ABSTRACT
The improvement of surface reactivity in noble-metal-free cocatalysts is crucial for the development of efficient and cost-effective photocatalytic systems. However, the influence of crystallinity on catalytic efficacy has received limited attention. Herein, we report the utilization of structurally disordered MoSe2 with abundant 1T phase as a versatile cocatalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Using MoSe2/carbon nitride (CN) hybrids as a case study, it is demonstrated that amorphous MoSe2 significantly enhances the hydrogen evolution rate of CN, achieving up to 11.37 µmol h-1, surpassing both low crystallinity (8.24 µmol h-1) and high crystallinity MoSe2 (3.86 µmol h-1). Experimental analysis indicates that the disordered structure of amorphous MoSe2, characterized by coordination-unsaturated surface sites and a rich 1T phase with abundant active sites at the basal plane, predominantly facilitates the conversion of surface-bound protons to hydrogen. Conversely, the heightened charge transfer capacity of the highly crystalline counterpart plays a minor role in enhancing practical catalytic performance. This approach is applicable for enhancing the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance of various semiconducting photocatalysts, including CdS, TiO2, and ZnIn2S4, thereby offering novel insights into the advancement of high-performance non-precious catalysts through phase engineering.
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How to effectively improve energy transfer efficiency and luminous intensity inspired us to synthesize a series of SiO2:x%Tb3+@Gd2O3:y%Eu3+ samples, study their luminescence properties and interfacial energy transfer (IET), and compare with SiO2:x%Eu3+@Gd2O3:y%Tb3+. The results show that SiO2:x%Tb3+@Gd2O3:y%Eu3+ can exhibit adjustable multicolor luminescence from red to green at different concentrations of Eu3+ and Tb3+ or under different excitation wavelengths, and there exists efficient IET from Tb3+ to Eu3+ in SiO2:x%Tb3+@Gd2O3:y%Eu3+ and SiO2:x%Eu3+@Gd2O3:y%Tb3+, which improves the energy transfer efficiency and luminous intensity. In addition, the luminescence properties are different between SiO2:3%Tb3+@Gd2O3:3%Eu3+ and SiO2:3%Eu3+@Gd2O3:3%Tb3+, and the energy transfer efficiency of Tb3+ â Eu3+ in SiO2:3%Tb3+@Gd2O3:3%Eu3+ is obviously higher than that in SiO2:3%Eu3+@Gd2O3:3%Tb3+. The present study not only developed a kind of multicolor luminescent phosphor but also offered an important new strategy for improving the energy transfer efficiency and luminescent intensity.
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To achieve a selective degradation of pollutants in a water body, 3D/1D magnetic molecularly imprinted fibers Fe3O4@TiO2/TC-TiO2/SiO2 were fabricated by an electrospinning method. The molecularly imprinted layer was successfully prepared by a direct imprinting method using TiO2 as a functional monomer. Fe3O4 facilitates the catalyst recovery and light utilization. The as-prepared fibrous photocatalyst has a large specific surface area of 132.4 m2/g. The successful generation of imprinted sites was proven by various characterizations. The weak interaction between the inorganic functional monomer and tetracycline (TC) was determined to be van der Waals force and hydrogen bonds by the IGMH isosurface theory. The construction of the 3D/1D homojunction of molecularly imprinted materials is beneficial to charge transfer. The as-prepared photocatalyst exhibits a high selectivity coefficient α = 737.38 competing with RhB. The TC removal efficiency reached 100% within only 20 min. In addition, the possible degradation pathway and the degradation mechanism are reasonably proposed. This work not only provides an in-depth mechanism of the weak interaction between the inorganic molecularly imprinted functional monomer and pollutant molecules but also offers new thoughts on the fabrication of photocatalysts for the effective and selective treatment of pollutants in water bodies.
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The emissions of CO2 are increasing year by year, which have led to serious environmental problems. Converting CO2 into valuable fuels through photocatalysis is a promising strategy. In this research, oxygen atoms were successfully innovated into graphitic carbon nitride (CN). Additionally, cobalt porphyrin (CoTPP) was successfully loaded onto the modified carbon nitride (Co/CN). The generation of interfacial electric fields and bending bands between CN and CoTPP was demonstrated experimentally. The electrons in the CN and the holes in the CoTPP were combined to form a unique S-scheme heterojunction structure, and efficient separation of carriers was promoted. As a result, the CO conversion under visible light irradiation reached an impressive 100.70 µmol g-1 h-1. By integrating theoretical and experimental findings, this study underscores the critical role of catalyst design in enabling efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction.
