Bi Source Research Articles

Contribution of bismuth melts to gold endowment in the Baolun gold deposit, Hainan Island, South China

Bismuth (Bi) melts and related polymetallic alloys can efficiently scavenge gold (Au) from Au-unsaturated aqueous solutions, contributing to the Au endowment in many hydrothermal deposits. However, original evidence for Au–Bi melts is often poorly preserved due to post-precipitation alteration. This complicates investigation of the liquid bismuth collector model in hydrothermal Au deposits. Here we present primary evidence for the occurrence of Au–Bi melt in hydrothermal systems through an examination of the Au–Bi phases and textures in the Baolun Au deposit (Hainan Island). This study found that maldonite, native bismuth, Au–Bi symplectite and Au–Bi melt blebs appeared successively following the precipitation of native gold. Notably, large Au–Bi melt blebs were well preserved in natural systems due to the rapid cooling of fluids. The mineral assemblages and their corresponding fluid physiochemical conditions suggest that the evolution of the ore fluids at Baolun was characterized by a continuous reduction in Au and Bi concentrations and Au/Bi ratios alongside decreasing fluid temperatures and sulfur fugacity (fS2). These observations offer direct evidence for Au scavenging by Bi melts in a mesothermal (275–450 °C), low-fS2 and reduced hydrothermal system, aligning well with the Au–Bi binary phase evolution established in metallurgy. As the fluid cooled further, the Au–Bi phases were subsequently overprinted by later Te–S-rich fluids, as evidenced by the formation of bismuthinite, jonassonite, and joséite-A around the Au–Bi phases. Importantly, our study reveals that the Baolun Au deposit ischaracterizedby a Au–Bi–Te hydrothermal system and that the metamorphic country rocks at Baolun are the major source of Au, Bi, and Te.

Effect of phase structure of Bi5O7I on the photocatalytic activity of S-scheme AgBr/Ag/Bi5O7I

The synthesis of pure needle-shaped monoclinic-Bi5O7I (m-Bi5O7I) was reached for the first time at pH 12.2 under a hydrothermal condition, using bismuth citrate as a Bi source. To enhance the photocatalytic activity of m-Bi5O7I, S-scheme AgBr/Ag/m-Bi5O7I (denoted as AAmB) was constructed via a photodeposition method. AAmB exhibited excellent photocatalytic degradation performance towards methylene blue (MB) under visible light illumination with apparent rate constants (0.01047 min−1), and it is approximately 4 times higher than that of AgBr/Ag/orthorhombic-Bi5O7I (plate-shaped) (called as AAoB) (0.00267 min−1) prepared at pH 12.5. Besides, the specific surface area of as-constructed AAmB heterojunction (18.5 m2·g−1) was also higher than that of AAoB (1.0 m2·g−1). These results indicate that the phase structure of Bi5O7I influences the morphology and specific surface area of the heterojunction. Furthermore, AAmB showed superior photodegradation activity for other pollutants, such as tetracycline (TC), bisphenol A (BPA), rhodamine B (RhB), etc. When bismuth nitrate was used as a raw material, only o-Bi5O7I was obtained at a wide pH range from 12 to 13, and the photocatalytic performance of the as-constructed AgBr/Ag/o-Bi5O7I heterojunction based on this o-Bi5O7I was notably lower than that of AAmB.

3D WO3/BiMOF/Bi2WO6 with rich vacancies defects self-assembled via H2BDC anchoring Bi source of Bi2WO6 for high-performance visible light-driven nitrogen fixation and organic pollutant degradation

A novel photocatalyst WO3/BiMOF/Bi2WO6 was prepared by self-assembly of benzene dicarboxylic acid ligand (H2BDC) anchoring Bi source on the surface of Bi2WO6 to form BiMOF, in which WO3 spherical particles were scattered uniformly. Thereby, an amount of metal and oxygen vacancies (VM + O) are generated. The 3D flower-like spherical photocatalyst has a large specific surface area and close interfacial contacts, which can provide sufficient channels for carrier migration. The introduction of BiMOF enhanced the light absorption capability of photocatalyst. As a result, the flower-like WO3/BiMOF/Bi2WO6 structure exhibits excellent nitrogen fixation as well as high-level photocatalytic activity in degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline (TC) under visible light. For one thing, WO3/BiMOF/Bi2WO6 produce ammonia up to 227 μmol L−1 h−1. For another, the degradation efficacy displayed by RhB 99.3% in 15 min and TC 93.6% degradation in 50 min, respectively. In addition, the catalysts showed excellent cyclic stability, with constant degradation efficiencies for at least 4 cycles. The experimental results of free radical scavenging showed that holes (h+) and superoxide radical (·O2−) were the main active substances in the photodegradation process. Therefore, the photocatalytic mechanism of 3D flower-like WO3/BiMOF/Bi2WO6 was also proposed.

