学成分特点,概括了当前有色冶炼工业中产生的二次含砷物料碱法脱砷工艺及原理,主要包括湿法脱砷工艺和火法—湿法联合脱砷工艺。其中,碱法脱砷工艺常用NaOH单碱浸出、NaOH-Na_2S混合碱浸出和NaOH+Na_2S混合碱两段浸出三种体系,并采用双氧水、加压、曝气、微波、球磨等氧化手段强化砷的浸出;火法—湿法联合脱砷工艺主要有低温碱性熔炼—水浸、焙烧预氧化—碱性浸出以及低温碱性焙烧—热水浸出工艺,低温碱性焙烧—热水浸出工艺选择性脱砷效果好,物料普适性广。最后,结合现有研究指出了碱法脱砷工艺存在的问题及二次含砷物料无害化、资源化研究方向。     

液晶显示器用有机高分子材料的老化与评价方法研究

通过对液晶显示器用有机高分子材料的老化机理分析,研究了胶带和胶黏剂分别在材料贮存期间和使用期间的主要应力及其薄弱环节。提出了在有机高分子材料不同的使用阶段相应的老化试验方案和失效评价指标,并给出了相应的试验验证过程,为液晶显示器用有机高分子材料的寿命评估提供了支持。     

Thermal and structural modification in transparent and magnetic germanoborate glasses induced by Gd2O3

A series of new transparent and magnetic germanoborate glasses in the system (100-x)[60GeO₂–25B₂O₃–10Na₂O–4Al₂O₃–1PbO] – (x) Gd₂O₃, with x = 0, 1, 2, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mol%, was prepared and studied with respect to their thermal and structural changes in the presence of Gd₂O₃. Based on Differential Scanning Calorimetre (DSC) analysis, a glass with 5% of Gd₂O₃ showed a high thermal stability, which progressively decreases for samples with higher content of Gd₂O₃. By the analysis of Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra, it was possible to identify that by increasing the amount of Gd₂O₃, a progressive depolymerization of 6-membered Ge^[IV] rings is promoted, concomitant with an increase of Ge^[IV] tetrahedra units with non-briding oxygens. The structural analysis through the local-sensitive techniques EXAFS (Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure) and XANES (X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure) showed that the short-range structural modification around the elements Ge and Gd³⁺ does not change with the addition of Gd₂O₃ and the presence of germanium four-fold coordination [Ge^IV] and Gd³⁺ states, respectively. A simulation of the coordination number (N), the interatomic distance (R) of Ge–O and Gd–O bonds and the Debye-Waller factor was also carried out. The microstructure_, after crystallization, of the sample with 15 mol% of Gd₂O₃ was evaluated using optical and electron microscopes. Finally, the paramagnetic behaviour and ion probe quantification of Gd³⁺ ions were obtained based on magnetic susceptibility measurements.