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Enhancing the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) is essential for generating more reactive oxygen species in advanced oxidation process (AOPs). Nevertheless, improving PMS adsorption and expediting interfacial electron transfer to enhance reaction kinetics pose significant challenges. Herein, we construct confined W18O49 nanowires with asymmetric active centers containing Co-Vo-W (Vo: oxygen vacancy). The design incorporates surface-rich Vo and single-atom Co, and the resulting material is employed for PMS activation in water purification. By coupling unsaturated coordinated electrons in Vo with low-valence Co single atoms to construct an the "electron fountainhead", the adsorption and activation of PMS are enhanced. This results in the generation of more active free radicals (SO4â¢-, â¢OH, â¢O2-) and non-free radicals (1O2) for the decomposition of micropollutants. Thereinto, the degradation rate of bisphenol A (BPA) by Co-W18O49 is 32.6 times faster that of W18O49 monomer, which is also much higher than those of other transition-metal-doped W18O49 composites. This work is expected to help to elucidate the rational design and efficient PMS activation of catalysts with asymmetric active centers.
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Nowadays, the utilization of noncontact temperature and pressure sensing is experiencing growing popularity. In this work, Bi3+, Eu3+-doped Ca5(BO3)3F (CBOF) phosphors were synthesized via an ionic liquid-assisted electrospinning approach. The effect of molecular weight of polyvinylpyrrolidone on the morphology of CBOF was investigated, and a comprehensive analysis of its formation mechanism was presented. The luminescence properties of CBOF: Bi3+, Eu3+ were studied systematically. The temperature-dependent emission of CBOF: Bi3+, Eu3+ phosphor was discussed, and it displayed thermal sensitivity, which can be attributed to the distinct thermal response emission behaviors of Bi3+ and Eu3+. The investigation of the pressure-dependent emission behavior of the CBOF: Bi3+ phosphor revealed an anomalous phenomenon: with the increase of pressure, the emission peak showed a trend of first a blue shift and then a red shift. This anomaly was discussed in detail. The phosphor exhibits visual color change (blue to cyan), remarkable pressure sensitivity (4.76 nm/GPa), and a high upper pressure limit (24.2 GPa), indicating its potential use as an optical pressure sensor. Consequently, this study presents an innovative synthetic approach for fabricating CBOF, presenting a bifunctional material with promising prospects in the fields of temperature and pressure sensing.
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Ba3Lu(BO3)3(BLB):Ce3+,Tb3+/Mn2+ phosphors were designed to explore effective and multifunctional applications. Under the excitation of near-ultraviolet (n-UV) light, the BLB:Ce3+ phosphor showed broad-band blue emission. After codoping with Mn2+ ions, the single-phase white light phosphor is achieved through the energy transfer (ET) between Ce3+ and Mn2+. In addition, thermal stability is significantly enhanced by the addition of Tb3+ (BLB:0.02Ce3+,0.20Tb3+) compared to that codoped with Mn2+ (BLB:0.02Ce3+,0.10Mn2+). The light-emitting diode (LED) device with warm white light emission is fabricated with UV-chip-coated BLB:0.02Ce3+,0.05Tb3+ and Sr2Si5N8:Eu2+ phosphors, showing a good potential application value for LEDs. Additionally, the spectral properties of borate-based phosphors (BLB:0.02Ce3+) under high pressure were studied for the first time. Surprisingly, the change of pressure enabled the emission peak of BLB:0.02Ce3+ to be tuned from 485 to 552 nm, and dλ/dP is 3.51 nm GPa-1. The color changes from blue to yellow with an increase of pressure. Compared with the reported data, the pressure-sensing sensitivity based on the central peak shift in this work is the highest in all Ce3+ single-doped samples. In addition, the emitting color and intensity were gradually regained after decompression. The intensity can reach 80% of the initial intensity. All data demonstrate that the BLB:0.02Ce3+ phosphor has the potential to be utilized as an optical pressure sensor due to the high-pressure sensitivity and visible color tuning.
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Optical pressure sensing by phosphors is a growing area of research. However, the main pressure measurement methods rely on the movement of the central peak position, which has significant drawbacks for practical applications. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of using the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) of different emission peaks for pressure sensing. The FIR (IBi3+/ILn3+) values of the synthesized YNbO4:Bi3+/Ln3+ (Ln = Eu or Sm) phosphors are all first-order exponentially related to pressure, and YNbO4:Bi3+/Ln3+ (Ln = Eu or Sm) phosphors have high pressure-sensing sensitivities (Sp and Spr), which are 6 times higher than those from our previously reported work. In addition, the changes in FIR values during the decompression process were also calculated, and the trend was similar to that during the compression process. The YNbO4:Bi3+,Eu3+ phosphor has better pressure recovery performance. In summary, the YNbO4:Bi3+/Ln3+ (Ln = Eu or Sm) phosphors reported in this paper are expected to be applied in the field of optical pressure sensing, and this study provides a new approach and perspective for designing new phosphors for pressure measurement.
