CO2 photocatalytic reduction is a carbon–neutral renewable energy technology. However, this technology is restricted by the low utilization of photocatalytic electrons. Therefore, to improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers and enhance the performance of CO2 photocatalytic reduction. In this paper, g-C3N4/Pd composite with Schottky junction was synthesized by using g-C3N4, a two-dimensional material with unique interfacial effect, as the substrate material in combination with the co-catalyst Pd. The composite of Pd and g-C3N4 was tested to have a strong localized surface plasmon resonance effect (LSPR), which decreased the reaction barriers and improved the electron utilization. The combination of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) created a π–π conjugation effect at the g-C3N4 interface, which shortened the electron migration path and further improved the thermal electron transfer and utilization efficiency. The results show that the g-C3N4/ rGO/Pd (CRP) exhibits the best performance for photocatalytic reduction of CO2, with the yields of 13.57 μmol g− 1 and 2.73 μmol g− 1 for CO and CH4, respectively. Using the in situ infrared test to elucidate the intermediates and the mechanism of g-C3N4/rGO/Pd (CRP) photocatalytic CO2 reduction. This paper provides a new insight into the interface design of photocatalytic materials and the application of co-catalysts.

Sulfamonomethoxine (SMM) is widely used to inhibit Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and improper use of SMM is detrimental to human health and ecological stability. Therefore, a sensitive determination method is of great importance for monitoring SMM residues in water, meat, milk, eggs, etc. Herein, a Pt-functionalized S-doped graphitic carbon nitride (Pt/Sg- C3N4) was constructed for the electrochemical determination of SMM. The as-developed Pt3/ S3-g-C3N4 sensor showed a significant SMM determination performance. The electrochemical oxidation of SMM on Pt3/ S3-g-C3N4/GCE involves two electron transference and was limited by a diffusion process. The as-developed Pt3/ S3-g-C3N4/GCE sensor has good linearity in a wide range of 0.1–120 μmol/L and a remarkably low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.026 μmol/L for SMM determination. In addition, the sensor has high selectivity and anti-interference properties for SMM detection. Furthermore, this Pt3/ S3-g- C3N4/GCE sensor has good reproducibility and stability. Moreover, the recoveries were in the range of 89.6–112.2% for the detection of the SMM in a real sample of egg. The proposed Pt3/ S3-g-C3N4/GCE sensor shows great potential for practical applications in detecting trace amounts of antibiotics.

Fe3O4/g-C3N4/TiO2 catalyst has been fabricated using a simple ultrasonic method with high photocatalytic activity. The morphology, structure and optical properties of Fe3O4/ g-C3N4/TiO2 were systematically investigated by a variety of characterization techniques. The optimum degradation conditions were investigated by degrading tetracycline (TC) under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the degradation efficiency was the highest when the initial TC concentration was 5.0 mg/L, the pH value was 11 and the catalyst dosage was 1.0 g/L. After 100 min of visible light irradiation, the degradation efficiency of TC achieved at 73.61%, which was 1.64 and 1.19 times that of g-C3N4 and Fe3O4/ g-C3N4, respectively. Moreover, Fe3O4/ g-C3N4/TiO2 had good stability and recyclability. The results of capture experiments showed that ‧O2 − and ‧OH were the main active species during the photocatalytic process, and a possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism of Fe3O4/ g-C3N4/TiO2 catalyst was proposed. This study provides a new way to improve the photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4, which has great potential in degrading pollutants such as antibiotics in wastewater.

Pharmaceutical products occurring in freshwater bodies create numerous problems for the water bodies owing to their bio-toxic nature. In order to remove such pharmaceutical pollutants, a novel Er-doped Bi4O5Br2/ g-C3N5 nanocomposite was prepared by one-pot synthesis and applied for the photocatalytic removal process. The Er ions doped on the surface of Bi4O5Br2/ g-C3N5 nanocomposite exhibited 97% degradation of tetracycline in 60 min under visible light irradiation, which is higher than pure g-C3N5 and Bi4O5Br2 photocatalysts. The improved photocatalytic properties are attributed to the outstanding visible light harvesting capacity and quick charge carrier separation efficiency which greatly reduced the recombination rate in the heterojunctions. Based on radical trapping experiments, the •O2 −, h+ and •OH radicals played a prominent role in the photodegradation reactions under visible light. Finally, the ternary Er-doped Bi4O5Br2/ g-C3N5 nanocomposite is effectively recyclable with quite a stable photocatalytic removal rate. This work enables a new perspective on the rational design of rare-earth-based nanocomposites for various pharmaceutical pollutants treatment processes.

