Full-spectrum Sunlight Research Articles

Well oil dispersed Au/oxygen-deficient TiO2 nanofluids towards full spectrum solar thermal conversion

Harvesting full spectrum sunlight for direct absorption solar collectors (DASCs) has attracted extensive attention and a number of potential nanofluids have been reported. In the current work, oxygen-deficient TiO2 (TiO2-x) improves the defects of conventional TiO2, making it fascinating optical absorption in the full solar spectrum. In the current work, oxygen-deficient TiO2 is obtained by NaBH4-reduction. The lower the reduction temperature is, the poorer the full solar absorption possesses. 600 °C is an appropriate reducing temperature from the results of XRD and UV–Vis–NIR. TiO2-x is stably dispersed in two oil system (heat transfer oil and silicone oil), leading to good medium-temperature solar thermal conversion. Au nanoparticles can further enhance the full solar absorption of oxygen-deficient TiO2. The highest temperature can be arrived at 91 °C for 100 ppm 5% Au/TiO2-x, 26.6 °C higher than base silicone oil. The excellent full solar absorption properties of TiO2-x and Au/TiO2-x in oil nanofluids bring new paradigms for working fluids in DASCs with medium temperatures.

Planktonic Fiddler Crab (Uca longisignalis) Are Susceptible to Photoinduced Toxicity Following in ovo Exposure in Oiled Mesocosms.

Benthic organisms may be exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marine sediments as the result of oil spills. PAH photoinduced toxicity, which has been documented in a wide range of early life stage (ELS) aquatic biota, is a phenomenon by which ultraviolet (UV) radiation potentiates the toxicity of photodynamic PAHs (often leading to mortality). Fiddler crabs (Uca longisignalis) are important ecosystem engineers that influence biogeochemical cycles via burrowing. As gravid females burrow, their eggs may bioaccumulate PAHs from contaminated sediments, leading to in ovo exposure. Consequently, free-swimming larvae exposed to intense UV may be at risk for photoinduced toxicity. In the present study, mature fiddler crabs were bred on oiled sediments contaminated via simulated tidal flux. Gravid females were transferred to clean water after 10 days, and larvae were collected at hatch. While in ovo exposures to oil alone did not affect survival, offspring that were subsequently exposed to full spectrum sunlight in clean water experienced significant mortality that corresponded with in ovo exposures to sediments containing ≥1455 μg/kg tPAH50. Results presented here provide evidence for the potential of photoinduced toxicity to occur in benthic organisms with free-swimming early life stages.

Synergizing Photo-Thermal H2 and Photovoltaics into a Concentrated Sunlight Use.

SummarySolar hydrogen and electricity are promising high energy-density renewable sources. Although photochemistry or photovoltaics are attractive routes, special challenge arises in sunlight conversion efficiency. To improve efficiency, various semiconductor materials have been proposed with selective sunlight absorption. Here, we reported a hybrid system synergizing photo-thermochemical hydrogen and photovoltaics, harvesting full-spectrum sunlight in a cascade manner. A simple suspension of Au-TiO2 in water/methanol serves as a spectrum selector, absorbing ultraviolet-visible and infrared energy for rapid photo-thermochemical hydrogen production. The transmitted visible and near-infrared energy fits the photovoltaic bandgap and retains the high efficiency of a commercial photovoltaic cell under different solar concentration values. The experimental design achieved an overall efficiency of 4.2% under 12 suns solar concentration. Furthermore, the results demonstrated a reduced energy loss in full-spectrum energy conversion into hydrogen and electricity. Such simple integration of photo-thermochemical hydrogen and photovoltaics would create a pathway toward cascading use of sunlight energy.

Construction of carbon bridged TiO2/CdS tandem Z-scheme heterojunctions toward efficient photocatalytic antibiotic degradation and Cr (VI) reduction

Photocatalytic technology is considered to be a promising ways to solve the problems of energy crises and environmental pollution, however, it is a challenge to harvest the full sunlight spectrum in a particulate photocatalyst with highly efficiency. Herein, a hollow TiO2@C/CdS tandem heterojunction with broad light absorption was designed and fabricated. The carbon layer with appropriate work function not only plays the role of bridge to connect TiO2 and CdS for the efficient light absorption, but also promotes the formation of Z-scheme heterojunctions. The phase structure, morphology, chemical composition, optical and electrochemical performance, as well as possible photocatalytic mechanism were systematically investigated. The photocatalytic performances of the as-fabricated tandem heterojunctions for tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) degradation and Cr (VI) reduction are nearly twice as high as hollow TiO2/CdS. Such reasonable tandem heterojunctions may provide a new route to fabricate particulate photocatalyst with highly efficiency.