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Ganoderma capense is a precious medicinal fungus in China. In this study, a novel fungal immunomodulatory protein gene, named as FIP-gca, was cloned from G. capense by homologous cloning. Sequencing analysis indicated that FIP-gca was composed of 336 bp, which encoded a polypeptide of 110 amino acids. Protein sequence blasting and phylogenetic analysis showed that FIP-gca shared homology with other Ganoderma FIPs. FIP-gca was effectively expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 at an expression level of 166.8 mg/L and purified using HisTrap™ fast-flow prepack columns. The immunomodulation capacity of rFIP-gca was demonstrated by that rFIP-gca could obviously stimulate cell proliferation and increase IL-2 secretion of murine spleen lymphocytes. Besides, antitumor activity of rFIP-gca towards human stomach cancer AGS cell line was evaluated in vitro. Cell wound scratch assay proved that rFIP-gca could inhibit migration of AGS cells. And flow cytometry assay revealed that rFIP-gca could significantly induce apoptosis of AGS cells. rFIP-gca was able to induce 18.12% and 22.29% cell apoptosis at 0.3 µM and 0.6 µM, respectively. Conclusively, the novel FIP-gca gene from G. capense has been functionally expressed in Pichia and rFIP-gca exhibited ideal immunomodulation and anti-tumour activities, which implies its potential application and study in future.
Subject(s)
Ganoderma , Saccharomycetales , Animals , Mice , Humans , Phylogeny , Ganoderma/genetics , Ganoderma/chemistry , Pichia/genetics , Pichia/metabolism , Fungal Proteins/metabolismABSTRACT
Objective@#To explore the effects of protein powder on the bioavailability of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in blood and kidneys of rats and renal function change.@*Methods@#Twenty-four rats of the SD strain were randomly divided into the negative control group, PFASs group and protein powder group, with 8 rats (half males and half females) in each group. PFASs included 13 perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and 8 perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSAs), and the mixture was used as a test subject for intervention. The rats in the negative control group were given deionized water at doses of 20 mL/kg·bw, in the PFASs group were given 5 mL/kg·bw of PFASs mixtures and 15 mL/kg·bw of deionized water, and in the protein powder group were given 5 mL/kg·bw of PFASs mixtures and 15 mL/kg·bw of protein powder (0.258 g/mL). After intervention for 28 successive days, body weight and kidney mass were weighed, and the kidney volume index was calculated. Serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer. The PFCAs, PFSAs and PFASs contents were quantified in blood and kidney using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry, and the bioavailability was estimated.@*Results@#There was no significant differences in kidney mass, kidney volume index, serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen among the negative control group, PFASs group and protein powder group (all P>0.05). The bioavailability of blood PFCAs, PFSAs and PFASs in the protein powder group was not significantly different from the PFASs group (all P>0.05). Compared with the PFASs group, the bioavailability of PFCAs, PFSAs and PFASs were significantly increased in kidneys of male rats in the protein powder group (all P<0.05), while were not significant different in those of female rats (all P>0.05).@*Conclusion@#Protein powder at the dose of this study can significantly improve the bioavailability of PFASs in kidneys of male rats, while there no obvious effects on the bioavailability of blood PFASs and renal function.
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Objective@#To assess the effects of subchronic intake of high-dose Dendrobium officinale on body weight, food intake, food utilization, and blood biochemical parameters in rats, so as to provide insights into assessment of edible safety of D. officinale.@*Methods@#Eighty SPF-grade SD rats were randomly divided into the low-, medium- and high-dose groups and the control group, of 10 male and 10 female rats in each group. Rats in the low-, medium- and high-dose groups were administered with D. officinale feeds at doses of 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 g/kg body weight, respectively, while animals in the control group were given basic diet for successive 13 weeks. The rat body weight, food intake, food utilization, and blood biochemical parameters were compared between groups.@*Results@#Normal diet and activity was seen in all rats, and no abnormal syndromes, signs or deaths were found during the study. There were no significant differences in rat body weight, food intake, total weight gain, total food intake, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, urea nitrogen, creatinine, triacylglycerol, cholesterol, total protein, albumin, albumin/globulin ratio or blood glucose among four groups (P>0.05). The food utilization 7 weeks post-administration [(8.71%±0.78%) vs. (10.54%±1.37%), P<0.05] and the total food utilization [(18.00%±0.41%) vs. (19.51%±1.21%), P<0.05] were significantly lower in male rats in the high-dose group than in the control group.@*Conclusion@#Subchronic intake of high-dose D. officinale shows no toxicity in rats, and reduced food utilization may be associated with the health function of D. officinale in male rats.