An eco-friendly material was synthesized through interfacial polymerization of aniline on particles of g-C3N4 with arginine, resulting in Arg-PANI@g-C3N4 composite. The as-synthesized composite was characterized by the Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The adsorption capability of as-synthesized composite towards Orange G (OG) dye has been evaluated under several experimental conditions, such as the adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, contact time under agitation, pH of dye solution and temperature. Thermodynamics parameters such as free energy (ΔG°), entropy (ΔS°), and enthalpy (ΔH°) were also calculated and suggested that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The kinetics data revealed that the adsorption of OG dye onto Arg-PANI@g-C3N4 follows the pseudo-second order kinetics model. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 80.54 mg·g−1. Furthermore, the Arg-PANI@g-C3N4 surface exhibited a Langmuir-like adsorption isotherm in contrast to a Freundlich isotherm due to homogeneous active site distribution. Regeneration investigation showed the excellent reusability of Arg-PANI@g-C3N4 composite during the cleaning up of solution containing OG dye molecules.

1,2-Dichlorobenzene (1,2-DCB) is in various industries as solvents in herbicides, pesticides, and wax, and as degreasers or in the production of dyes. Studies on the hazards and risks of 1,2-DCB showed that this substance can cause skin corrosion, skin irritability, respiratory irritability, and certain target organ toxicity. Industrial workers are exposed to 1,2-DCB by inhalation or skin exposure and there is a lack of information on human hazards even though they can be exposed to organic compounds such as benzene or other DCB complexes rather than a single substance. In this study, we investigated the specific organ toxicity of 1,2- DCB and sex differences using whole-body inhalation in laboratory mice. Male and female mice were exposed to 0–120 ppm of the test substance for 13 weeks. After euthanization, the organs were collected, histopathological assessments and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed, and lipid peroxidation was analyzed. Macro and microscopic lesions were observed in the livers of male mice exposed to the test substance, and microscopic alterations were observed in the nasal cavities of male and female mice. IHC analysis of the liver confirmed a greater increase in cytochrome P450 induction in males than in female mice, and malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxynonenal were increased in both sexes by 1,2-DCB inhalation. Based on the relevant literature and experimental results, 1,2-DCB is believed to cause specific organ toxicity in the livers of male mice and the nasal cavities of both sexes of mice, which is supposed to be related to sex differences in cytochrome P450 induction and changes in lipid and oxidative products associated with the early metabolites of the test substance.

In this study, a bipolar visible light responsive photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) was constructed by loading a Z-scheme g-C3N4/ carbon black/BiOBr and a Ti3C2/ MoS2 Schottky heterojunction on the carbon brush to prepare the photoanode and photocathode, respectively. It greatly improved the electron transfer and achieved efficient degradation of organic pollutants such as antibiotics and dyes simultaneously in two chambers of the PFC system. The Z-scheme g-C3N4/carbon black/BiOBr formed by adding highly conductive carbon black to g-C3N4/BiOBr not only effectively separates the photogenerated carriers, but also simultaneously retains the high reduction of the conduction band of g-C3N4 and the high oxidation of the valence band of BiOBr, improving the photocatalytic performance. The exceptional performance of Ti3C2/ MoS2 Schottky heterojunction originated from the superior electrical conductivity of Ti3C2 MXene, which facilitated the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Meanwhile, the synergistic effect of the two photoelectrodes further improved the photocatalytic performance of the PFC system, with degradation rates of 90.9% and 99.9% for 50 mg L− 1 tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) and 50 mg L− 1 rhodamine-B (RhB), respectively, within 180 min. In addition, it was found that the PFC also exhibited excellent pollutant degradation rates under dark conditions (79.7%, TCH and 97.9%, RhB). This novel pollutant degradation system is expected to provide a new idea for efficient degradation of multiple pollutant simultaneously even in the dark.