Photocatalytic degradation of butyl benzyl phthalate by S-scheme Bi/Bi2O2CO3/Bi2S3 under simulated sunlight irradiation

As a kind of plasticizer, butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) presents a serious hazard to the ecosystem. Therefore, there is a strong need for an effective technique to eliminate the risk of BBP. In this work, a new photocatalyst of Bi/Bi2O2CO3/Bi2S3 with an S-scheme heterojunction was synthesized using Bi(NO3)3 as the Bi source, Na2S as the S source, and DMF as the carbon source and reductant. Numerous techniques have been used to characterize Bi/Bi2O2CO3/Bi2S3, such as scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The improved photoactivity of Bi/Bi2O2CO3/Bi2S3 was evaluated by photoelectrochemical response, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, photoluminescence, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and electrochemical Mott Schottky spectroscopy. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of this composite for BBP degradation under simulated sunlight irradiation could be attributed to the surface plasmon resonance effect of Bi metal and the heterojunction structure of Bi2O2CO3 and Bi2S3. The degradation rate of Bi/Bi2O2CO3/Bi2S3 was 85%, which was 4.52 and 1.52 times that of Bi2O2CO3 and Bi2S3, respectively. The prepared photocatalyst possessed good stability and reproducibility in eliminating BBP. The improved photocatalytic activity of Bi/Bi2O2CO3/Bi2S3 was demonstrated with the formation of an S-scheme heterojunction, and the degradation mechanism was discussed with a liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer.

One-pot preparation of Bi/BiOF/Bi2O2CO3 Z-scheme heterojunction with enhanced photocatalysis activity for ciprofloxacin degradation under simulated sunlight

To improve the photocatalytic activity of BiOF under simulated sunlight irradiation, a ternary Bi-based Z-scheme heterojunction of Bi/BiOF/Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets were prepared using one-pot hydrothermal technique, where N, N-dimethylformamide was used as carbon source for Bi2O2CO3 and reductant for metal Bi, bismuth nitrate was employed as Bi source and NaF was used as F source. The photocatalytic activity of Bi/BiOF/Bi2O2CO3 was improved greatly towards ciprofloxacin degradation with the reaction kinetic constant of 0.0649 min−1, which was 7 and 3.5 times to that of BiOF and Bi2O2CO3, respectively. The improved photocatalytic activity was ascribed to the surface plasmon resonance effect of metal Bi and the synergistic effects of BiOF/Bi2O2CO3 Z-scheme heterojunction, which facilitated the migration of the photogenerated electron and inhibited the recombination of photogenerated e−/h+ pairs. The degradation mechanism and charge transfer pathway were confirmed. This work expands the application of BiOF-based photoactive materials in environmental field.

Effective BPA degradation via atom-sharing Bi/Bi4O5Br2:Yb3+, Tm3+ plasma heterojunctions with enhanced charge transfer and light absorption

To achieve efficient degradation of organic pollutants, two critical objectives are enhancing photogenerated carrier separation and expanding the spectral response range. In this study, we synthesized atom-sharing Bi/Bi4O5Br2:Yb3+,Tm3+ (Bi/BYT) heterojunctions with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effects and upconversion (UC) by employing self-sacrificial Bi4O5Br2:Yb3+,Tm3+ (BYT) fractions as a source of metallic Bi. Results revealed that the optimal Bi/BYT-2 catalyst exhibited the highest BPA degradation efficiency within 120 min, representing a significant 1.3-fold improvement over BYT alone. This outstanding catalytic performance can be attributed to the synergistic interplay between UC fluorescence, the unique SPR effect of Bi metal, and the atom-sharing heterojunction. These factors effectively broaden the spectral absorption range and significantly enhance the separation and utilization efficiency of photoinduced carriers. This study lays the groundwork for the development and design of novel atomic-level contact heterojunctions, offering insights into enhancing photocatalytic efficiency through plasmon resonance and UC fluorescence on non-precious metal surfaces.

