Developing effective and safe catalysts operated in the in-depth removal of iodinated X-ray contrast media is important for overcoming slow removal efficiency-induced highly toxic iodine-replaced ...disinfection byproducts (I-DBPs). In this study, a novel oxygen vacancies enriched heterogeneous biochar catalyst (Mo-Co-ECM) from the invasive plant was synthesized by a facile one-step hydrothermal carbonization method and used for the in-depth removal of iohexol (IOH) by the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The results indicated that after adding PMS for 3 min, the removal efficiency of IOH in Mo-Co-ECM/PMS system reached 100% and exhibited a superior degradation efficiency compared to Co-ECM/PMS and ECM/PMS system. Only nine I-DBPs were found during the degradation, which were dominated by small molecules compounds (MW<400). The in-depth degradation suppresses the formation of the toxic intermediates. The density functional theory and electron spin resonance showed that due to the existence of Mo and oxygen vacancies, the electron transfer ability was improved, which accelerated the cycle of Co3+/Co2+, so as to enhance the catalytic activity of Mo-Co-ECM/PMS system. This study is expected to provide a general way for decreasing the production of toxic intermediates during the advanced oxidation of contaminants, meanwhile recovering resources.
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•The oxygen vacancies enriched bimetal biochar was facilely developed for PMS activation.•In-depth degradation of IOH can be achieved after adding PMS for 3 min.•Significant role of oxygen vacancies in improved the electron transfer ability of Co was revealed.•The formation of toxic intermediates is suppressed due to the in-depth degradation.
Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging type of crystalline and porous photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution, however, the overall water splitting activity of COFs is rarely known. In this ...work, we firstly realized overall water splitting activity of β-ketoamine COFs by systematically engineering N-sites, architecture, and morphology. By in situ incorporating sub-nanometer platinum (Pt) nanoparticles co-catalyst into the pores of COFs nanosheets, both Pt@TpBpy-NS and Pt@TpBpy-2-NS show visible-light-driven overall water splitting activity, with the optimal H
and O
evolution activities of 9.9 and 4.8 μmol in 5 h for Pt@TpBpy-NS, respectively, and a maximum solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 0.23%. The crucial factors affecting the activity including N-sites position, nano morphology, and co-catalyst distribution were systematically explored. Further mechanism investigation reveals the tiny diversity of N sites in COFs that induces great differences in electron transfer as well as reaction potential barriers.
Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), as emerging environmental contaminants, have become a threat to human health. Recent studies have demonstrated that the effluent from wastewater treatment plants ...is a significant point source of ARGs released into the environment. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of coagulation technology in the removal of ARGs from treated wastewater. Specifically, we measured the removal of five ARGs (two sulfonamide resistance genes, sulI and sulII, and three tetracycline resistance genes, tetO, tetW and tetQ) and the class 1 integron intI1 gene via the application of two coagulants: FeCl3 and polyferric chloride (PFC). Moreover, the removal of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), NH3N and total phosphorus (TP) in the coagulation process was investigated. The coagulation process effectively removed ARGs from the effluent with 0.5-log to 3.1-log reductions. Significant removal correlations were observed between dissolved NH3N and DOC, intI1 and sulI, sulII and tetO, sulII and tetW, and tetO and tetW, implying that the co-removal of DOC, dissolved NH3N, the intI1 gene and different ARGs played an important role in ARG loss during coagulation with Fe-based coagulants. These results indicate that coagulation may play a promising role in ARG reduction in wastewater treatment plants.
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•Coagulation effectively removed ARGs from effluent with 0.5-log to 3.1-log reduction.•Removal between sulI and intI1, sulII/tetO and tetW have significant correlations.•Fe species may influence ARG removal in coagulation process.•Coagulation is an effective technique for ARG removal from WWTP effluent.
Wafer‐scale fabrication of high‐performance uniform organic electronic materials is of great challenge and has rarely been realized before. Previous large‐scale fabrication methods always lead to ...different layer thickness and thereby poor film and device uniformity. Herein, the first demonstration of 4 in. wafer‐scale, uniform, and high‐performance n‐type polymer monolayer films is reported, enabled by controlling the multi‐level self‐assembly process of conjugated polymers in solution. Since the self‐assembly process happened in solution, the uniform 2D polymer monolayers can be facilely deposited on various substrates, and theoretically without size limitations. Polymer monolayer transistors exhibit high electron mobilities of up to 1.88 cm2 V−1 s−1, which is among the highest in n‐type monolayer organic transistors. This method allows to easily fabricate n‐type conjugated polymers with wafer‐scale, high uniformity, low contact resistance, and excellent transistor performance (better than the traditional spin‐coating method). This work provides an effective strategy to prepare large‐scale and uniform 2D polymer monolayers, which could enable the application of conjugated polymers for wafer‐scale sophisticated electronics.
Using a multi‐level self‐assembly strategy, an n‐type polymer monolayer field‐effect transistor is obtained on wafer‐scale. These devices offers high performance, high air‐stability, and high uniformity. The strategy enhances the formation of wafer‐scale and uniform polymer monolayers. Transistor arrays on a 4 in. wafer exhibit electron mobilities of up to 1.88 cm2 V−1 s−1, among the highest reported until now for n‐type monolayer organic transistors.
Electrons can be transferred from microorganisms to multivalent metal ions that are associated with minerals and vice versa. As the microbial cell envelope is neither physically permeable to minerals ...nor electrically conductive, microorganisms have evolved strategies to exchange electrons with extracellular minerals. In this Review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms that underlie the ability of microorganisms to exchange electrons, such as c-type cytochromes and microbial nanowires, with extracellular minerals and with microorganisms of the same or different species. Microorganisms that have extracellular electron transfer capability can be used for biotechnological applications, including bioremediation, biomining and the production of biofuels and nanomaterials.