To solve the problem of water pollution, researchers have proposed a photocatalytic degradation technology, in which the key factor is the development of efficient photocatalytic materials. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), an n-type semiconductor, has been widely studied due to its suitable band gap (2.7 eV), low cost, easy preparation, non-toxicity, and high photostability. However, the pure-phase g-C3N4 still has defects such as low specific surface area, insufficient visible light absorption, low charge mobility, few active sites for interfacial reaction, and easy recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, which leads to the lower photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4. Aiming at the problems mentioned above, this paper focus on the synthesis of g-C3N4-based composites with high photocatalytic activity via lemon juice induction method. Thiourea and lemon juice were selected as precursors, and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) as electron mediators were introduced anchoring on the surface of g-C3N4 to build g-C3N4/CQDs with compact interface. The results showed that small-sized CQDs are uniformly distributed on the surface of g-C3N4, and the g-C3N4/CQDs composite has a 2D0D structure, which reduces the recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of 4% g-C3N4/CQDs for RhB reaches the highest data of 90.9%, and the photocatalytic degradation rate is 0.016 min− 1, which is about 2.3 times that of g-C3N4. After four cycles of photocatalytic reaction, the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the material remained at 81.7%. Therefore, the g-C3N4/CQDs synthesized via lemon juice induction has a more stable microstructure, and the charge separation efficiency is greatly improved, which is suitable for practical photocatalytic environmental protection.

In this study, we perform a statistical investigation of the kinematic classification of 4,264 coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from 1996 to 2015 observed by SOHO/LASCO C3. Using the constant acceleration model, we classify these CMEs into three groups: deceleration, constant velocity, and acceleration motion. For this, we devise three different classification methods using fractional speed variation, height contribution, and visual inspection. The main results of this study can be summarized as follows. First, the fractions of three groups depend on the method used. Second, about half of the events belong to the groups of acceleration and deceleration. Third, the fractions of three motion groups as a function of CME speed are consistent with one another. Fourth, the fraction of acceleration motion decreases as CME speed increases, while the fractions of other motions increase with speed. In addition, the acceleration motions are dominant in low speed CMEs whereas the constant velocity motions are dominant in high speed CMEs.

광전기화학 성능을 향상시키기 위해 각 ZnO, ZnSe과 g-C3N4 소재의 장점을 살리도록 3성분계 적층 구조를 디자 인했다. 용액공정으로 FTO 기판위에서 ZnO 나노로드 어레이가 성장하도록 한 후 ZnO표면에 Se을 부착시켜 ZnO표면에 서 ZnSe층이 형성 되도록 이온 치환법을 도입하였다. ZnO/ZnSe 나노로드 위에 g-C3N4 층을 스핀코팅 한 후 각 층이 화 학적 접합이 되도록 질소 분위기 하에서 열처리를 하였다. AM 1.5G, 0.5 V 외부전압하에서 각 적층구조별로 광전기화학 적 전류밀도를 측정하였고 비교 결과 ZnO/ZnSe/g-C3N4 나노로드가 ZnO 및 ZnO/ZnSe 나노로드에 비하여 보다 높은 광 전류 밀도가 측정되었다. 수직 정렬된 ZnO 육각 프리즘형태는 큰 비표면적과 축 방향을 따라 전자 흐름을 원활히 하고, ZnSe 층은 비표면적과 광흡수 범위를 더욱 넗히는 효과를 가져왔다. 이로 인하여 ZnO/ZnSe/g-C3N4 삼원 접합 전극의 향상된 성능은 가시광선 흡수범위 확장, 전하 분리 강화 및 전자 전도도 향상으로 인한 시너지 효과에 기인되는 것으로 판단된다.

In the present study, a novel electrochemical sensor for acetaminophen (AMP) which included quantum graphitic carbon nitride dots, g-C3N4QDs, was designed and conducted with molecular imprinted polymer (MIP). First, bulk g-C3N4 was generated with direct thermal polycondensation of melamine. After the treatment of the acidic solution containing H2SO4: HNO3 (1:1, v:v), the heating treatment at 200 °C on the dispersion provided g-C3N4QDs. In this respect, for nanomaterial characterization, some spectroscopic approaches were performed including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as well as electroanalytical methods such as electrochemical impedance (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). In accordance with the aims of the study, AMP imprinted electrode was formed after high electrocatalytic performance and linear range of 1.0 × 10– 11–2.0 × 10– 8 M and the LODs of 2.0 × 10– 12 was achieved. Eventually, an AMP-printed sensor was also used for AMP identification in pharmaceutical samples.

We investigated the effect of a synthetic complement peptide C3a on the outcome of Brucella abortus 544 infection in a murine macrophage cell line RAW264.7 cell. First, we determined the highest non-cytotoxic concentration of the peptide in the cell line. We also found that the peptide significantly increased the growth of the bacteria at 8 and 24 h. Although the number of bacterial CFU was also elevated at 48 and 72 h, the increases were not significant as compared to controls. We further investigated the effect of C3a peptide on the growth of Brucella by pre-incubating the peptide at various temperatures and found that the effect was reversed at 24 h post-incubation suggesting that incubation of peptide at high temperatures including 65°C or 95°C could inactivate its action. This also could indicate the beneficial effect of high temperature during infection. Although several studies reported the inhibitory effect of different antimicrobial peptides including C3a, the present study preliminarily revealed that it had no positive contribution on the control of B. abortus 544 infection in vitro and indirectly to its receptor, CD88, which belongs to GPCR. Moreover, the encouraged further exploration of the effect of other similar peptides would be performed for the purpose of finding Brucella-host cell interaction for the control of disease progression.

