Bi elements can increase the amount of Fe doped in ZIF8. After annealing, the obtained Bi/Fe–N–C effectively catalyses the CO 2 RR.

A biogeochemistry ( Picea mariana bark) orientation case study consisting of three transects over two known gold zones was completed in the McFaulds Lake region (“Ring of Fire”) located in the far north of Ontario, Canada. The well known proprietary weak/selective Mobile Metal Ion (MMI TM ) leach with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) finish was utilized, rather than a conventional technique such as acid digestion and ICP-MS on macerated bark tissue. This approach is based on the need to generate biogeochemical data that more accurately represents the labile phases of elements that may be released from hidden mineral deposits. Extensive peatlands characterize the study area, below which an ∼8 m thick sequence of till covers the underlying Archean bedrock that hosts the Triple J gold zones. The MMI TM results include relevant patterns with respect to the gold zones, in particular for the metals In and Mo. Horizons of massive chromite of the Blackbird deposit also appear to be influencing tree bark biogeochemistry, in particular for Bi, U, and rare earth elements. These biogeochemical signals are possible evidence for the presence of a metal accretion zone in the soil substrate, perhaps due to a redox column developed above the mineralized zones. Peat thickness appears to affect the metals concentrations in bark tissue; I infer that mineral soil substrates provide more metal signal for uptake to the spruce trees compared to thicker peat areas, where significant portions of the root systems are within organic peat. Comparison to a nearby aqua-regia digest (ARD) bark geochemistry dataset helps illustrate that landscape drainage and soil/substrate moisture content present additional variables, which can have significant control on the uptake and translocation of some metals to the outer tissues of Spruce trees. Using a weak or selective leach technique on Black Spruce outer bark may improve the signal-to-noise ratio compared to conventional digestion methods, by targeting any weakly bound, labile phases.

This study focused on the dust in the ventilation of the underground coal mine of Ningwu Coalfield, Shanxi Province; the particle-size distribution and the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the vent dust were studied. The particle-size distribution of the vent dusts in the exhaust outlets of the four coal mines studied is similar and characterized by a single peak, which occurred at 3.5–4.0 μm. The minerals in the vent dusts are dominantly composed of kaolinite, followed by illite, quartz, calcite, dolomite, bassanite, and anhydrite. Except for the high content of bassanite, the vent dust discharged from the YS coal mine presents a similar mineral composition to the parent coal. Compared with the parent coal (and the Upper Continental Crust), the vent dust is enriched to varying degrees in the major element oxides Fe2O3, CaO, K2O, Na2O, and MgO, as well as trace elements Sb, Zn, Bi, Cd, Cu, As, W, and Pb, especially the contents of Sb, Zn, W, and As increased by 1177, 84, 15, and 12 times, respectively. The vent dusts emitted from these coal mines mainly come from the mining of coal seams; a small amount comes from the shotcrete and weathering products of the tunnel gallery, dust flame retardant, and the wear of coal cutters and coal transmission belts. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the management of coal mine vent dust emission to ensure that the mine vent emissions are pollution-free.

Comprehensive analysis of 44 elements in the lung cancer tissues of smokers: A comparative study with control lung tissues.

Effect of Bi element on microstructure, strength and failure mechanism of Sn-Cu-In solder alloy