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Objective @#To study the damage effect of sunlight ultraviolet exposure on skin.@*Methods @#No exposure group, low exposure group and high exposure group were set up with 10 mice in each. The exposure doses of sunlight ultraviolet were 0, 10 J/cm2 and 20 J/cm2, respectively. The skin of mice was irradiated by a sunlight ultraviolet simulator for 5 days a week, 13 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the skin appearance of mice was examined; the skin moisture, oil content, texture density, hydroxyproline ( HYP ), hyaluronic acid (HA), malondialdehyde ( MDA ), glutathione ( GSH ) and superoxide dismutase ( SOD ) activities were detected; and the skin tissue morphology, collagen fiber morphology and elastic fiber morphology were observed. @*Results @#The skin appearance of mice in the no exposure group was normal; in the low exposure group, only one mouse had mild skin desquamation; in the high exposure group, the skin was loose and wrinkled, dry and desquamated, local thickening and erythema formation. Compared with the no exposure group, the contents of skin moisture, HYP, HA and SOD activity were lower, texture density, MDA content, morphological scores of skin tissue, collagen fiber tissue and elastic fiber tissue were higher in the high exposure group ( all P<0.05 ). Compared with the low exposure group, the HA content and SOD activity were lower, the skin texture density, MDA content, and histomorphological scores of skin tissue and collagen fibers were higher in the high exposure group ( all P<0.05 ).@*Conclusion @#Exposure to 20 J/cm2 sunlight ultraviolet can significantly lead to abnormal skin appearance and function in mice.
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Objective@#To study the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides ( LBP ) on blood indexes and liver tissue morphology in rats with intrahepatic cholestasis.@*Methods@#Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the control group, the model group, and LBP low, medium and high dose group. The rats in the model group and LBP dose groups were given 60 mg/kg alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate ( ANIT ) by gavage every three days of the experiment, and the rats in the control group were given salad oil instead of ANIT. From the third day, the rats in each dose group were given 40, 150 and 600 mg/kg LBP, and the rats in the model group were given distilled water. After four weeks, the blood and urine indexes were measured, and the morphological changes of liver tissue were observed. @*Results@#From the third day of the experiment, the activity of rats in the model group and LBP dose groups decreased, and the color of urine changed to dark yellow. There was no abnormality in the group. In the model group, the levels of serum total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, total bile acid ( TBA ), alkaline phosphatase ( ALP ), γ-glutamyltransferase(γ-GGT), cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase ( ALT ), aspartate aminotransferase ( AST ), white blood cell ( WBC ), percentage of granulocyte, urinary bilirubin, urinary bile acid, liver mass and liver to body ratio were higher than those in the control group, while red blood cell and percentage of lymphocyte were lower than those in the control group ( all P<0.05 ). Pathological changes of liver tissue were observed. The levels of serum TBA, ALP, γ-GGT, ALT, AST, WBC and liver to body ratio in LBP high dose group were lower than those in the model group ( all P<0.05 ). The infiltration of inflammatory cells, proliferation and expansion of bile duct, degeneration and necrosis of liver cells were alleviated. @*Conclusions@#LBP can improve the blood indexes and pathological changes of liver tissue in rats with intrahepatic cholestasis at the dosage of 600 mg/kg. Inhibition of inflammatory response and reduction of oxidative stress injury may be the mechanism for alleviating cholestatic liver injury.