Herein, a series of g-C3N4 modified Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites using Bi2MoO6 and melamine as original materials are fabricated via sintering process. For presynthesis of Bi2MoO6 an ultrasonic-assisted hydrothermal technique is researched. The structure and composition of the nanocomposites are characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The improved photoelectrochemical properties are studied by photocurrent density, EIS, and amperometric i-t curve analysis. It is found that the structure of Bi2MoO6 nanoparticles remains intact, with good dispersion status. The as-prepared g-C3N4/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites (BMC 5-9) are selected and investigated by SEM analysis, which inhibits special morphology consisting of Bi2MoO6 nanoparticles and some g-C3N4 nanosheets. The introduction of small sized g-C3N4 nanosheets in sample BMC 9 is effective to improve the charge separation and transfer efficiency, resulting in enhancing of the photoelectric behavior of Bi2MoO6. The improved photoelectronic behavior of g-C3N4/Bi2MoO6 may be attributed to enhanced charge separation efficiency, photocurrent stability, and fast electron transport pathways for some energy applications.

Using first-principles theory, this work investigated the Cu-doping behavior on the N-vacancy of the C3N monolayer and simulated the adsorption performance of Cu-doped C3N (Cu–C3N) monolayer upon two dissolved gases ( H2 and C2H2). The calculations meant to explore novel candidate for sensing application in the field of electrical engineering evaluating the operation status of the transformers. Our results indicated that the Cu dopant could be stably anchored on the N- vacancy with the Eb of − 3.65 eV and caused a magnetic moment of 1 μB. The Cu–C3N monolayer has stronger performance upon C2H2 adsorption than H2 give the larger Ead, QT and change in electronic behavior. The frontier molecular orbital (FMO) theory indicates that Cu–C3N monolayer has the potential to be applied as a resistance-type sensor for detection of such two gases, while the work function analysis evidences its potential as a field-effect transistor sensor as well. Our work can bring beneficial information for exploration of novel sensing material to be applied in the field of electrical engineering, and provide guidance to explore novel nano-sensors in many fields.

Developments in cancer therapies and diagnostic techniques have improved the long-term survival of cancer patients. Certain cancer treatments, such as radiotherapy, often harm normal tissue as well as the specifically targeted cancer cells. High doses of radiation induce bone loss. This study investigated the effects of pentoxifylline (PTX) on radiation-induced bone loss in C3H/HeN mice. C3H/HeN mice were divided into sham and irradiation (3 Gy, gamma-ray, IR) groups. The irradiated mice were treated for 12 weeks with vehicle, PTX (p.o.) or PTX (s.c.). Grip strength, uterus weight, serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) level were measured. Tibiae were analyzed using micro-computed tomography. There were no significant differences in the degree of grip strength, body weight and uterine weight between IR group and PTX-treated group. Treatment of PTX significantly preserved trabecular bone volume, trabecular number, trabecular separation and bone mineral density of proximal tibia metaphysic. The administration of PTX lowered serum TRAP in IR mice, suggesting that PTX can reduce the bone resorptive rate in mice. Our experimental data support the protective role of PTX against bone loss in irradiated mice. Based on the findings of this study, development of PTXbased treatments is anticipated to address bone loss after radiotherapy. Prospective dose escalation studies are required to determine the appropriate dosage of PTX.

Reducing CO2 into high value fuels and chemicals is considered a great challenge in the 21st century. Efficiently activating CO2 will lead to an important way to utilize it as a resource. This article reviews the latest progress of g-C3N4 based catalysts for CO2 reduction. The different synthetic methods of g-C3N4 are briefly discussed. Article mainly introduces methods of g-C3N4 shape control, element doping, and use of oxide compounds to modify g-C3N4. Modified g-C3N4 has more reactive sites, which can significantly reduce the probability of photogenerated electron hole recombination and improve the performance of photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Considering the literature, the hydrothermal method is widely used because of its simple equipment and process and easy control of reaction conditions. It is foreseeable that hydrothermal technology will continue to innovate and usher in a new period of development. Finally, the prospect of a future reduction of CO2 by g-C3N4-based catalysts is predicted.