Experimental investigation of cost-effective ZnO nanofluid based spectral splitting CPV/T system

Nanofluid-based spectral splitting concentrating photovoltaic thermal (CPV/T) system enables photovoltaic (CPV) cells and thermal absorbers to operate at different temperatures and realizes the utilization of full-spectrum sunlight. It is important to find one kind of low cost nanofluid that can be applied to nanofluid-based spectral splitting CPV/T system. In this study, the feasibility of using cost-effective glycol-ZnO nanofluid in spectral splitting CPV/T system was experimentally verified. A two-axis sun-tracking nanofluid-based spectral splitting CPV/T system was designed and fabricated. The solar energy conversion efficiency correlation coefficient was utilized to compare the thermodynamic performance of glycol-ZnO nanofluid-based spectral splitting CPV/T system with those of water-polypyrrole and water-Ag-SiO2 nanofluid-based spectral splitting CPV/T system. The effects of ZnO nanoparticles concentration in glycol-ZnO nanofluid on thermal and electrical performances were investigated. The cost comparisons of different types of nanoparticles were also conducted. The results indicated that the correlation coefficient of glycol-ZnO nanofluid-based spectral splitting CPV/T system was 0.218 and 0.05 higher than those of water-polypyrrole and water-Ag-SiO2 nanofluid-based spectral splitting CPV/T system, respectively. The cost of ZnO nanoparticles was 0.13%, 0.08% and 0.17% of cost of Au, Ag and polypyrrole nanoparticles, respectively.

Recent Advances in Solar Thermal Electrochemical Process (STEP) for Carbon Neutral Products and High Value Nanocarbons.

Climate change represents one of the most important environmental issues of our time. Due to high levels of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, atmospheric CO2 has for the first time ever exceeded 415 ppm and has increased from 315 ppm in 1950. An annual increase in atmospheric CO2 of ∼2 ppm is equal to a net increase of ∼15.6 billion tons of CO2. The combustion of fossil fuels for electricity and transportation is still the main reason accounting for the CO2 accumulation. On the top of that, fossil fuels are widely used in our modern industry for the productions of indispensable social staples. For instance, the millennia old thermal reduction of iron ore by charcoal or baked coal (3C + 2Fe2O3 → 4Fe + 3CO2) continues as the main method for the production of iron. The artificial fertilizer ammonia boosts the global population and is mainly produced from the Haber-Bosch process, in which hydrogen is generated via steam reforming of methane (CH4 + 2H2O → 4H2 + CO2). Sequestration and diminution of CO2 require the development of a portfolio of technologies on (1) efficient and long-term harvesting of renewable energy, that is, solar, not only for electricity but also directly as the energy force in vital chemical processes, wherever possible, (2) carbon-neutral processes to replace current industrial processes that emit vast amounts of CO2, such as iron and ammonia production, and (3) new, low-cost technologies for CO2 capture and conversion with particular interests in the exploration of CO2 as the feedstock for fuels or other valuable chemicals and materials. To this end, we conducted some studies on the sustainable synthesis of ammonia and iron with net-zero CO2 emissions and large-scale CO2 capture and conversion into fuels and high value nanocarbon products via electrolysis in molten salt(s) with the introduction of the Solar Thermal Electrochemical Process (STEP). In STEP, solar UV-visible energy is focused on a photovoltaic device that generates the electricity to drive the electrolysis, while concurrently the solar thermal energy is focused on a second system to generate heat for the electrolysis cell. The utilization of the full spectrum of sunlight in STEP results in a higher solar energy efficiency than other solar conversion processes. STEP has been applied to conduct (1) CO2-free ammonia synthesis from nitrogen and water with the aid of nano-Fe2O3 in a molten hydroxide electrolyte, (2) CO2-free production of iron via electrochemical reduction of iron ore in molten carbonate, (3) CO2 capture and conversion into nanostructured carbon products as well as fuels in molten or mixed molten electrolytes, and (4) organic electrosynthesis of benzoic acid from benzene without overoxidizing into CO2. In this Account, we highlight some recent achievements in these topics and propose that using STEP is a highly efficient strategy for saving energy and, consequently, the environment. STEP is an ideal tool that can theoretically be applied to all endothermic reactions.

Controlling Hydrogel Properties by the Cooperative Harvesting of the Components of Sunlight.