In the field of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the Metal-doped nitrogen carbon materials have emerged as a suitable alternative to Pt-based catalysts. Fe is the most common one since it is recognized as the best choice to reach high activity and selectivity to produce water in acid media. The addition of a second metal center has been investigated in the last few years to improve the activity and durability. Excluding d-block metal, the p-block (Sn, Sb, Bi) elements have been used for oxygen reduction in the last lustrum. More recently [1,2], Sn was used as a co-doping agent showing some improvement in activity, showing that Sn can regulate the charge distribution and control the intermediate adsorption energy [3]. Generally, those catalysts are tested under acidic or alkaline conditions [4], but the combination of Fe and p-block metal has not been investigated under neutral conditions yet. Here three antimony precursors were used [Cl = SbCl3, ac = Sb(III) acetate, phen = Sb(phen)Cl3] to prepare FeSb-N-C catalyst with EC300J (C) and Fe(phen)3Cl2 as carbon and Fe/N source respectively. XAS (Figure 1a, b) indicates that, for all three catalysts, the antimony is reasonably present as a single site since no Sb-Sb or Sb-O-Sb (around 3.4 Å) are present in the EXAFS (Figure 1b). Also, Sb seems to be in a 5+ oxidation state. This confirms that with all three precursors (even with non-N-containing), it is possible to achieve Sb single-site formation, with no clear difference, with the phenanthroline that serves as N-source. In the same samples, Fe is present as a single-site and in minor amounts as metallic iron with some degree of oxidation; reasonably this is a minority contribution since no evidence was observed by performing XRD. SbFe samples, in particular SbFe_phen, show better activity and selectivity (Figure 1c) for the H2O2 production at pH = 6 if compared with iron only (Fe), antimony only (Sb), and sole support (C). In particular, the addition of Sb seems to favor H2O2 production. SbFe_phen was also tested under the in-situ condition in close-to-neutral media. The samples were tested at different potentials and under N2 and O2 to compare both the effect of the atmosphere and applied potential. Iron shows the expected transition from Fe3+ to Fe2+, but seems not to be fully reversible (slow electron transfer process). Sb does not show any change and this has been never reported in the literature. Figure 1. a) XANES and b) FT-EXAFS of SbFe samples prepared from the 3 different Sb complexes, recorded at Sb K-edge. c) Activity and selectivity of selected samples on RRDE at 1600 rpm, 2 mV s-1 in 0.1M Na2SO4 (pH = 6) References [1] M. Mazzucato, et al. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 14 (2022) 54635.[2] F. Luo et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 145 (2023) 14737[3] F. Xia et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146 (2024) 33569.[4] Z. Niu et al. J. Chem. Eng. 474 (2023) 146004 Figure 1

In this study, we demonstrate the use of single-particle inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (spICP–MS) as a new tool for exploration hydrogeochemistry through a case study at the Bear Lodge alkaline complex in Wyoming, USA. Nanoparticulate forms of gold and associated pathfinder elements (Ag, Sb, Bi, Tl and Te) were detected in well waters proximal to rare earth element (REE) and Au mineralization, resulting in stronger geochemical anomalies compared with conventional acidified water analysis. Using the multi-elemental capability of spICP–time-of-flight MS (spICP–ToF-MS) to analyse waters, we detected REE particles that were hypothesized to be nanoscale REE mineral grains originating from the oxidized zone of carbonatite mineralization. For the first time, we present chondrite-normalized REE patterns from individual nanoparticles, allowing for geochemical interpretations based on light rare earth element enrichment and Ce anomalies. This study demonstrates that spICP–MS analysis of waters could be a valuable tool to detect concealed mineralization in environments with weak hydrogeochemical signatures. Moreover, the detection of indicator minerals using spICP–ToF-MS represents a novel use of the technique that may provide additional, previously unattainable information from water samples.

Relevance. In recent decades, high concentrations of gold have been identified in the skarn-magnetite deposits of Gornaya Shoria. However, these deposits have not received due attention in developing iron ore deposits. Of particular interest are the weathering crusts that are extensively developed in this region, in which the gold content occasionally exceeds its concentration in primary ores and dispersion halos by an order of magnitude. The industrial development of these objects is constrained by a number of theoretical issues, including the relationship between the gold content of weathering crusts and the formation of anomalous geochemical fields. Aim. To identify the geochemical features of the weathering crusts of the Sukharinskoe ore field in order to resolve issues of predicting their gold content. Object. Weathering crusts in the rocks, metasomatites and ores of the Sukharinskoe ore field. Methods. Chemical composition of the weathering products was determined using semi-quantitative spectral analysis for 24 elements (Ag, Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, As, Sn, Bi, Te, Mn, Co, Ni, Ti, V, Cr, P, Mo, W, B, Zr, Li, Sr, Ba and Fe), as well as spectrochemical analysis for gold (Au). In samples containing greater than 0.1 g/t of Au, the presence of Au and Ag was confirmed using atomic absorption and fire assay methods. The samples were then compared using non-parametric criteria, discriminant and factor analyses. These were carried out using the STATISTICA program. Results and conclusions. Linear gold-bearing weathering crusts in the Sukharinskoe ore field were formed as a result of oxidation of gold-bearing beresite-sulfide-quartz and magnetite-sulfide ores against the background of the formation of Mesozoic weathering crusts of the areal type. During the formation of gold-bearing weathering crusts, there was an additional accumulation, in comparison with the original ores, of Au, Ag, As, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, Fe, Mn, P, Bi, W, Mo, to a lesser extent – V, Zr, Ba, and a significant decrease in Sr concentrations. The mean gold content in brown iron ores, which are formed subsequent to gold-bearing magnetite-sulfide ores, undergoes an increase by an order of magnitude during oxidation. In ochre-clay weathering crusts on beresite-sulfide-quartz ores, the average Au content remains relatively constant. However, dispersion exhibits a marked increase, resulting in the formation of localised areas of metal accumulation.

Ultrasound-assisted electrodeposition of NiCo2O4-Bi2O3/CNTs on 3D-printed conductive scaffolds for high-energy flexible supercapacitors.

One-dimensional (1D) anisotropic crystal structures with broken spatial inversion symmetry have attracted significant attention because they exhibit unique physical phenomena not observed in higher-dimensional conventional semiconductors such as Si. We previously reported a 1D helical structure using organic chiral molecules and lead halide perovskites. A device based on this structure can directly detect left-handed or right-handed circularly polarized light (CPL) [1]. This unique circular polarization detection property may arise from the selective absorption of CPL due to the chirality of the overall structure induced by the organic chiral molecules, as well as the direction of polarized electron spins (spin polarization) generated by the strong spin-orbit interaction of Pb and I in the 1D helical structure. In this study, we aim to control the structure and chiroptical properties of 1D helical perovskite crystalline thin films and develop new photo-functional devices. Here, we investigated the effects of heavy elements Pb(II), Bi(III), and Te(IV) on the structural and chiroptical properties of 1D helical perovskite crystalline thin films that enable the detection of CPL in the visible region. R-(+)- and S-(-)-(1-naphthyl)ethylamine (R- and S-NEA+) were used as organic chiral molecules and dissolved in dimethylformamide (DMF) with PbI2 at 70 °C for 1 hour to prepare a precursor solution. The precursor solution was spin-coated onto a substrate and heated at 100 °C for 30 minutes to form a perovskite thin film ((R- or S-NEA)PbI3). Thin films incorporating BiI3 or TeI4 were prepared using the same process as PbI2. In the 1D structure of (R- or S-NEA)PbI3, (PbI6)4- octahedra are face-shared to form one-dimensional chains. NEA+ surrounds the chains, inducing a large helical structure due to the strong interaction between the achiral (PbI6)4- and chiral NEA+. This structure belongs to the P212121 chiral space group. The Bi3+- and Te4+-based perovskite films exhibited XRD patterns similar to those of (R- or S-NEA)PbI3, indicating the formation of 1D helical structures. (R- and S-NEA)PbI3 displayed a large circular dichroism (CD) signal in opposite directions, with an intensity exceeding 5000 mdeg (g CD = 0.08) at 400 nm. The strong CD absorption corresponds to the indirect transition between the band gaps, primarily from I5p orbitals to Pb6p orbitals, driven by the formation of the 1D helical structure. The CD signals of the Bi3+- and Te4+-based 1D films were observed in the visible wavelength region, originating from indirect band gap transitions from I5p orbitals to Bi6p or Te5p orbitals. It indicates that 1D helical perovskites composed of Bi3+ or Te4+ can detect CPL in the visible region, whereas Pb-based 1D perovskites primarily detect in the UV region.To fabricate the photoelectric conversion device, SnO2 and TiO2 were sequentially coated onto ITO glass as electron transport layers. After the formation of the 1D helical perovskite film, spiro-OMeTAD was spin-coated as a hole transport layer. Finally, an Au layer was deposited on the top electrode via vacuum deposition (Fig. 1). The device using (R- or S-NEA)PbI3 films exhibits highly sensitive CPL detection with a photoelectric conversion efficiency exceeding 100%. This result suggests that current generation in the 1D helical structure under CPL irradiation is not explained by a simple photoelectric conversion process but rather by the formation of a spin-polarized state. Furthermore, we successfully detected visible light using devices with a 1D helical structure incorporating Bi3+ and Te4+.[1] A. Ishii, T. Miyasaka, Science Adv. 2020, 6, eabd3274. Figure 1

Efficient removal of impurity Bi element from scrap brass by compound-separation method

Stream sediment geochemical survey was carried out in Boyo, situated in Betare-Oya gold district. The study was aimed to determine the primary source of gold, mineralogy of heavy mineral concentrate, provenance, weathering conditions and tectonic setting. Samples were collected by panning and analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Heavy minerals present in concentrates include gold, zircon and magnetite and the grains count of gold is 15–37, the grains vary in size from 0.125–1 mm, suggesting nugget effect. They exhibit sub-angular and angular shapes, indicating they were proximal to the source. Sediments reveal enrichment in Au (8440- > 10000 ppb), Mn (250–350 ppm), Hg (40–560 ppm), Th (186- > 200 ppm), Y (67.5–117 ppm), large ion lithophile elements, rare earth element (REE: 1684.9–2382.6 ppm) and depletion in Fe2O3 (1.08–2.25 wt.%), Nb (0.4–1.6 ppm), Mo (0.03–0.21 ppm), high field strength elements. REE patterns show LREE enrichment (LaN/SmN = 1.06–1.24) relative to HREE (GdN/YbN = 2.20–9.29), negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.24–0.31) and positive Ce anomaly. Factors 1, 4 and 5 point to the presence of granitic rocks and indicate a lithologic control. Factor 2, 3 and 6 were inferred as the mineralization factors, while the elements Bi, Pb, Sb, Sn and Zn serve as pathfinders for Au. The paragenesis Bi-Pb-Sb-Sn-Zn represents a barren sulphidation event with respect to Au. Sediments were sourced from mafic igneous provenance. Sediments were immature, had undergone intense weathering, were transported a short distance, and were deposited in a passive margin under oxidizing conditions.

Houpoea officinalis (H. officinalis) flowers are rich in a spectrum of bioactive compounds and mineral nutrients. The availability and balance of mineral elements directly impact the morphogenesis of flower organs, which play pivotal roles in various physiological and biochemical processes that drive flower development. However, relatively little is known about the changes in mineral elements composition that occur during flower development in H. officinalis. The objective of this study is to analyze the variations of 22 mineral elements contents in pistil, stamens, and petals of H. officinalis flower at four development stages. The amount of mineral elements (Na, Mg, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Sn, Al, Ti, Ga, Cd, Ba, Tl, Pb, and Bi) in these samples was determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Results showed that H. officinalis flowers are rich in macroelements such as potassium (K, 25.80–48.06 mg/g) and calcium (Ca, 17.27–31.00 mg/g), as well as microelements like zinc (Zn, 445.17–1553.16 μg/g) and iron (Fe, 324.27–622.31 μg/g). Notably, the pistil part is found to harbor a more significant concentration of mineral elements during the early developmental stages of flowers. Correlation analysis and PCA have effectively exposed a pronounced association between the accumulation patterns of mineral elements in H. officinalis flowers and their corresponding developmental stages and organs. These findings will provide more detailed information about the accumulation and distribution of mineral elements in H. officinalis flowers at different development stages and organs, which help to encourage researchers to enhance the flower quality for human consumption.

The transfer path of photogenerated charges greatly affects the final photocatalytic performance, but this important fact has not been clearly demonstrated experimentally. Here, we construct an ultrastable crystalline catalytic system including three heterometal-oxo clusters, Bi8M7-TBC4A (M=group IVB metal-Ti/Zr/Hf), which include cubic metal-oxo cluster core with eight Bi atoms at the vertices, one M atom at the body center, and six M atoms above the cubic face centers. It is worth noted that the change of group IVB elements in Bi8M7-TBC4A can specifically modulate the LUMO-HOMO orbitals to distribute on different active metal atoms. This allows it to be an excellent model system to verify the effect of the transport paths of photogenerated charges on photoreactivity. In model reaction based on CO2 photoreduction, Bi8Ti7-TBC4A displays superior photocatalytic CO2-to-HCOOH conversion rate of 3580.02µmolg-1, which is twice that of Bi8Zr7-TBC4A and 4 times that of Bi8Hf7-TBC4A. In situ characterization accompanied by density functional theory (DFT) indicate that the difference in orbital hybridization between Bi and IVB group elements largely affects the orbital distribution of frontier molecular orbital levels in Bi8M7-TBC4A, leading to the transport of photogenerated charges to metal active sites with different reactivities, and thus widely differing photocatalytic performances. This is the first model catalyst system that explores the effect of different photogenerated charge transport pathways on photoreactivity.

Abstract The transfer path of photogenerated charges greatly affects the final photocatalytic performance, but this important fact has not been clearly demonstrated experimentally. Here, we construct an ultrastable crystalline catalytic system including three heterometal‐oxo clusters, Bi8M7‐TBC4A (M = group IVB metal‐Ti/Zr/Hf), which include cubic metal‐oxo cluster core with eight Bi atoms at the vertices, one M atom at the body center, and six M atoms above the cubic face centers. It is worth noted that the change of group IVB elements in Bi8M7‐TBC4A can specifically modulate the LUMO‐HOMO orbitals to distribute on different active metal atoms. This allows it to be an excellent model system to verify the effect of the transport paths of photogenerated charges on photoreactivity. In model reaction based on CO2 photoreduction, Bi8Ti7‐TBC4A displays superior photocatalytic CO2‐to‐HCOOH conversion rate of 3580.02 µmol g−1, which is twice that of Bi8Zr7‐TBC4A and 4 times that of Bi8Hf7‐TBC4A. In situ characterization accompanied by density functional theory (DFT) indicate that the difference in orbital hybridization between Bi and IVB group elements largely affects the orbital distribution of frontier molecular orbital levels in Bi8M7‐TBC4A, leading to the transport of photogenerated charges to metal active sites with different reactivities, and thus widely differing photocatalytic performances. This is the first model catalyst system that explores the effect of different photogenerated charge transport pathways on photoreactivity.

This study investigates the structural, microstructural, dielectric, and electrical properties of BiNaZnMoO₆ (BNZM) ceramic synthesized using a conventional solid-state reaction method. Preliminary structural analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD) suggests orthorhombic crystal symmetry. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs reveal a uniform distribution of well-grown grains with well-defined grain boundaries, which may contribute to the enhanced dielectric properties. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis confirms the presence of all constituent elements Bi, Na, Zn, Mo, and O in the studied sample. Dielectric spectra analysis as a function of frequency and temperature indicates the formation of high-quality dielectric materials, evidenced by a high dielectric constant and low loss. Impedance spectroscopy supports the semiconducting nature of the sample. Modulus analysis reveals a non-Debye type of relaxation process. The study of AC conductivity suggests a thermally activated conduction mechanism. Furthermore, Cole-Cole and Nyquist plots confirm the semiconducting behavior, which is corroborated by resistance versus temperature analysis. These findings suggest potential applications in energy storage devices.

Arresters on electric multiple units (EMUs) usually experience premature aging under a high-frequency voltage and impulse current. In addition, they lead to overheating faults when subjected to the high-frequency overvoltage of electric railways. This research investigates the aging behavior of arresters when subjected to overvoltage and an impact current. An analysis was conducted on the impact of the aging duration at 1 mA and the frequency of overvoltage on a lightning arrester’s outer-layer components. The results show that the 1 mA DC reference voltage of the MOA sheet decreased, and the leakage current significantly increased at a 0.75 DC reference voltage through the aging of high-frequency voltage, and the duration of the applied voltage and the voltage bearing rate had similar effects on the two parameters. After aging, the Co and Bi elements on the surface of zinc oxide decreased and migrated to the depletion layer, resulting in a decrease in the dispersion characteristics of the zinc oxide agglomerate surface. Under the impulse voltage, the thermal stress on the surface of the zinc oxide increased, resulting in the damage to the zinc oxide grains, which aggravated the thermal stress concentration and reduced the performance of the zinc oxide. This study reveals the deterioration mechanism of high-frequency voltage- and impulse current gap-modulated MOA materials and provides a theoretical basis and data support for the development of and monitoring methods for new lightning arresters.

This study focused on analyzing the changes in the microstructure and composition evolution of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) and electroless copper–PEO composite (Cu/PEO) coatings both prior to and following irradiation. Additionally, the corrosion resistance and tribological properties of these coatings were assessed. Post-irradiation, the PEO coating exhibited a 5% reduction in porosity, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests indicated a notable enhancement in short-term corrosion resistance, with a low-frequency impedance of 106 Ω·cm2 sustained over 72 h. The Cu/PEO coating, deposited with Bi element, demonstrated enhanced wear resistance after irradiation. Specifically, the coefficient of friction (COF) dropped from 0.7 to 0.5, and the wear rate reduced by 39%.

In this work, we developed nanostructured Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 thin films by thermal co-evaporation of their alloys with corresponding pure elements (Bi, Sb, and Te). The films were fabricated on borosilicate glass at different substrate temperatures and deposition rates. At 300 °C, enhanced thermoelectric performance was demonstrated for n-type Bi2Te3:Bi and p-type Sb2Te3:Te, with Seebeck coefficients of 195 µV K-1 and 178 μV K-1, along with electrical conductivities of 4.6 × 104 (Ω m)-1 and 6.9 × 104 (Ω m)-1, resulting in maximum power factor values of 1.75 mW K-2 m-1 and 2.19 mW K-2 m-1, respectively. These values are found to be higher than some reported works in the literature, highlighting the advantage of not introducing additional elements to the system (such as extra doping, which induces complexity to the system). The structural properties, film morphology, and chemical composition of the optimized films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The films were found to be polycrystalline with preferred (0 0 6) and (0 1 5) orientations for Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 films, respectively, and stable rhombohedral phases. Additionally, a ring-shaped p-n thermoelectric device for localized heating/cooling was developed and a temperature difference of ~7 °C between the hot and cold zones was obtained using 4.8 mA of current (J = 0.068 mA/mm2).

The paper presents the first results of local studies of the content and distribution of trace elements in minerals of low-sulfide ores of various associations of the Ozernoe (copper-)gold-palladium occurrence, discovered in 2002 in the Polar Urals and localized in clinopyroxenites and wehrlites of the Middle Paleozoic. According to LA-ICP-MS data, the diversity and concentration levels of trace elements in three associations (pyrrhotite-pyrite, pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite-cubanite and bornite-chalcopyrite) are different. Thus, pyrite of the first association, common on the flanks of the ore zone, is characterized by high concentrations of Co, Se, moderate ones of Ni and traces of Bi, Sb, Ag. The minerals of the pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite-cubanite association, common within the ore zones, commonly contain Ag, Pb and Se, as well as groups of elements (Sb, Bi, Au, Te and Pd), occurring in noticeable amounts, but sporadically, which may be conditioned by microinclusions of their minerals. The highest concentrations of Ag, Se, Te, and Pd are recorded in copper sulfides of the bornite-chalcopyrite association, especially in bornite. The main components of ore and non-metallic minerals (sulfides, Fe-oxides, olivine and pyroxene) has been studied by electron probe microanalysis.