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Objective@#To observe the effect of 5-hudroxymethyl-2-furfural (5-HMF) on glycolipid metabolism and hepatic function in mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hepatic injury. @*Methods@#A low, a medium and a high 5-HMF dose group, a model group, and a control group were designed, with ten female ICR mice in each group. The low, medium and high dose group were given 0.27, 0.80 and 2.67 mg/kgbw 5-HMF, respectively, for 12 weeks; while the model group and the control group were given volume controlled deionized water. The model group and three dose groups were fed with high-fat and high-sugar food (36%), and the intraperitoneal injection of alloxan (60 mg/kgbw) was executed in the 10th and 11th week; the control group were fed with normal food. The body weight, blood glucose, blood lipid, and liver function of mice were determined regularly. The livers were stained by periodic acid Schiff and the changes in pathology were observed. @*Results@#Compared with the control group, the serum levels of glucose (GLU), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were significantly higher in the model group (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the AST level in the low and high 5-HMF dose group, and the LDH level in the low, medium and high 5-HMF dose group, were significantly lower (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the levels of GLU, total cholesterol, LDL-C, triacylglycerol, HDL-C and ALT between the model group and the three dose groups (P>0.05). Moderate to severe vacuolar degeneration was observed in the model group, while mild vacuolar degeneration was observed in the high dose group. Medium or large amount of hepatic glycogen granules were observed in the high dose group and the model group. @*Conclusion@#Under the conditions of this experiment, 5-HMF does not show any obvious function of reducing blood glucose and lipid in the mice with T2DM and liver injury, but show some protective effects on liver function.
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Objective@#To learn the effects of Dendrobium officinale flowers on testivular tissue morphology and sperm quality in parent and offspring rats,so as to provide reference for safety evaluation of Dendrobium officinale flowers.@*Methods@#The 40 SD rats was randomly divided into the low-,middle-,high-dose and the control group,given 2.0,4.0,6.4 and 0 g/kgbw Dendrobium officinale flowers,respectively. After three months,the body weight,mass and organ/body coefficients of testis and epididymis of parent (P) and offspring (F1,F2) rats were measured;the number,activity and deformity of sperms were observed under microscope;the changes of testis and epididymis were observed by hematoxylin eosin staining. @* Results@#There were no significantly statistical differences in the body weight,mass and organ/body coefficients of testis and epididymis,sperm quantity,sperm motility rate among four groups of P、F1、F2 male rats (P>0.05). There were no significantly statistical differences in sperm malformation rate between the high-dose group and the control group (P>0.05). There was no significant change in testis and epididymis of P,F1 and F2 male rats. @*Conclusion@#Dendrobium officinale flowers did not show obviously adverse effects on testivular tissue morphology and sperm quality in parent and offsping rats.
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Objective@#To learn the toxicity of Dendrobium officinale flowers to pregnant rats ( P, F1 ) and offspring rats ( F1, F2 ) before birth, so as to provide toxicological evidence for the safety assessment.@*Methods @#The rats were divided into four groups with 20 female rats and 10 male each. The rats in three dose groups were fed with Dendrobium officinale flowers at the dose of 2.0, 4.0, 6.4g/kgbw. After two generation, the F1a and F2a rats were fed with basal diet; F1b and F2b rats were fed with Dendrobium officinale flowers. The body weights and total weight gains during the gestation, the conception rates, the pregnancy rates, the birth weights and survival rates of offspring rats were examined. @* Results@#There were no statistically significant differences in the body weights and total weight gains during the gestation, the conception rates, and the pregnancy rates in pregnant rats ( P, F1 ) among the four groups ( P>0.05 ). There were also no statistically significant differences in the survival rates and live birth rates in offspring rats (F1, F2) between the dose groups and the control group ( P>0.05 ). @*Conclusions@#Dendrobium officinale flowers did not show obviously adverse effects on pregnant rats ( P, F1 ) and offspring rats ( F1, F2 ) before birth.
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Objective@#To explore the cause and type of pigmentation in the livers and kidneys of rats caused by a compound Chinese medicine preparation. @*Methods@#The experiment consist of low, medium, and high dose groups and a control group, the Sprague-Dawley rats in these groups were orally given 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 g/kgbw of a compound Chinese medicine preparation of gardenia and distilled water for 30 days, respectively. The body weight, diet, hematology and histopathology of the rats in each group were observed for changes in pigment metabolism. @*Results@#In the first and second weeks of the experiment, the rats in the low, medium, high dose groups and the control group showed no abnormal symptoms or signs. From the third weekend, the urine of the rats in the high dose group turned thick yellow and green, and the stool color became light. During the experiment, no rats died. There were statistically significant differences in body weights and weight gains among these groups ( P<0.05 ) . There were statistically significant differences in total food utilization, direct bilirubin, r-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, and liver/body ratios among these groups ( P<0.05 ). Gross examination revealed that the livers and kidneys of rats in the high dose group were dull and green. Microscopic examination revealed changes in dark pigment particles in the livers and kidneys of rats in the high dose group. Histochemical staining confirmed that pigments in the livers and kidneys were bile pigments. @*Conclusions@#At a dosage of 4.0 g/kgbw, a compound Chinese medicine preparation of gardenia can lead to bile pigment deposition in the livers and kidneys of rats due to cholestasis.