Four new iridium biscarbene complexes with different N⁁N ligands showing very different emission colors from deep‐blue to red are synthesized. The emission colors are mainly controlled by the N⁁N ...ligands. The electroluminescent devices using these complexes as dopant emitters exhibit extremely high efficiencies.
Abstract
Transition metal-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution with a suitably pre-stored leaving group in the substrate is widely used in organic synthesis. In contrast, the enantioselective ...allylic C(sp
3
)-H functionalization is more straightforward but far less explored. Here we report a catalytic protocol for the long-standing challenging enantioselective allylic C(sp
3
)-H functionalization. Through palladium hydride-catalyzed chain-walking and allylic substitution, allylic C-H functionalization of a wide range of acyclic nonconjugated dienes is achieved in high yields (up to 93% yield), high enantioselectivities (up to 98:2 er), and with 100% atom efficiency. Exploring the reactivity of substrates with varying p
K
a
values uncovers a reasonable scope of nucleophiles and potential factors controlling the reaction. A set of efficient downstream transformations to enantiopure skeletons showcase the practical value of the methodology. Mechanistic experiments corroborate the PdH-catalyzed asymmetric migratory allylic substitution process.
Globally, colorectal cancer (CRC) imposes a substantial burden on healthcare systems and confers considerable medical expenditures. We aimed to evaluate the global and regional burden in ...epidemiological trends and factors associated with the incidence and mortality of CRC.
We used data from the GLOBOCAN database to estimate CRC incidence and mortality worldwide in 2020 and their association with the human development index (HDI). Trends of age-standardized rates of incidence and mortality in 60 countries (2000-2019) were evaluated by Joinpoint regression analysis using data of Global Burden of Disease 2019. The association between exposure to country-level lifestyle, metabolic and socioeconomic factors obtained from the World Health Organization Global Health Observatory and World Bank DataBank data and CRC incidence and mortality was determined by multivariable linear regression.
CRC incidence and mortality varied greatly in the 60 selected countries, and much higher incidence and mortality were observed in countries with higher HDIs, and vice versa. From 2000 to 2019, significant increases of incidence and mortality were observed for 33 countries (average annual percent changes AAPCs, 0.24-3.82) and 18 countries (AAPCs, 0.41-2.22), respectively. A stronger increase in incidence was observed among males (AAPCs, 0.36-4.54) and individuals <50 years (AAPCs, 0.56-3.86). Notably, 15 countries showed significant decreases in both incidence (AAPCs, -0.24 to -2.19) and mortality (AAPCs, -0.84 to -2.74). A significant increase of incidence among individuals <50 years was observed in 30 countries (AAPCs, 0.28-3.62). Countries with higher incidence were more likely to have a higher prevalence of alcohol drinking, higher level of cholesterol level, higher level of unemployment, and a poorer healthcare system.
Some high-HDI countries showed decreasing trends in CRC incidence and mortality, whereas developing countries that previously had low disease burden showed significantly increased incidence and mortality trends, especially in males and populations ≥50 years, which require targeted preventive health programs.
Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a critical process due to its fundamental role in electrocatalysis. Practically, the development of high-performance electrocatalysts for HER in alkaline media is ...of great importance for the conversion of renewable energy to hydrogen fuel via photoelectrochemical water splitting. However, both mechanistic exploration and materials development for HER under alkaline conditions are very limited. Precious Pt metal, which still serves as the state-of-the-art catalyst for HER, is unable to guarantee a sustainable hydrogen supply. Here we report an anomalously structured Ru catalyst that shows 2.5 times higher hydrogen generation rate than Pt and is among the most active HER electrocatalysts yet reported in alkaline solutions. The identification of new face-centered cubic crystallographic structure of Ru nanoparticles was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging, and its formation mechanism was revealed by spectroscopic characterization and theoretical analysis. For the first time, it is found that the Ru nanocatalyst showed a pronounced effect of the crystal structure on the electrocatalytic activity tested under different conditions. The combination of electrochemical reaction rate measurements and density functional theory computation shows that the high activity of anomalous Ru catalyst in alkaline solution originates from its suitable adsorption energies to some key reaction intermediates and reaction kinetics in the HER process.
It is expected that the activity of photocatalysts can remain the same or decrease as little as possible in photocatalysis reaction. Herein, for the first time, a self‐accelerating H2 production ...activity in a noble‐metal‐free Cu2O/TpPa‐2‐COF photocatalyst is reported. It shows a beginning H2 production rate of 4.41 mmol h−1 g−1 under visible light illuminance, while the activity kept increasing to 27.27 mmol h−1 g−1 after 25 h reaction, which is 6.2 times higher than the beginning activity and reaches a record high. It is confirmed that part of Cu2O in Cu2O/TpPa‐2‐COF in situ transformed to Cu0 in photocatalytic reaction, which acting as cocatalyst promotes the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. Further density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the Schottky barrier height of Cu‐Cu2O (111) interface is much smaller than that of Pt‐Cu2O (111), supporting its more efficient effect than that with Pt as cocatalyst.
A noble metal free Cu2O/TpPa‐2‐COF photocatalyst with self‐accelerating catalytic activity is designed for photocatalytic hydrogen production. Theoretical and experimental results reveal that the outstanding activity is mainly attributed to the conversion of binary Cu2O/TpPa‐2‐COF to ternary Cu‐Cu2O/TpPa‐2‐COF, and Cu‐Cu2O (111) shows more efficient electron separation ability than Pt‐Cu2O (111).