Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets Decorated with Zinc-Cadmium Sulfide for Type-II Heterojunctions for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

In this study, we fabricated graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets with embedded ZnCdS nanoparticles to form a type II heterojunction using a facile synthesis approach, and we used them for photocatalytic H2 production. The morphologies, chemical structure, and optical properties of the obtained g-C3N4-ZnCdS samples were characterized by a battery of techniques, such as TEM, XRD, XPS, and UV-Vis DRS. The as-synthesized g-C3N4-ZnCdS photocatalyst exhibited the highest hydrogen production rate of 108.9 µmol·g-1·h-1 compared to the individual components (g-C3N4: 13.5 µmol·g-1·h-1, ZnCdS: 45.3 µmol·g-1·h-1). The improvement of its photocatalytic activity can mainly be attributed to the heterojunction formation and resulting synergistic effect, which provided more channels for charge carrier migration and reduced the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. Meanwhile, the g-C3N4-ZnCdS heterojunction catalyst also showed a higher stability over a number of repeated cycles. Our work provides insight into using g-C3N4 and metal sulfide in combination so as to develop low-cost, efficient, visible-light-active hydrogen production photocatalysts.

Does financial development and renewable energy consumption impact on environmental quality: A new look at China's economy.

Environmental problems such as climate change have brought to light the necessity of implementing more stringent environmental regulations and expanding the use of renewable energy sources in order to protect the environment and maintain a green ecosystem. As a result, this study aims to investigate the impact of China's financial development and consumption of renewable energy on the country's environmental quality from 2009 to 2019. Following the application of the ARDL method, this research begins by employing the NARDL (non-linear autoregressive distributive lag) model in order to analyze the asymmetry in the data that results from the presence of either positive or negative aspects of financial development. The results of the NARDL bound test indicate that the variables are long-term co-integrated. This enables the application of the ARDL methodology. The ARDL bound test findings show a positive relationship that exists over the long-term between financial development, trade openness, renewable energy consumption, economic growth, and CO2 emissions. In addition, the error correction model (ECM) provides evidence that there is, at least in the short run, a connection between CO2 emissions, financial development, economic growth, and energy consumption. Furthermore, according to a dynamic multiplier graph, the positive aspect of financial development has a greater influence on carbon emissions for a longer time than the shocks associated with a less favorable financial development. According to the findings, there does not appear to be any asymmetry between CO2 emissions and financial development, which supports the idea that both the positive and negative aspects of financial development have an equally significant impact.

From Chondrocytes to Chondrons, Maintenance of Phenotype and Matrix Production in a Composite 3D Hydrogel Scaffold.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease characterized by articular cartilage (AC) degradation that affects more than 30 million people in the USA. OA is managed with symptom-alleviating medications. Matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT) is a tissue-engineered option, but current products are expensive and lack mechanical tunability or processability to match defect mechanical properties and anatomical shapes. Here, we explore the efficacy of a biocompatible hydrogel-based scaffold composed of sodium alginate, gelatin, and gum Arabic-referred to by SA-GEL-GA-to support bovine articular chondrocyte (bAChs) proliferation, pericellular matrix (PCM), and extracellular matrix (ECM) production. bAChs were grown for 45 days in SA-GEL-GA. Their viability, their live/dead status, histological staining, biochemical assays for glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and collagen, atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging, and immunofluorescence staining of collagen I, collagen II, aggrecan, and CD44 were assessed. We found that SA-GEL-GA was not cytotoxic, induced cellular proliferation by 6.1-fold while maintaining a round morphology, and supported ECM deposition by producing 3.9-fold more GAG compared to day 0. bAChs transformed into chondrons and produced a PCM enriched with collagen II (3.4-fold), aggrecan (1.7-fold), and CD44 (1.3-fold) compared to day 0. In summary, SA-GEL-GA supported the proliferation, ECM production, and PCM production of bAChs in vitro.