A comprehensive review on bioinspired solar photovoltaic cells

Researchers have derived inspiration from the biophotosynthetic structures in nature and have started to synthesize the modified bioinspired solar cells copying the evolved organic and inorganic material properties. One of the highlighted examples of bioinspired photo voltaic (PV) cells is the astonishing achievement of an increase in the absorption of integrated sunlight waves in unpatterned solar cells simulated from the wings of the butterfly. Further, deployment possibilities of incorporating flexible cells on flat or curved surfaces for optimizing performance are also under progress. This article mainly discusses the recent concepts of bioinspired solar cells at the research and development level with the prospects and challenges that lie ahead in the upcoming field of photovoltaic renewable energy cell technology. Different potential materials found suitable for bioinspired solar cells construction are reviewed with their particular challenges.     

青海糖茶藨籽油脂肪酸及不皂化物成分分析研究

研究糖茶藨籽油的脂肪酸和不皂化物成分。采用气相色谱-质谱联用法对糖茶藨籽油脂肪酸和不皂化物成分进行分析和鉴定。结果表明:糖茶藨籽油中共鉴定出13种脂肪酸,不饱和脂肪酸占(86.88±0.53)%,其中主要的不饱和脂肪酸为亚油酸、亚麻酸和油酸,相对含量分别为(29.06±1.08)%、(25.85±0.79)%和(19.08±0.76)%;糖茶藨籽油的不皂化物以植物甾醇和萜类化合物为主,其中植醇含量最高,达(40.42±2.54)%,其次为β-谷甾醇。     

Metal-organic-framework-derived In2O3 microcolumnar structures embedded with Pt nanoparticles for NO2 detection near room temperature

A novel synthesis of In₂O₃ porous microcolumnar structures (MCs) by a self-sacrificial template route was carried out using MIL-68. Using a modified calcination strategy, the samples could maintain the original metal organic frame work (MOF) morphology with a high gas accessibility after a slow decomposition of organic ligands. Pt nanoparticles (NPs) were loaded on the samples before or after the MOF calcination, leading to different contact states of the Pt NPs and In₂O₃ matrix. The gas sensing properties of the samples were systematically investigated using a dynamic testing system. Particularly, sample Pt/In₂O₃ MCs-1 exhibited a superior NO₂ sensing performance near room temperature (R_g/R_a?=?44.9?at 1 part-per-million and 5.2?at 100 parts-per-billion (ppb)). The sensor resistance could recover to its baseline even at 40?°C after purging with air without any additional treatment. This can be attributed to the chemical sensitisation of the Pt NPs as well as large contents of pores and channels for gas diffusion. The introduction of humidity in the gas mixture could remarkably decrease the sensor response and recovery times owing to the ‘wet’ NO₂ adsorption mechanism. This study demonstrated a novel synthesis route of Pt-loaded In₂O₃ porous columnar structures and its potential applications in near-room-temperature detection of ppb-level NO₂.     

Analysis of indoor particles and gases and their evolution with natural ventilation

The air composition and reactivity from outdoor and indoor mixing field campaign was conducted to investigate the impacts of natural ventilation (ie, window opening and closing) on indoor air quality. In this study, a thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatograph (TAG) obtained measurements of indoor particle‐ and gas‐phase semi‐ and intermediately volatile organic compounds both inside and outside a single‐family test home. Together with measurements from a suite of instruments, we use TAG data to evaluate changes in indoor particles and gases at three natural ventilation periods. Positive matrix factorization was performed on TAG and adsorbent tube data to explore five distinct chemical and physical processes occurring in the indoor environment. Outdoor‐to‐indoor transport is observed for sulfate, isoprene epoxydiols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy alkanes. Dilution of indoor species is observed for volatile, non‐reactive species including methylcyclohexane and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane. Window opening drives enhanced emissions of semi‐ and intermediately volatile species including TXIB, DEET, diethyl phthalate, and carvone from indoor surfaces. Formation via enhanced oxidation was observed for nonanal and 2‐decanone when outdoor oxidants entered the home. Finally, oxidative depletion of gas‐phase terpenes (eg, limonene and α‐pinene) was anticipated but not observed due to limited measurement resolution and dynamically changing conditions.     

Enhancing light-extraction efficiency of OLEDs with high- and low-refractive-index organic–inorganic hybrid materials

High- and low-refractive-index hybrid materials were prepared by an in situ acid-free sol–gel process for internal and external light-extraction layers in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). A random copolymer of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (MSMA), poly(MMA-co-MSMA), which was capped with trialkoxysilane in MSMA units, was used as a precursor. The precursor was further reacted with titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) to synthesize the high- and low-refractive-index hybrid materials, respectively, in which TiO₂ and SiO₂ nanoparticles were well dispersed, respectively, in the polymer matrix. After the reactions with TTIP and TEOS, the refractive index increased to 1.81 and decreased to 1.44 from 1.50 of the precursor, respectively. The luminance, power, and current efficiency of the OLED with an external light-extraction layer were enhanced by 21.3, 28.6, and 29.1%, respectively, those of the OLED with an internal light-extraction layer were increased by 62.4, 76.9, and 59.2%, respectively, and those of the device with combined ELEL and ILEL were enhanced by 62.7, 77.2, and 59.3%, respectively, when compared to values for the reference OLED without an internal or external light-extraction layer. These results indicate that high- and low-refractive-index materials are desirable for enhancement in light-extraction efficiency, and they can provide practical solutions for various applications such as OLED displays and lighting.     