Designed composite catalysts of Cu-doped BiOCl nanosheets on CuFe-PBA cubes for enhanced photoelectrochemical H2 evolution activity in neutral medium

Carbon-neutral hydrogen production arouses the development of robust and low-cost catalysts for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. In the present work, Cu-doped BiOCl nanosheets on CuFe-PBA cubes (Bi(Cu)OCl@CuFe-PBA) were developed from Cu foam through a successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method, which were used as PEC catalysts for visible-light-induced water splitting. The compositions of the composite samples can be manipulated through the concentration variation of Bi source solutions. The typical Bi(Cu)OCl-0.1 @CuFe-PBA composite catalyst exhibited a large photocurrent density of 0.54 mA cm−2 at − 0.655 V vs. SCE (0 V vs. RHE), and good PEC H2-evolution stability for up to 7 h. The high performance of the composite catalyst is attributed to the synergetic effect of Bi(Cu)OCl and CuFe-PBA components and the occurrence of Bi nanoparticles in the hierarchical heterostructure, which enhances the transportation and separation of the photoinduced charge carriers during the PEC process. The Bi(Cu)OCl@CuFe-PBA heterostructures are promising catalysts for efficient PEC water splitting on H2 evolution.

One-step hydrothermal synthesis of S-scheme heterojunction Bi2O3/Bi2Sn2O7 composites with enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance

In this study, a kind of S-scheme heterojunction Bi2O3/Bi2Sn2O7 composite material is firstly prepared by one-step hydrothermal method through adjusting the molar amount of Bi source, which further improves the photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance compared with pure Bi2Sn2O7. Combined with work-enthalpy data using density functional theory calculations, the photoexcited electrons are directionally transferred from Bi2O3 to Bi2Sn2O7 for the formation of S-scheme mechanism, achieving the significant improvement in the photoinduced charge separation efficiency and CO2 photoreduction activity to CO for as-prepared Bi2O3/Bi2Sn2O7 composite. A feasible photocatalytic CO2 reduction mechanism of S-scheme heterojunction Bi2O3/Bi2Sn2O7 composite is proposed and investigated. Our findings should provide the significant theoretical guidance and experimental data for achieving the S-scheme heterojunction construction and CO2 green conversion into low-carbon chemical fuels.

One-step synthesis of Bi2O2CO3/Bi2S3 S-scheme heterostructure with enhanced photoactivity towards dibutyl phthalate degradation under visible light

Bi2O2CO3/Bi2S3 heterojunction was prepared by one-step hydrothermal method, where Bi(NO3)3 was employed as Bi source, Na2S was used as a sulfur source, and CO(NH2)2 was adopted as C source. The load of Bi2S3 was adjusted by changing the content of Na2S. The prepared Bi2O2CO3/Bi2S3 illustrated strong photocatalytic activity towards dibutyl phthalate (DBP) degradation. The degradation rate was 73.6% under the irradiation of visible light for 3 h, which were 3.5 and 1.87 times for Bi2O2CO3 and Bi2S3, respectively. In addition, the mechanism for the enhanced photoactivity was investigated. After combined with Bi2S3, the formed heterojunction structure inhibited the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pair, improved the visible light adsorption, and accelerated the migration rate of the photogenerated electron. As a result, analysis of the radical formation and the energy band structure revealed that Bi2O2CO3/Bi2S3 was consistent with the S-scheme heterojunction model. The S-scheme heterojunction allowed the Bi2O2CO3/Bi2S3 to possess high photocatalytic activity. The prepared photocatalyst presented acceptable cycle application stability. This work not only develops a facile one-step synthesis technique for Bi2O2CO3/Bi2S3, and also provides a good platform for the degradation of DBP.

