Hollow g-C3N4@Ag3PO4 Core-Shell Nanoreactor Loaded with Au Nanoparticles: Boosting Photothermal Catalysis in Confined Space.

Low solar energy utilization efficiency and serious charge recombination remain major challenges for photocatalytic systems. Herein, a hollow core-shell Au/g-C3N4@Ag3PO4 photothermal nanoreactor is successfully prepared by a two-step deposition method. Benefit from efficient spectral utilization and fast charge separation induced by the unique hollow core-shell heterostructure, the H2 evolution rate of Au/g-C3N4@Ag3PO4 is 16.9 times that of the pristine g-C3N4, and the degradation efficiency of tetracycline is increased by 88.1%. The enhanced catalytic performance can be attributed to the ordered charge movement on the hollow core-shell structure and a local high-temperature environment, which effectively accelerates the carrier separation and chemical reaction kinetics. This work highlights the important role of the space confinement effect in photothermal catalysis and provides a promising strategy for the development of the next generation of highly efficient photothermal catalysts.

Efficient Charge Separation in Ag/PCN/UPDI Ternary Heterojunction for Optimized Photothermal-Photocatalytic Performance via Tandem Electric Fields.

Charge separation driven by the internal electric field is a research hotspot in photocatalysis. However, it remains challenging to accurately control the electric field to continuously accelerate the charge transfer. Herein, a strategy of constructing a tandem electric field to continuously accelerate charge transfer in photocatalysts is proposed. The plasma electric field, interface electric field, and intramolecular electric field are integrated into the Ag/g-C3N4/urea perylene imide (Ag/PCN/UPDI) ternary heterojunction to achieve faster charge separation and longer carrier lifetime. The triple electric fields function as three accelerators on the charge transport path, promoting the separation of electron-hole pairs, accelerating charge transfer, enhancing light absorption, and increasing the concentration of energetic electrons on the catalyst. The H2 evolution rate of Ag/PCN/UPDI is 16.8 times higher than that of pristine PDI, while the degradation rate of oxytetracycline is increased by 4.5 times. This new strategy will provide a groundbreaking idea for the development of high-efficiency photocatalysts.

Guiding the Driving Factors on Plasma Super-Photothermal S-Scheme Core-Shell Nanoreactor to Enhance Photothermal Catalytic H2 Evolution and Selective CO2 Reduction.

Light-induced heat has a non-negligible role in photocatalytic reactions. However, it is still challenging to design highly efficient catalysts that can make use of light and thermal energy synergistically. Herein, the study proposes a plasma super-photothermal S-scheme heterojunction core-shell nanoreactor based on manipulation of the driving factors, which consists of α-Fe2 O3 encapsulated by g-C3 N4 modified with gold quantum dots. α-Fe2 O3 can promote carrier spatial separation while also acting as a thermal core to radiate heat to the shell, while Au quantum dots transfer energetic electrons and heat to g-C3 N4 via surface plasmon resonance. Consequently, the catalytic activity of Au/α-Fe2 O3 @g-C3 N4 is significantly improved by internal and external double hot spots, and it shows an H2 evolution rate of 5762.35 µmol h-1 g-1 , and the selectivity of CO2 conversion to CH4 is 91.2%. This work provides an effective strategy to design new plasma photothermal catalysts for the solar-to-fuel transition.

Recent Advances in Carbon Nitride-Based S-scheme Photocatalysts for Solar Energy Conversion.

Energy shortages are a major challenge to the sustainable development of human society, and photocatalytic solar energy conversion is a potential way to alleviate energy problems. As a two-dimensional organic polymer semiconductor, carbon nitride is considered to be the most promising photocatalyst due to its stable properties, low cost, and suitable band structure. Unfortunately, pristine carbon nitride has low spectral utilization, easy recombination of electron holes, and insufficient hole oxidation ability. The S-scheme strategy has developed in recent years, providing a new perspective for effectively solving the above problems of carbon nitride. Therefore, this review summarizes the latest progress in enhancing the photocatalytic performance of carbon nitride via the S-scheme strategy, including the design principles, preparation methods, characterization techniques, and photocatalytic mechanisms of the carbon nitride-based S-scheme photocatalyst. In addition, the latest research progress of the S-scheme strategy based on carbon nitride in photocatalytic H2 evolution and CO2 reduction is also reviewed. Finally, some concluding remarks and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for exploring advanced nitride-based S-scheme photocatalysts are presented. This review brings the research of carbon nitride-based S-scheme strategy to the forefront and is expected to guide the development of the next-generation carbon nitride-based S-scheme photocatalysts for efficient energy conversion.

Super-Photothermal Effect-Mediated Fast Reaction Kinetic in S-Scheme Organic/Inorganic Heterojunction Hollow Spheres Toward Optimized Photocatalytic Performance.

Using full solar spectrum for energy conversion and environmental remediation is a major challenge, and solar-driven photothermal chemistry is a promising route to achieve this goal. Herein, this work reports a photothermal nano-constrained reactor based on hollow structured g-C3 N4 @ZnIn2 S4 core-shell S-scheme heterojunction, where the synergistic effect of super-photothermal effect and S-scheme heterostructure significantly improve the photocatalytic performance of g-C3 N4 . The formation mechanism of g-C3 N4 @ZnIn2 S4 is predicted in advance by theoretical calculations and advanced techniques, and the super-photothermal effect of g-C3 N4 @ZnIn2 S4 and its contribution to the near-field chemical reaction is confirmed by numerical simulations and infrared thermography. Consequently, the photocatalytic degradation rate of g-C3 N4 @ZnIn2 S4 for tetracycline hydrochloride is 99.3%, and the photocatalytic hydrogen production is up to 4075.65 µmol h-1 g-1 , which are 6.94 and 30.87 times those of pure g-C3 N4 , respectively. The combination of S-scheme heterojunction and thermal synergism provides a promising insight for the design of an efficient photocatalytic reaction platform.

Pt/MoS2/Polyaniline Nanocomposite as a Highly Effective Room Temperature Flexible Gas Sensor for Ammonia Detection.

A Pt/MoS2/polyaniline (Pt/MoS2/PANI) nanocomposite is successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal process combined with the in situ polymerization method, and then Pt particles are decorated on its surface. The Pt/MoS2/PANI nanocomposite is deposited on a flexible Au-interdigitated electrode of a polyimide (PI) film. The flexible sensor exhibits a higher response value and fast response/recovery time to NH3 at room temperature (RT). It results in 2.32-fold and 1.13-fold improvement in the gas-sensing response toward 50 ppm NH3 compared to those of PANI and MoS2/PANI-based gas sensors. The detection limit is 250 ppb. The enhancement sensing mechanisms are attributed to the p-n heterojunction and the Schottky barrier between the three components, which has been confirmed by the current-voltage (I-V) curves. A satisfactory selectivity to NH3 against trimethylamine (TMA) and triethylamine (TEA) is obtained according to density functional theory (DFT), Bader's analysis, and differential charge density to illustrate the adsorption behavior and charge transfer of gas molecules on the surface of the sensing materials. The sensor retains the excellent sensing response value even under high relative humidity and sensing stability at higher bending angle/numbers to NH3 gas. Hence, Pt/MoS2/PANI can be regarded as a promising sensing material for high-performance NH3 detection at room temperature applied in flexible wearable electronics.

Plasma Ag-Modified α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 Self-Assembled S-Scheme Heterojunctions with Enhanced Photothermal-Photocatalytic-Fenton Performances.

Low spectral utilization and charge carrier compounding limit the application of photocatalysis in energy conversion and environmental purification, and the rational construction of heterojunction is a promising strategy to break this bottleneck. Herein, we prepared surface-engineered plasma Ag-modified α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 S-Scheme heterojunction photothermal catalysts by electrostatic self-assembly and light deposition strategy. The local surface plasmon resonance effect induced by Ag nanoparticles broadens the spectral response region and produces significant photothermal effects. The temperature of Ag/α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 powder is increased to 173 °C with irradiation for 90 s, ~3.2 times higher than that of the original g-C3N4. The formation of 2D/2D structured S-Scheme heterojunction promotes rapid electron-hole transfer and spatial separation. Ternary heterojunction construction leads to significant enhancement of photocatalytic performance of Ag/α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4, the H2 photocatalytic generation rate up to 3125.62 µmol g-1 h-1, which is eight times higher than original g-C3N4, and the photocatalytic degradation rate of tetracycline to reach 93.6%. This thermally assisted photocatalysis strategy improves the spectral utilization of conventional photocatalytic processes and provides new ideas for the practical application of photocatalysis in energy conversion and environmental purification.

Full-Stokes Retrieving and Configuration Optimization in a Time-Integration Imaging Polarimeter.

A time-integration imaging polarimeter with continuous rotating retarder is presented, and its full-Stokes retrieving and configuration optimization are also demonstrated. The mathematical expression between the full-Stokes vector and the time-integration light intensities is derived. As a result, the state of polarization of incident light can be retrieved by only one matrix calculation. However, the modulation matrix deviates from the initial well-conditioned status due to time integration. Thus, we re-optimize the nominal angles for the special retardance of 132° and 90° with an exposure angle of 30°, which results in a reduction of 31.8% and 16.8% of condition numbers comparing to the original configuration, respectively. We also give global optimization results under different exposure angles and retardance of retarder; as a result, the 137.7° of retardance achieves a minimal condition number of 2.0, which indicates a well-conditioned polarimeter configuration. Besides, the frame-by-frame algorithm ensures the dynamic performance of the presented polarimeter. For a general brushless DC motor with a rotating speed of over 2000 rounds per minute, the speed of polarization imaging will achieve up to 270 frames per second. High precision and excellent dynamic performance, together with features of compactness, simplicity, and low cost, may give this traditional imaging polarimeter new life and attractive prospects.

Polarization imaging based on time-integration by a continuous rotating polarizer.

Polarimeter by rotating polarizer is one of the well-known and classic division of time polarimeter (DoTP). It is generally acknowledged that this kind of polarimeter is time consuming for each measurement although it has simple, accurate and compact performances. In this paper we present a time-integration polarimeter by using a continuous rotating polarizer. The basic principle and the corresponding mathematical expressions are derived. Numeric analysis and experiments are also made in this paper. Experimental results validate the precision and feasibility of the proposed imaging polarization and state of polarization retrieve theory. The frame-frequency of polarization image is 80fps which is limited mainly by the speed of the photodetector in our experiments, and its maximum frame-frequency can achieve over 270fps in theory for some special applications. That may give this kind of classic polarimeter new attractive prospects and life.

Plasma Cu-decorated TiO2-x/CoP particle-level hierarchical heterojunctions with enhanced photocatalytic-photothermal performance.

Plasma Cu-decorated TiO2-x/CoP particle-level hierarchical heterojunction photocatalysts with surface engineering were fabricated through solvothermal and solid phase reduction strategies. The CoP nanoparticles not only serve as a cost-effective cocatalyst but also provide abundant surface active sites, which facilitate rapid transfer of photogenerated carriers. The Ti3+ and oxygen vacancy defects extend photoresponse from UV to visible light region, and enhance the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers efficiently. Because of surface plasma resonance (SPR) of Cu, Cu/TiO2-x/CoP with average particle size of 100-200 nm has significant photothermal effect, in which the temperature of Cu/TiO2-x/CoP is increased by 76 °C with irradiation for 30 s, ~ 8 times higher than that of the original TiO2. Cu/TiO2-x/CoP exhibits a high photocatalytic degradation rates for highly toxic 2,4-dichlorophenol (99.2%) and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (98.5%), which higher 7.6 and 8.9 times than the initial TiO2, respectively. Thanks to the particle-level hierarchical heterojunction, the efficient surface engineering and SPR effect favoring the spatial charge separation, Cu/TiO2-x/CoP shows excellent photocatalytic-photothermal Performance. This particle-level hierarchical heterojunction architectural design provides a new insight for synthesizing particulate photocatalysts with high-efficiency.

Sandwich-like mesoporous graphite-like carbon nitride (Meso-g-C3N4)/WP/Meso-g-C3N4 laminated heterojunctions solar-driven photocatalysts.

Three-dimensional mesoporous graphite-like carbon nitride (Meso-g-C3N4/WP/Meso-g-C3N4) laminated heterojunction nanosheets are successfully synthesized by solid-phase in situ reduction combined with high temperature calcination. Meso-g-C3N4/WP/Meso-g-C3N4 has a relatively high specific surface area of 82 m2 g-1, a large pore size of 8-15 nm, and a narrow band gap of ~2.7 eV. The solar-driven photocatalytic reaction hydrogen production rate (~198.1 µmol h-1g-1) for Meso-g-C3N4/WP/Meso-g-C3N4 3D laminated heterojunctions is approximately 10 times higher than that of pristine g-C3N4. This discrepancy can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the 3D interbed heterojunction structure, which favors the spatial separation of photogenerated charge carriers due to its suitable band positions; its nanosheet structure, favoring the charge transfer to surface; and its mesoporous structures, offering more surface active sites and facilitating mass transfer. This novel sandwich-like laminated heterojunction structure offers new insights for the fabrication of other high-performance photocatalysts.

Chinese Herbal Cardiotonic Pill Stabilizes Vulnerable Plaques in Rabbits by Decreasing the Expression of Adhesion Molecules.

The cardiotonic pill (CP), consisting of a mixture of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Radix Notoginseng, and Borneolum Syntheticum, has been widely used in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Adhesion molecules, including intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, are involved in the development of vulnerable plaque. We investigated the effect of the CP in a rabbit model of vulnerable plaque established by local transfection with p53 gene. Compared with the control group, rabbits with vulnerable plaque showed a significantly lower intima-media thickness and plaque burden after CP treatment for 12 weeks. Moreover, the reduction in rate of plaque rupture and vulnerability index was similar. On enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry analysis, the expression of intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 was inhibited with CP treatment. CP treatment could postpone atherosclerotic plaque development and stabilize vulnerable plaque by inhibiting the expression of adhesion molecules in treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Effect of atorvastatin versus rosuvastatin on levels of serum lipids, inflammatory markers and adiponectin in patients with hypercholesterolemia.

PURPOSE: To compare the short-term effect of treatment with atorvastatin and rosuvastatin on levels of serum lipids, inflammatory markers and adiponectin in patients with hypercholesterolemia. METHODS: Sixty-nine patients with hypercholesterolemia were randomly assigned to receive 10 mg/day of atorvastatin or rosuvastatin for 12 weeks. Inflammatory biomarkers, including highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and endothelin (ET-1), plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) and plasma tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), adiponectin, and lipid profiles were measured before and after statin therapy. RESULTS: Atorvastatin and rosuvastatin both lowered levels of hs-CRP, MMP-9, PAI-1, total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from baseline values, with rosuvastatin lowering TC and LDL-C to a greater extent than atorvastatin (P < 0.05). Adiponectin level increase was 15% higher than that at baseline with atorvastatin (P > 0.05) but 67% higher with rosuvastatin (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Therapy with both statins not only significantly improved lipid profiles but also decreased levels of vascular biomarkers hs-CRP, MMP-9, and PAI-1; however, only rosuvastatin increased serum adiponectin levels significantly in patients with hypercholesterolemia, which could imply a beneficial effect in coronary artery disease.