Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a promising way to produce clean and sustainable hydrogen fuel. Solar hydrogen production by using p‐type metal oxide semiconductor photocathodes has not ...been studied as extensively as that with n‐type metal oxide semiconductor photoanodes and p‐type photovoltaic‐grade non‐oxide semiconductor photocathodes. Copper‐based oxide photocathodes show relatively good conductivity, but suffer from instability in aqueous solution under illumination, whereas iron‐based metal oxide photocathodes demonstrate more stable PEC performance but have problems in charge separation and transport. Herein, an overview of recent progress in p‐type metal oxide‐based photocathodes for PEC water reduction is provided. Although these materials have not been fully developed to reach their potential performance, the challenges involved have been identified and strategies to overcome these limitations have been proposed. Future research in this field should address these issues and challenges in addition to the discovery of new materials.
Progressing p‐type performance: An overview of recent progress in the preparation of p‐type metal oxide‐based photocathodes for photoelectrochemical water reduction is provided. Although the materials have not yet reached their full performance potential, the challenges involved have been identified and strategies to overcome the limitations have been proposed.
Pressures to ban bisphenol A (BPA) has led to the use of alternate chemicals such as BPA analogues bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol AF (BPAF) in production of consumer products; however, information ...on their environmental fate is scarce. In this study, aerobic degradation of BPA, BPAF, and BPS at 100 μg/kg soil and 22 ± 2 °C was monitored for up to 180 days in a forest soil and an organic farm soil. At each sampling point, soils were extracted three times and analyzed by liquid chromatography high resolution mass or time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Based on compound mass recovered from soils compared to the mass applied, BPS had short half-lives of <1 day in both soils similar to BPA. BPAF was much more persistent with observed half-lives of 32.6 and 24.5 days in forest and farm soils, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report on BPAF degradation. For all three compounds, half-lives were longer in the higher organic carbon (OC) forest soil which correlates well to sorption studies showing higher sorption with higher OC. Metabolites identified for all three bisphenols support degradation pathways that include meta-cleavage as well as ortho-cleavage, which has not been previously shown.
As an efficient non-precious metal catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical water splitting, NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH)/reduced graphene oxide ...(NiFe/RGO) composite is synthesized by a simple solvothermal method in one-pot. NiFe LDHs are uniformly deposited on RGO layers of high electrical conductivity and large surface area. In electrochemical water splitting, NiFe/RGO shows superior OER performance compared to bare NiFe and reference IrO2 with a lower benchmark η10 value (required overpotential to drive 10 mA cm−2) of 0.245 V. Furthermore, NiFe/RGO substantially increases the performance of a hematite photoanode in photoelectrochemical water oxidation, demonstrating its potential as an OER co-catalyst for photoelectrodes.
Display omitted
•NiFe LDH/RGO is prepared by a simple solvothermal method in one-pot.•NiFe LDH/RGO was used as an efficient catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER).•It shows excellent OER performance with a low benchmark η10 value of 0.245 V.•NiFe LDH/RGO works as OER co-catalyst for a hematite photoanode.
Chemical stabilization is an in situ remediation method that uses inexpensive amendments to reduce contaminant availability in polluted soil. We tested the effects of several amendments (limestone, ...red-mud, and furnace slag) on the extractability of heavy metals, microbial activities, phytoavailability of soil metals (assessed using lettuce,
Lactuca sativa L.), and availability of heavy metals in ingested soil to the human gastrointestinal system (assessed using the physiologically based extraction test). The application of soil amendments significantly decreased the amount of soluble and extractable heavy metals in the soil (
p
<
0.05). The decreased extractable metal content of soil was accompanied by increased microbial activity and decreased plant uptake of heavy metals. Soil microbial activities (soil respiration, urease, and dehydrogenase activity) significantly increased in limestone and red-mud-amended soils. Red-mud was the most effective treatment in decreasing heavy-metal concentrations in lettuce. Compared to non-amended control soil, lettuce uptake of Cd, Pb, and Zn was reduced 86%, 58%, and 73%, respectively, by the addition of red-mud.
During October 2020-January 2021, we isolated a total of 67 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N8 viruses from wild birds and outbreaks in poultry in South Korea. We sequenced the isolates ...and performed phylogenetic analysis of complete genome sequences to determine the origin, evolution, and spread patterns of these viruses. Phylogenetic analysis of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene showed that all the isolates belong to H5 clade 2.3.4.4 subgroup B (2.3.4.4b) and form two distinct genetic clusters, G1 and G2. The cluster G1 was closely related to the 2.3.4.4b H5N8 HPAI viruses detected in Europe in early 2020, while the cluster G2 had a close genetic relationship with the 2.3.4.4b H5N8 viruses that circulated in Europe in late 2020. A total of seven distinct genotypes were identified, including five novel reassortants carrying internal genes of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses. Our Bayesian discrete trait phylodynamic analysis between host types suggests that the viruses initially disseminated from migratory waterfowl to domestic duck farms in South Korea. Subsequently, domestic duck farms most likely contributed to the transmission of HPAI viruses to chicken and minor poultry farms, highlighting the need for enhanced, high levels of biosecurity measures at domestic duck farms to effectively prevent the introduction and spread of HPAI.