Magnetized strange quark matter in the equivparticle model with both confinement and perturbative interactions

We investigated the properties of strange quark matter in an external strong magnetic field with both confinement and leading-order perturbative interactions considered. It was found that the leading-order perturbative interaction can stiffen the equation of state of magnetized quark matter, while the magnetic field lowers the minimum energy per baryon. By solving the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff equations, we obtain the internal structure of strange stars. The maximum mass of strange stars can be as large as 2 times the solar mass.     

Metal organic frameworks as electrocatalysts: Hydrogen evolution reactions and overall water splitting

The development of clean energy technologies to protect the environment is an important demand of the times. Electrocatalysis is emerging as a promising method for evolution of hydrogen and overall water splitting. Nowadays, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as electrocatalysts having uniformly distributed active sites and high electrical conductivity. This review summarizes the latest advances in heterogeneous catalysis by MOFs and their composite/derivatives for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and water splitting. Pristine MOFs with their recent development are summarized first followed by composites of MOFs with their enhanced electrocatalytic performances. Overall water splitting by using bifunctional electrocatalysts derived from MOFs with different synthetic approaches is provided and this review gives the metal-based categorisation of precursor MOFs. Different strategies to improve chemical stability, conductivity, and overall electrocatalytic properties have been discussed. In the last, perspectives on the synthesis of efficient MOF-based electrocatalyst materials are provided.     

Adsorption efficiency and photocatalytic activity of fly ash-based geopolymer foam mortar

Fly ash-based geopolymer foam mortar (GFM) was used as an adsorbent material to methylene blue (MB) and also the dye removal material using the photocatalytic mechanism. The GFM, containing 50 wt% river sand aggregate, was prepared to have approximately 46% open porosity, pore size distribution between 0.01 and 3.5 mm, and water permeability of 0.2 cm/s. The variation of adsorption efficiency and adsorption capacity with the contact time of the GFM was first evaluated using various GFM dosages (10, 20, 50, 80, and 100 g/L). The adsorption efficiency at equilibrium (AE_e) was found to linearly increase, while adsorption capacity (q_ae) exponentially decayed, with an increase of loading dosages. The photocatalytic removal efficiency of ~100% was obtained with 50, 80, and 100 g/L GFM loading dosages, with a shorter time at higher dosages. The GFM could be reused, without regeneration, for 5 cycles. The AE_e and q_ae for each reused cycle did not noticeably change suggesting the reusability. The photocatalytic removal efficiency, however, was found to decrease with an increase of the reused cycle. After the 5^th cycle, the highest removal efficiency was reduced to ~70%. The attempts to treat the GFMs with hydrochloric (HCl) and phosphoric (H₃PO₄) acid to reduce the excess alkaline did not give satisfactory results as expected. The photocatalytic removal efficiency had subsided after the treatment with both acids.     

有机硅交联聚合物的分子模拟

由正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)和甲基三乙氧基硅烷(MTEOS)出发,先构建了聚合物的单体模型,再构建单链,最后通过手动建立化学键的方法构建了有机硅树脂交联体系的网络模型,并且验证了该模型的有效性.通过比较选择了适合有机硅交联体系的非键作用力和聚合度,再通过模拟有机硅交联体系的密度与温度的关系图、比体积与温度的关系图预测了有机硅树脂交联体系的玻璃化转变温度(Tg).     

Phenol degradation by isolated bacterial strains: kinetics study and application in coking wastewater treatment

BACKGROUND: In biological treatment of coking wastewater, phenol may decrease the treatment efficiency because of its high concentration and toxicity to microorganisms. Bioaugmentation has been regarded as a good improvement of the traditional biological treatment using isolated degrading strains. In this study, two phenol degrading strains, Pseudomonas sp. PCT01 and PTS02, were isolated and investigated for degradation ability and application to real coking wastewater treatment. RESULTS: Complete phenol degradation was achieved after 18 h inoculation in medium containing 229‐461 mg L^?1 of phenol for both strains. The presence of phenol, pyridine and other compounds in mixed substrate or in coking wastewater prolonged the degradation to 20‐32 h with an initial phenol concentration of 160‐280 mg L^?1. The study of degradation kinetics yielded a two‐stage model to describe the effect of the initial phenol concentration and inhibitory compounds on phenol degradation. The highest degradation rate constant of the second stage, 1.25 h^?1 for PCT01 and 0.75 h^?1 for PTS02, was obtained at low phenol concentration in a single substrate. CONCLUSION: It was found that both strains could degrade phenol effectively and maintain their phenol degradation ability in coking wastewater, and therefore could be used for bioaugmentation treatment of coking wastewater. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry