A simple and green photoreduction approach for synthesis of Au/g-C3N4 hybrid nanocomposites with high solar light photocatalytic activity

In this study, we developed a green and easy to scale up approach for producing Au/g-C3N4 (Au/GCN) hybrid plasmonic photocatalyst without using the chemical reducing agents via the growing of Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) on the surface of g-C3N4 nanosheets under the photo-reduction of UV-radiation. Different characterization techniques were conducted for investigating the structure, morphology, surface chemistry and optical properties of the as-prepared catalysts. The SEM image shows that the homogeneous Au NPs anchored on the surface of the g-C3N4 nanosheet increased with the UV illumination time. The XPS results prove the coexistence of g-C3N4 nanosheets with heptazine heterocyclic ring (C6N7) units and Au nanoparticles in the Au/GCN. The photoluminescence intensity (PL) decreased sharply with the time of UV irradiation, indicating that the recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole recombination decreased. The photocatalytic activity of the hybrid catalysts was evaluated by degrading rhodamine B under simulated sunlight irradiation. The results show that the Au/GCN photocatalyst exhibits superior sunlight photocatalytic activity than that of bare g-C3N4. The 6h-irradiated fabricating sample exhibited the strongest photocatalytic activity, completely decomposing the 10 ppm RhB in 30 minutes of irradiation. This report can provide the design of a simple and green synthesis method for the highly active Au/g-C3N4 photocatalyst.

Effects of illumination time on biological community of algal-bacterial granules and lipid content

Synthetic wastewater was used to culture granular sludge for 21 weeks at three sequencing batch reactor activated sludge process (SBR) under different photoperiods. The growth of algae changed granular oxygen distribution, which affected the composition of microbial communities. Different photoperiods were able to alter the formation of granular sludge and the microbial community granules. In short photoperiod (12 h/d) sludge could generate symbiotic algae-bacteria granules in the SBR. By contrast, the long photoperiod (24 h/d) promotes the growth of algae and Ascomycota early, and then inhibits algae, especially chlorophyta (only 1.18%). In the end, algae-bacteria-fungi granules were formed in long photoperiod (LP). By GC-MS and model calculation, the lipid content of algae-bacteria granules was 33.71% more than that of pure aerobic granular sludge. However, the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in algae-bacteria granules was as high as 43%, resulting in the quality of biodiesel prepared from algae-bacteria granule being slightly worse than that prepared from pure aerobic granular sludge. But both of them were better than biodiesel prepared from pure algae. The biodiesel content of algae-bacteria granule in short photoperiod (SP) and LP were 68.79 and 70.66 mg/g, respectively, which was better than that of pure aerobic particles (52.30 mg/g). Therefore, the formation of algae-bacteria granules is an effective way to remove nutrients and reduce harvesting costs.

The analysis of the 2019 annular solar eclipse with simple instruments for developing student worksheet

The annular solar eclipse occurred when the Earth-Moon-Sun position aligned in the same line where the angular diameter of the moon is smaller than the angular diameter of the sun due to the moon is on the farthest distance with respect to the earth. The event was observed on 26 December 2019 at Siak Regency, Province of Riau, Indonesia. Based on that event observation, the sun is gradually covered by the moon until the peak event where the sun is completely covered and showing “ring of fire”. All stages of eclipse are captured as images from DSLR camera that been attached into telescope with specific filter as well as illumination determination from observation location using lux meter during the event. This study explained how to get the information from solar eclipse images available by using image-processing software namely ImageJ so it can be used as a student worksheet. The plotting of both pixel area-time graph and illumination-time graph of this study shows a similar trend. Therefore, the data acquired in this study is obtained well so it can be used as a student worksheet in the Astronomical Position lecture based on the actual phenomenon with a simple instrument for observation.

Synthesis of ZnO nanometer powders doped with Ce4+ ions and the photocatalytic degradation of dying wastewater

Ce4+-doped nanometer ZnO powder was synthesized by so-l gel method. The microstructures and properties of the samples were characterized through XRD, UV-Vis and FTIR. The results indicated that the Ce4+ was successfully incorporated into ZnO, and the diameter of the nanometer was about 10.7nm. It induced the redshifting in the UV-Vis spectra. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was investigated using methylene blue (MB) as the model reaction under irradiation with ultraviolet light. The results showed that the doping of Ce4+ could increase the photocatalytic activities of ZnO nanopowders and that the best molar ratio of Ce4+ was n(Ce)/n(Zn) = 0.05, that the surfactant was sodium dodecyl sulfate, and that the nanometer ZnO was calcinated at 550 ℃ for 3 hours. Meanwhile, it inspected the effect of photocatalytic efficiency through the pH of MB, the amount of catalyst, and illumination time. The experimental results revealed that the initial mass concentration of MB was 10 mg/L, that the pH value was 7-8, that the dosage of Ce4+/ZnO photo-catalyst was 5 g/L, that the UV-irradiation time was 2 h, and that the removal rate of MB reached above 85%. Under the optimized conditions, the degradation rate of real dye wastewater was up to 87.67% and the removal efficiency of COD was 63.5%.