As a new path to “green” ammonia production, photoelectrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (PEC NO3RR) is investigated for the first time. An Au‐decorated ordered silicon nanowire (O_SiNW) array ...photocathode demonstrates 95.6 % of Faradaic efficiency (FE) to ammonia at 0.2 VRHE, which represents a more positive potential than the thermodynamic reduction potential of nitrate by utilizing photovoltage. The high FE is possible because both Si and Au surfaces are inactive for competing water reduction to hydrogen. The O_SiNW array structure is favorable to promote the PEC NO3RR relative to planar Si or randomly‐grown Si nanowire, by enabling the uniform distribution of small Au nanoparticles as an electrocatalyst and facilitating the mass transport during the reaction. The results demonstrate the feasibility of PEC nitrate conversion to ammonia and would motivate further studies and developments.
Photoelectrochemical nitrate reduction on an Au‐decorated ordered silicon nanowire (O_SiNW) array photocathode provides a new path to green ammonia production with an outstanding Faradaic efficiency at low overpotentials using solar energy.
High pathogenicity H5N1 avian influenza viruses pose a threat to both animal and human health worldwide. In late 2020, outbreaks of H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses belonging to clade ...2.3.4.4b emerged in Europe, following on from outbreaks in East Asia in earlier years. However, very recent studies show that clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1, rather than 2.3.4.4b H5N8, has become predominant in wild birds and has infected poultry in several countries. In this study, we describe isolation of a novel H5N1 virus from a captured mandarin duck in South Korea, and another H5N1 virus from a quail farm. We performed genetic analysis of these two viruses to identify their origin and to determine their relationship with the clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 viruses currently circulating in Europe. Based on our results, it is presumed that the novel H5N1 virus isolated in Korea originated from an unknown reassortant between clade 2.3.4.4b H5N8 viruses circulating from 2020 and other Eurasian viruses, with additional reassortment of genes and point mutations that discriminate them from the recently reported H5N1 virus in Europe.
H5 and H7 subtypes of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs) can mutate to highly pathogenic forms and are therefore subject to stringent controls. We characterized H5 LPAIVs isolated from ...wild-bird habitats and duck farms in South Korea from 2010 to 2017. Through nationwide active surveillance for AIVs, 59 H5 LPAIVs were isolated from wild-bird habitats (a mean annual rate of 5.3% of AIV isolations). In 2015, one LPAI H5N3 strain was isolated on a duck farm. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of H5 isolates belonged to the Eurasian lineage, classified into three subgroups (HA-II, HA-III, and HA-IV). The H5 LPAIVs of the HA-III and HA-IV subgroups appeared in 2015 and 2017 in unusually high proportions (13.1% and 14.4%, respectively). In gene-constellation analysis, H5 LPAIVs isolated from 2015 to 2017 constituted ≥ 35 distinct genotypes, representing high levels of genetic diversity. Representative strains of three HA subgroups replicated restrictively in specific-pathogen-free chickens. Among the 11 isolates that were tested, 10 infected and replicated in mice without prior adaptation. The frequency of recent H5 LPAIV isolates with high genetic diversity indicates the importance of continued surveillance in both wild birds and poultry to monitor genetic and pathobiological changes.
An artificial photosynthesis system based on N‐doped ZnTe nanorods decorated with an N‐doped carbon electrocatalyst layer is fabricated via an all‐solution process for the selective conversion of CO2 ...to CO. Substitutional N‐doping into the ZnTe lattice decreases the bandgap slightly and improves the charge transfer characteristics, leading to enhanced photoelectrochemical activity. Remarkable N‐doping effects are also demonstrated by the N‐doped carbon layer that promotes selective CO2‐to‐CO conversion instead of undesired water‐to‐H2 reduction by providing active sites for CO2 adsorption and activation, even in the absence of metallic redox centers. The photocathode shows promising performance in photocurrent generation (−1.21 mA cm−2 at −0.11 VRHE), CO selectivity (dominant CO production of ≈72%), minor H2 reduction (≈20%), and stability (corrosion suppression). The metal‐free electrocatalyst/photocatalyst combination prepared via a cost‐effective solution process exhibits high performance due to synergistic effects between them, and thus may find application in practical solar fuel production.
A metal‐free solar CO2 reduction system with an integrated photocathode of an efficient N‐doped ZnTe photocatalyst and N‐doped carbon electrocatalyst facilitates selective solar CO production at very low applied bias in a cost‐effective manner. The developed photocatalyst and electrocatalyst show a good synergistic effect, and the combined system shows strong potential for use in practical solar fuel production.
PDF
