Self-Assembly of Nanovesicles for Enhanced Adsorption and Efficient Photodegradation of 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol.

The compound 2,4,6-trichlorophenol poses significant risks to both the aquatic environment and human health. Its inherent persistence and stability present challenges in achieving complete purification, thus warranting its inclusion as a priority pollutant. The present study reports the development of an amphiphilic small-molecule compound that self-assembles into nanovesicles exhibiting remarkable adsorption and photodegradation capabilities. Through the synergistic effects of hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, π-π interactions, and electrostatic interactions, these vesicles efficiently adsorb 2,4,6-trichlorophenol from aqueous solutions within 1 min while demonstrating exceptional environmental stability and broad applicability. Upon self-assembly into vesicles, not only are more adsorption sites exposed, but charge separation and migration within the vesicles are also facilitated. Through the synergistic effects of adsorption and photodegradation, complete removal of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in aqueous solution can be achieved within 8 h while exhibiting excellent recycling capability. This approach offers a viable strategy for designing and synthesizing pure organic photodegradable materials.

Structural Regulation of Photocatalyst to Optimize Hydroxyl Radical Production Pathways for Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Oxidation.

Ring-opening of phenol in wastewater is the pivotal step in photocatalytic degradation. The highly selective generation of catalytical active species (•OH) to facilitate this process presents a significant scientific challenge. Therefore, a novel approach for designing photocatalysts with single-atom containment in metal-covalent organic frameworks (M-COFs) is proposed. The selection of imine-linked COFs containing abundant N and O-chelate sites provides a solid foundation for anchoring metal atom. These dispersed metal atom possess rapid accumulation and transfer capabilities for photogenerated electrons, while the periodic π-conjugated structure in 2D-COFs establishes an effective platform. Additionally, the Lewis acid properties of imine bonds in COFs can enhance the adsorption capacity toward gases with Lewis base properties, such as O2 and N2 . It is demonstrated that the Pd2+ @Tp-TAPT, designed based on this concept, exhibits efficient oxygen adsorption and follows the reaction pathway of O2 →•O2 - →H2 O2 →•OH with high selectivity, thereby achieving completely degradation of refractory phenol through photocatalysis within 10 min. It is anticipated that the selective generation of catalytic active species via advanced material design concepts will serve as a significant reference for achieving precise material catalysis in the future.

Understanding influencing attributes of COVID-19 vaccine preference and willingness-to-pay among Chinese and American middle-aged and elderly adults: A discrete choice experiment and propensity score matching study.

Background and objective: COVID-19 has imposed burdens on public health systems globally. Owing to the urgency of vaccination, this study aimed at comparing the differences in preference and willingness to pay of COVID-19 vaccine among Chinese and American middle-aged and elderly adults. Methods: A cross-sectional survey containing demographic questions, rating their acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination with and without recommendations from friends, family members or employers (the social cues referred to in our study), and a discrete choice experiment understanding COVID-19 vaccine preference and willingness to pay was conducted to collect data. Propensity score matching was utilized to adjust confounding factors of baseline characteristics and the relative importance of respondents' preference for each attribute and its level was estimated using a conditional logit model. Then, willingness to pay was calculated. Results: In total, 3,494 (2,311 and 1,183 from China and the United States, respectively) completed the questionnaire, among which 3,444 questionnaires were effective. After propensity score matching, 1,604 respondents with 802 from the US and 802 from China were included. Under the influence of the social cues, Chinese respondents' vaccine acceptance decreased from 71.70 to 70.70%, while American respondents' vaccine acceptance increased from 74.69 to 75.81%. The discrete choice experiment showed that American respondents regarded the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine as the most important attribute, whereas Chinese respondents attached the highest importance to the cost of vaccination. But overall, the COVID-19 vaccine with the higher efficacy, the milder adverse effect, the lower cost, and the longer duration will promote the preference of the public in both countries. Additionally, the public were willing to spend the most money for a reduction in COVID-19 vaccine adverse effect from moderate to very mild (37.476USD for the United States, 140.503USD for China), followed by paying for the 1% improvement in its efficacy and paying for the one-month extension of its duration. Conclusion: Given the impact of social cues on vaccine acceptance, Chinese government should promote reasonable vaccine-related information to improve national vaccination acceptance. Meanwhile, considering the influence of COVID-19 attributes on public preference and willingness to pay, regulating the vaccine pricing, improving the efficacy of the vaccine, reducing its adverse effect, and prolonging the duration of the vaccine works will contribute to vaccine uptake.