Simultaneous enhancement of charge transfer and light absorption via construction of atom–sharing Bi/Bi3Ti2O8F:Yb3+,Er3+ plasmonic heterojunctions for the efficient degradation of ciprofloxacin

The rational design of plasmonic heterojunction photocatalysts is crucial to achieving light capture capability and interfacial charge transfer/separation. Herein, an atom–sharing Bi/Bi3Ti2O8F:Yb3+,Er3+ (Bi/BTOFYE) plasmonic heterojunction with oxygen vacancies and upconversion function was constructed in–situ by self–sacrificing a part of Bi3Ti2O8F:Yb3+,Er3+ (BTOFYE) as source of metallic Bi. The results show that optimum Bi/BTOFYE–2 achieves the highest ciprofloxacin degradation efficiency of 70% within 120 min, with a significant promotion of 1.77 folds compared with BTOFYE. The enhancement mechanism of photocatalysis is not only derived from surface plasmon resonance, oxygen vacancies and upconversion function for the expansion of absorption spectrum and the improvement of carrier separation efficiency. Notably, in–situ interface engineering affords atomic–level close contacts and strong electronic coupling between Bi and BTOFYE, which promote interfacial charge transport and separation, as confirmed experimentally and theoretically. Additionally, the results of cyclic experiments and degradation experiments of different pollutants proved that Bi/BTOFYE was stable and nonselective. The degradation mechanism has been discussed based on the analysis of intermediates of degradation products via liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. This study provides an idea on how to enhance photocatalysis efficiency by surface plasmon resonance of non–noble metals and makes a case for the development and design of novel atom–level contact heterojunctions.

Analisis Ekspor Minyak Kelapa Sawit (CPO) Indonesia Ke Sepuluh Negara Tujuan Utama Tahun 2008-2020

Indonesia is the largest palm oil producer in the world as well as the world’s largest CPO exporter. However, Indonesia has not been able to become a peg for CPO prices and in 2020 there was a decrease in CPO export volume due to pandemic Covid-19. This study aims to: (1) analyzing the effect of Gross Domestic Product of the destination country on Indonesian palm oil (CPO) exports in 2008-2020. (2) analyzing the effect of Economic Distance on Indonesian palm oil (CPO) exports in 2008-2020. (3) Analyzing the effect of Riil Exchange Rate on Indonesian palm oil (CPO) exports in 2008-2020. (4) Analyzing the effect of palm oil export prices on Indonesian palm oil (CPO) exports in 2008-2020. This study uses secondary data related to palm oil sources from BPS, Bappepti, BI, BPDPKS, World Bank, and other related sources. The analytical tool used in this research is panel data regression analysis (pooled data) with Gravity Model. Based on the result of the analysis, it is know that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of export destination countries, Economic Distance, and Riil Exchange Rate has positive and significant effect of on CPO exports. While CPO Export Price variables have a negative dan significant effect on CPO exports.

Controlled preparation of Bi/BiOCl with enhanced catalytic activity for organic pollutant under visible light using one-pot hydrothermal technology

Flowerlike Bi/BiOCl was prepared by one-pot hydrothermal method, where Bi(NO3)3 was used as Bi source, NiCl2 was used as employed as Cl source and co-catalyst, DMF was adopted as cosolvent and reducing agent. In the presence of NiCl2, the reduction of Bi(NO3)3 was accelerated. The prepared conditions were optimized. The prepared Bi/BiOCl showed high photocatalytic activity for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation within 200 s under visible light irradiation. The degradation efficiency and degradation reaction rate for Bi/BiOCl were 98.7% and 1.194 min −1, which was significantly better than that of BiOCl (6.6% and 0.0240 min −1). The improvement of photocatalytic activity was attributed to the successful in-situ formation of Bi metal in the sample, which greatly improved the visible light activity of BiOCl, increased the transfer rate of the photogenerated electron, and inhibited the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The prepared Bi/BiOCl presented high cyclic stability and low Bi element leakage of 1.2 ng L−1. The conversion of N element in RhB was preliminarily studied, and the results showed that N element was effectively converted into ammonium. Moreover, the decreased toxicity after RhB degradation was investigated and confirmed by mung bean cultivation with RhB solution before and after degradation.

The Impact of Digital Economics on Economic Growth in Indonesia

The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of the digital economy on economic growth in Indonesia. The research method uses a quantitative model to measure the role and influence of the digital economy on economic growth, using a regression analysis model. The data used are secondary data sourced from BPS, BI, internet search, and other related sources. Based on the results of the research, it shows that the digital economy has business resilience and is significantly able to make a positive contribution to economic growth. The conclusions of this study show that the digital economy is an economic sector that will continue to grow rapidly in the future. There is a need for the availability of a complete digital economy database that can be accessed by researchers, so that they can contribute ideas, in turn the digital economy is able to play a role as business resilience and make a positive contribution to sustainable economic growth.