The utilization of the full spectrum of sunlight from ultraviolet to infrared to cooperatively control the properties of hydrogels is the key to developing efficient sunlight-responsive hydrogels, but there are significant challenges. The photoresponsive hydrogel developed here formed by azobenzene-containing polyzwitterionic chains possesses capabilities for simultaneously utilizing light from the ultraviolet to the infrared to cooperatively facilitate the gel-to-sol transitions. The ultraviolet and visible light can be converted into mechanical energy simultaneously to synergistically power the dynamic wagging of azobenzene groups, while the infrared light can be converted into kinetic energy of the zwitterionic groups to promote the wagging of the azobenzene groups. Cooperative action between the major components of sunlight can be applied to control a range of important properties of the hydrogel including wettability, adhesion, molecular release, self-healing, and mineralization. The work presented here demonstrates a novel strategy for harvesting all the major components of sunlight to control the properties of photoresponsive materials.

How to Make a Most Stable Perovskite Solar Cell

Perovskites have emerged as one of the hottest solar cell materials in the recent years, evident by more than 6,000 publications in 2018. Although intense research efforts on perovskite materials have made a significant progress in understanding its fundamental physicochemical properties, a long-term stability of perovskite solar cells (PSC) under operating conditions remains elusive. This article previews the recent findings on most stable PSC to date. Notably, an integrated effort of collaborative research has presented a simple but broadly applicable method to enhance the long-term operational stability of perovskite solar cells (over 1800 h at 70-75°C) under continuous simulated full-spectrum sunlight, which is up to ten times more stable than previous most stable devices.

A microfluidic all-vanadium photoelectrochemical cell with a full-spectrum-responsive Ti2O3 photoanode for efficient solar energy storage

The all-vanadium photoelectrochemical cell is one of the promising solar energy storage technologies. However, conventional photoanodes surfer from low solar energy utilization efficiency as a result of narrow spectrum response and poor mass transfer. Hence, in this study, a microfluidic all-vanadium photoelectrochemical cell with a full-spectrum-responsive Ti2O3 photoanode was proposed for efficient solar energy storage. Experimental results indicated that the Ti2O3 photoanode responded to almost the full spectrum of sunlight and exhibited excellent photoresponse and operation stability, which facilitated efficient solar energy utilization. Additionally, the effects of the light intensity, vanadium ion concentration, and electrolyte flow rate were studied. It was found that increasing the light intensity and vanadium ion concentration and reducing the electrolyte flow rate promoted photoelectrochemical reactions and thus improved the solar energy storage performance. The obtained results demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of using Ti2O3 as the photoanode for a photoelectrochemical cell to achieve efficient solar energy storage.

A cascading solar hybrid system for co-producing electricity and solar syngas with nanofluid spectrum selector

In this paper, a cascading solar energy utilization system is proposed. A nanofluid spectrum selector, which absorbs ultraviolet and infrared sunlight, is adopted. Through a thermochemical reaction, the absorbed sunlight is stored in solar syngas. The nanofluid also transmits visible sunlight to a concentrator photovoltaic module for electricity generation. The nanofluid absorption, photovoltaics and thermochemical processes are coupled to simulate the cascading system. The results reveal that, compared with the individual solar thermal fuel process, the proposed nanofluid receiver can increase the solar-to-fuel efficiency by 15 percentage points. Furthermore, in comparison with the individual photovoltaics, the integrated concentrator photovoltaic module could receive 700–1100 nm sunlight and enhance efficiency by 5.6 percentage points. In a typical case, the cascading system has a solar-to-electricity efficiency of 36.3%. The sensitivity of several key parameters is examined in the solar-to-electricity efficiency. It can be concluded that an operation temperature of 170–200 °C, a particle diameter less than 40 nm and a 3-cm optical thickness are preferred for the optimal performance of the energy converters. The results may provide a pathway of cascading full-spectrum sunlight for the co-production of solar fuel and electricity.

Experimental investigation on spectral splitting of photovoltaic/thermal hybrid system with two-axis sun tracking based on SiO2/TiO2 interference thin film

In a “thermally decoupled” PV/T system, photovoltaic and thermal absorbers are allowed to operate at different temperatures to utilize full-spectrum sunlight. In this study, a two-axis tracking PV/T system with a SiO2/TiO2 interference thin film (irradiated by natural sunlight) was designed and fabricated initially. The SiO2/TiO2 interference thin film designed by the authors achieved a high average reflectance (R ≥ 96.8%) for PV bands, with a high average transmittance (T ≥ 85%) at 1100–2500 nm. The photoelectric, photothermal, and overall efficiencies were tested and analyzed theoretically using the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Outdoor testing indicated that PV cells with SiO2/TiO2 interference thin film can decrease by 3.0 K, and that the power generation and efficiency of the PV cells can be improved by 10% and 0.65%, respectively. The overall energy and exergy efficiency of the PV/T system based on SiO2/TiO2 interference thin film can reach 22.72% and 18.81%, i.e., 4.94% and 1.03% higher than those without a SiO2/TiO2 interference thin film, respectively. The calculated payback time was 17 years for this PV/T system.

Energy band engineering of multi-component heteronanostructures by polarization charge design

Catalysis is the key to improve efficiency of materials transformation, which is crucial for sustainable development. For example, photocatalytic water splitting can use clean solar energy to produce hydrogen from water, which is clean and renewable. Unfortunately, efficiencies of photocatalysts are typically low. One of main bottlenecks lies in substantial charge recombination. Consequently, much effort has been made to promote effective charge separation with new types of photocatalytic materials. Among all available means of promoting charge separation, regulation of charge flow through heterojunction is a well-accepted and effective approach in photocatalytic materials design. This review will summarize three of representative work of heterojunction design for photocatalyst contributed by our group: A ternary semiconductor-(semiconductor/metal) model (e.g., ZnS-(CdS/Au), ZnS-(CdS/Pd), and ZnS-(CdS/Pt)). In this design, a metallic nanoparticle (M) is interfaced with CdS. The difference of work function between M and CdS will drive the polarization charges flow from M to CdS until reaching equilibrium of Fermi levels. And then the Fermi level of CdS has a upshift. Therefore, the band alignment transforms from the straddling gap (type I) of ZnS-CdS heterojunction to the staggered gap (type II) of ZnS-(CdS/metal). As a result, photogenerated electrons are kept on the surface of ZnS and metal, and holes in the CdS. Improvement of photocatalysis performance in water splitting is attained through this architecture: a Ag2S-Ag-TiO2 hybrid nanostructure. We use the wide-bandgap semiconductor TiO2 and the narrow-bandgap semiconductor Ag2S to design the Z-scheme structure, and integrate an interfacial Ag between TiO2 and Ag2S. The interfacial Ag and Ag2S have strong hybridizations at the Ag-Ag2S interface, and form Schottky junction. The polarization charge at the interface of the Schottky junction flows from Ag to Ag2S until reaching the equilibrium. This causes a upshift in the Fermi level of Ag2S. But the electronic structure coupling of the TiO2-Ag interface is relatively weak. As a result, the polarization charge in Ag can hardly flows to the TiO2. Taken together, the energy band upshift of Ag2S enables the formation of the Z-scheme structure in the Ag2S-Ag-TiO2 system. Therefore, under the full-spectrum light illumination, photogenerated electrons in TiO2 flow towards Ag2S through the interfacial Ag, and then recombine with the photogenerated holes in Ag2S. This results in the accumulation of photogenerated electrons and holes in Ag2S and TiO2, respectively. Therefore, the ternary system forms a Z-scheme structure that allows for full-spectrum sunlight absorption; A ternary ZnS-CdS-Cu2S heteronanostructure. Through combination of CdS and ZnS, a bianry ZnS-CdS heteronanostructure exhibits the wide absorption range of vis and UV. We choose the NIR absorption Cu2S to incorporate into ZnS-CdS, so as to further absorb solar energy to reach the full-spectrum. To demonstrate the ZnS-CdS-Cu2S system for the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, we utilize density functional theory to study the bandgap alignment. Both of ZnS and CdS are n-type semiconductor, and the work function of them are almost the same. So that the interaction between ZnS and CdS is very weak. The first-principles simulations demonstrate that the construction of p-n junction between CdS and Cu2S forms staggered gaps. Such band structure enables the ZnS-CdS-Cu2S system to separate photogenerated electrons and holes. In summary, steering charge flow in hetero-nanostructures via charge polarization can effectively modify the energy band alignment to promote the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. It provides new ideas for the development of nano-semiconductor composites materials in photoelectric conversion and photocatalysis. At the same time, we also believe that a better photocatalytic material with its performance significantly imporved will be designed by adjusting the band structure.