Preparation of TiO2/Black Talc Composite Photocatalyst and the Research on Its Adsorption-Degradation Coupling Effects

In this paper, a TiO2/black talc composite photocatalyst was prepared by the sol-gel method using TBOT as titanium source and black talc as carrier. Rhodamine B was used as the targeted pollutant to study the adsorption role of carbon in black talc. The results showed that with the adsorption-degradation cycles, the illumination time can be reduced by 40%. The adsorption rate and degradation rate of the composite photocatalyst was also increased. The degradation rate of Rhodamine B reached more than 95%, which fully shows the synergistic effect between TiO2 nanoparticles and black talc. In this way, the adsorption-degradation coupling of the photocatalyst could be realized.

Novel Sodium Alginate/Polyvinylpyrrolidone/TiO2 Nanocomposite for Efficient Removal of Cationic Dye from Aqueous Solution

The combination of adsorption and photodegradation processes is an effective technique for the removal of dye contaminants from water, which is motivating the development of novel adsorbent-photocatalyst materials for wastewater treatment. Herein, novel nanocomposite porous beads were developed using titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes embedded in a sodium alginate (SA)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) matrix using calcium chloride solution as a crosslinker. The prepared nanocomposite beads’ performance was examined as an adsorbent-photocatalyst for the breakdown of methylene blue in aqueous solutions. Several operation factors influencing the dye decomposition process, including photocatalyst dosage, illumination time, light intensity, and stability were investigated. The findings demonstrated that the removal activity of the beads changed with the TiO2 weight ratio in the composite. It was found that SA/PVP/TiO2-3 nanocomposite beads presented the greatest deterioration efficiency for methylene blue dye (98.9%). The cycling ability and reusability of the prepared SA/PVP/TiO2 nanocomposite beads recommend their use as efficient, eco-friendly materials for the treatment of wastewaters contaminated with cationic dyes.

Influence of Illumination Time and Soil Moisture on Seed Germination and Seedling Establishment of Magnolia sprengeri Pamp.

This study investigated the effects of illumination time and soil moisture on seed germination and seedling establishment of Magnolia sprengeri Pamp. to improve the seed germination percentage and seedling survival percentage of M. sprengeri. It is of great significance for rapid propagation, seedling regeneration, field management, and artificial high-efficiency cultivation of M. sprengeri. In this study, the seeds of natural M. sprengeri populations from original habitat were used as test materials. Seed germination and seedling establishment of M. sprengeri were performed under different illumination time and soil moisture treatments in artificial climate incubator. The study found that there were significant differences among various key parameters related to seed germination and seedling establishment under different treatments (P < 0.05). Germination percentage, germination potential, germination index, vigor index, germination rate, plant height, number of leaves, base diameter, taproot length, number of lateral roots, maximum lateral root length, single plant leaf area, fresh weight, and seedling survival rate reached the maximum at continuous illumination and 13% of soil moisture, respectively. By the integrative evaluation for the influence of these two factors on seed germination and seedling establishment, soil moisture is a dominant factor affecting seed germination and seedling establishment, whereas illumination is an important promoting factor for seedling establishment of M. sprengeri. Continuous illumination and 13% of soil moisture content is suitable for seed germination and seedling establishment of M. sprengeri.

Analysis of Molecular Disordering Processes in the Phase Transition of Liquid Crystals Observed by Patterned-Illumination Time-Resolved Phase Microscopy

The initial processes of the phase transition dynamics of liquid crystals (LCs) subject to UV pulse irradiation were clarified using a nanosecond time-resolved imaging technique called pattern-illumination time-resolved phase microscopy (PI-PM). Two types of LCs were studied: a photo-responsive LC and dye-doped LCs. We found two steps of molecular disordering processes in the phase transition, namely local disordering proceeding anisotropically, followed by the spreading of the isotropic phase. These two processes were separated for a photo-responsive LC while being simultaneously observed for the dye-doped LCs. It was found that the photomechanical dyes induced the phase transition process faster than the photothermal dyes.