Ni2+-assisted catalytic one-step synthesis of Bi/BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light

Bi/BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 heterojunction was prepared via one-step hydrothermal process under the synergistic catalysis of Ni2+, where Bi(NO3)3 was employed as Bi source, DMF was used as carbon source and reductant, NiCl2 was adopted as Cl source and co-catalyst. The content of Bi, BiOCl and Bi2O2CO3 can be adjusted by changing the reaction time, temperature, content of DMF and NiCl2. The doping of Bi enhanced the photocatalytic activity of BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 under visible-light. Bi/BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 presented photo-degradation activity for environmental pollutants of rhodamine B, sunset yellow and tetracycline, which were 13.01, 9.40, 1.50 times and 168.38, 10.90, 4.75 times higher than BiOCl and Bi2O2CO3, respectively. The improved photocatalytic activity was ascribed to the sensitized effect of Bi and BiOCl, the surface plasmon resonance effect and the heterojunction structure, which inhibited the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The degradation mechanism for rhodamine B was discussed, and the decreased toxicity of the degradation products was demonstrated.

Transformation of phase and heterojunction type by using HAc-adsorbed Bi(NO3)3 as a Bi source

Generally, preparing high-efficiency heterojunction photocatalysts via a facile room-temperature route is attractive from the perspective of energy and labor saving. Herein, by using dried and glacial acetic acid (HAc)-adsorbed bismuth nitrate, instead of Bi(NO3)3·5H2O, as a Bi source, a β-Bi2O3/Bi5O7I heterojunction with well dispersed flowery hierarchical architecture was synthesized, which endows it with high surface area, open channels and good light harvest. More importantly, the change of the precursor achieved a successful transformation for both of phase and heterojunction type, i.e. from type-Ⅰ BiOI/[Bi6O5(OH)3](NO3)5·3H2O (labeled as BiOI/BBN) to Z-scheme β-Bi2O3/Bi5O7I heterojunction. Since both β-Bi2O3 and Bi5O7I are visible light responsive, β-Bi2O3/Bi5O7I exhibited improved visible-light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of tetracycline (TC) and malachite green (MG) with apparent reactant rate (kapp) values about 10 and 11 times higher than those of BiOI/BBN. Besides, the presence of more oxygen vacancies also contributed to the enhancement in photocatalytic performance.

Facile synthesis of BiOCl/g-C3N4 heterojunction via in situ hydrolysis of Bi nanospheres: a high-efficiency visible-light-driven photocatalyst

BiOCl/g-C3N4 (BC) heterojunctions were constructed successfully through a novel in situ hydrolysis method by taking metallic Bi nanospheres as Bi source. The TEM and HRTEM images showed the heterogeneous nanostructures at the interface between BiOCl and g-C3N4. The combination of BiOCl and g-C3N4 enlarged the light adsorption range of the BC heterojunctions, which extended to visible region. Besides, the contact of the two semiconductors at the heterointerfaces improved the separation efficiency of photoinduced charge carriers, thus endowing the BC samples with superior visible-light-driven (VLD) photocatalytic performance in degrading organic pollutants. Notably, the BC12% sample exhibited the optimized photocatalytic activity in which 97.3% of RhB was decomposed within 30 min, achieving 13.87- and 4.26-times improvement than the bare BiOCl and pristine g-C3N4, respectively. Moreover, the trapping experiments revealed that .O2− and h+ were the dominant active species during the degradation processes of RhB. Meanwhile, the possible degradation pathway of RhB was proposed on the basis of the intermediate products detected by LC–MS, and the appearance photocatalytic mechanisms were also discussed in detail. As an original strategy to obtain samples with highly dispersed heterointerface, this work provides a facile route for the surface modification of g-C3N4 via a facile hydrolysis process of metallic particles to form heterostructures and very promising for practical application.

Defect-rich heterojunction photocatalyst originated from the removal of chloride ions and its degradation mechanism of norfloxacin

Concentrated leachate (CL) contains typical high concentration of Cl−, and it is necessary to remove Cl− efficiently and even to achieve a high value-added product from the Cl− removal process. In this study, a Bi-contained upconversion glass–ceramic (GC) is firstly explored for ultra-efficient removal and utilization of Cl−, wherein the abundant porous structure is continuously formed in the Cl− removal process to further provide channels for the deep migration of Cl− and H+ to its inner Bi source. The high Cl− removal rates above 96% were all achieved over the best GC sample at the Cl− concentrations of 1300–13,000 mg/L, then the terminal BiOCl-based precipitates were directly collected as the near-infrared (NIR) GC photocatalysts, which possessed defect-rich heterostructure with excellent upconversion luminescence and electronic energy transmission properties. In the degradation of norfloxacin (NOR), high removal rates of 98%, 73%, and 36% were achieved under UV–Vis-NIR, Vis-NIR, and NIR irradiations. On a basis of the four possible NOR degradation pathways discussed, we found that the primary active species were attributed to O2·− and ·OH radicals under NIR and UV–Vis-NIR irradiations, respectively. Therefore, the Bi-contained GC will supply a new strategy for high-efficiency Cl− removal and value-added resource utilization.

Синтез и характеризация наноструктурированных тонких пленок оксида олова, легированных висмутом

The tin dioxide (SnO2) films doped with bismuth by means of magnetron sputtering of semiconductor two-phase target and powder BiO2 as source of Bi were produced. The effect of bismuth dope concentration variation on the microstructure, electrophysical and gas-sensing properties was investigated. It has been found, that films consist of crystalline rods with diameter of 21±2 nm and length of 120±10 nm. Bismuth doping provided decrease in signal timing drift of acetone sensor in analyzed probe. Sensitivity to acetone vapor of the sample derived from targets with 0.01% bismuth oxide concentration increase almost by 10 times (up to 850) in comparison with undoped film at 300°С. Based on the obtained experimental data the mechanism of bismuth dope influence on electrical and gas-sensing properties of produced tin dioxide films was evaluated. Obtained results have shown capability the use of bismuth doped dioxide tin films for development of saturated acetone vapor sensors.

Tailored Synthesis of PEGylated Bismuth Nanoparticles for X-ray Computed Tomography and Photothermal Therapy: One-Pot, Targeted Pyrolysis, and Self-Promotion

Complex experimental design is a common problem in the preparation of theranostic nanoparticles, resulting in poor reaction control, expensive production cost, and low experiment success rate. The present study aims to develop PEGylated bismuth (PEG-Bi) nanoparticles with a precisely controlled one-pot approach, which contains only methoxy[(poly(ethylene glycol)]trimethoxy-silane (PEG-silane) and bismuth oxide (Bi2O3). A targeted pyrolysis of PEG-silane was achieved to realize its roles as both the reduction and PEGylation agents. The unwanted methoxy groups of PEG-silane were selectively pyrolyzed to form reductive agents, while the useful PEG-chain was fully preserved to enhance the biocompatibility of Bi nanoparticles. Moreover, Bi2O3 not only acted as the raw material of the Bi source but also presented a self-promotion in the production of Bi nanoparticles via catalyzing the pyrolysis of PEG-silane. The reaction mechanism was systematically validated with different methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The PEG-Bi nanoparticles showed better compatibility and photothermal conversion than those prepared by the complex multiple step approaches in literature studies. In addition, the PEG-Bi nanoparticles possessed prominent performance in X-ray computed tomography imaging and photothermal cancer therapy in vivo. The present study highlights the art of precise reaction control in the synthesis of PEGylated nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

Bismuth-doped Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cell on flexible stainless steel substrate: Examination of bismuth-doping effectiveness under different substrate temperatures on photovoltaic performances

Bismuth (Bi)-doped flexible Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) films on stainless steel (SUS) substrates with different Bi contents are prepared, obtained by covering Bi thin layers (as Bi source) on Mo layers with Bi thickness from 0 (without Bi-doping) to 100 nm. It is disclosed that [Ga]/([Ga] + [In]) profiles are almost identical when Bi content is increased by enhancing the Bi thickness. The CIGS grain size and carrier lifetimes are improved through the proper Bi-doping (Bi thickness of 20–65 nm) under low deposition temperature of 457 °C. The 12.6%-efficient flexible Bi-doped CIGS solar cell under the deposition temperature of 457 °C is consequently obtained. Conversion efficiency of the flexible Bi-doped CIGS solar cell under the low deposition temperature of 486 °C is further enhanced to 14.8%, very close to that (15.1%) of the solar cell under convention deposition temperature (543 °C) without Bi-doping. Furthermore, the Bi-doping is effective for the enhancement of the photovoltaic performances under the deposition temperature range of 457–486 °C, whereas the Bi-doping under high CIGS deposition temperature range of 543–572 °C has the detrimental impact on the cell parameters, resulting from the sever Bi diffusion into the CIGS film.