Light Harvest: an interactive sculptural installation based on folding and mapping proteins

ABSTRACTLight Harvest is an interactive sculptural installation that explores a protein called Light-Harvesting Complex II (LHCII) in the realm of materials, digital fabrication, projection mapping and interaction design. This article gives an account of the making of Light Harvest, a collaboration between an artist/designer, a structural biologist, and an interaction design technologist. The artistic concepts in material construction and digital techniques are drawn from protein folding, sophisticated mapping processes in protein X-ray crystallography, and the remarkable abilities of LHCI proteins to convert full-spectrum visible sunlight to useful energy for life. Through its interactive installation, Light Harvest engages us in an appreciation and understanding of the biological processes studied and the scientific techniques used to study them.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag/CQDs/Bi2O2CO3 composite photocatalyst under full-spectrum light

A novel and highly efficient three-component Ag/CQDs/Bi2O2CO3 was successfully prepared. The synergistic effect of the up-conversion property of carbon quantum dots and the surface plasmon resonance from Ag effectively improves the full spectrum absorption and photogenerated charge transfer for Ag/CQDs/Bi2O2CO3 in wastewater treatment. 3-Ag/CQDs/Bi2O2CO3 can degrade methylene blue and bisphenol A by up to 93.85% and 54.88%, respectively, within 90 min under visible light. Additionally, 3-Ag/CQDs/Bi2O2CO3 has a photocatalytic activity of 73.75 and 99.25% for MB under UV light and simulated sunlight, respectively. Here, the new-styled three-component Ag/CQDs/Bi2O2CO3 may provide a valuable method to design highly efficient and full spectrum sunlight harvesting photocatalytic materials.

Solar-driven phase change microencapsulation with efficient Ti4O7 nanoconverter for latent heat storage

A sort of novel microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) has attracted much attention for energy storage. However, the solar energy utilization efficiency of traditional microcapsulated PCMs is still not very high up to date. In this work, new core@shell structured paraffin@SiO2/Ti4O7 composite microcapsules were developed to harvest environmental full-spectrum sunlight by smart and rational design using a sol-gel method. The SiO2 shell not only prevented the leakage of paraffine, but also improves its thermal conductivity. The black 300 nm Ti4O7 particles, which were successfully embedded into the SiO2 shell, can achieve the efficient absorption of sunlight and simultaneously high conversion from light to thermal. The resultant paraffin@SiO2/Ti4O7 microcapsules retained most enthalpy of paraffin, increased its stability, and exhibited an excellent thermal energy storage performance. The thermal conductivity of paraffin@SiO2/Ti4O7 microcapsules was significantly enhanced by 334.87% (1.322 W m−1 K−1) compared with 0.304 W m−1 K−1 of one for paraffin. When the mass fraction of Ti4O7 nanoparticles is 3 wt% of paraffin, these paraffin@SiO2/Ti4O7 microcapsules exhibited remarkable 85.36% of photo-thermal storage efficiency compared with 24.14% of one for paraffin. Due to their huge superiority of high efficient use of abundant solar energy in natural resources, these new photo-driven PCMs are very promising materials for solar-to-thermal conversion and energy storage.

Anchoring black phosphorus quantum dots on molybdenum disulfide nanosheets: a 0D/2D nanohybrid with enhanced visible−and NIR −light photoactivity

The photocatalytic solar-to-chemical energy conversion by direct utilizing the full spectrum of sunlight is attracting a great deal of current attention. Black phosphorus (BP), a “rising star” of post-graphene two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterial, holds a unique advantage for this purpose on account of its tunable direct-bandgap for broadband absorption. In this work, for the first time, we anchor BP quantum dots (BPQDs) of ∼ 4.2 nm in size onto molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets of ∼ 3 nm in thickness to create 0D/2D nanohybrids with various BP contents (5–20 wt %) via a facile and cost-effective grinding and sonicating approach. The as-prepared BPQDs/MoS2 nanohybrids show enhanced photocatalytic performance towards methylene orange degradation in water under visible− and near−infrared (NIR) light illumination, respectively. Notably, 10 wt% BPQDs/MoS2 nanohybrids with cyclability achieve the highest NIR−driven photoactivity (3 × 10−2 min−1), which is approximately 13 and 27 folds higher than that of individual BPQDs and MoS2, respectively. We demonstrate that the enhanced light absorption, the type−II band alignment, and the interfacial bonding and the spatial charge separation between well-dispersed BPQDs and MoS2 synergetically enhance the photoactivity and photostability. This study may open avenues to create BP-based heterostructures functional in solar-to-chemical energy conversion and beyond.

Waveband specific transcriptional control of select genetic pathways in vertebrate skin (Xiphophorus maculatus)

BackgroundEvolution occurred exclusively under the full spectrum of sunlight. Conscription of narrow regions of the solar spectrum by specific photoreceptors suggests a common strategy for regulation of genetic pathways. Fluorescent light (FL) does not possess the complexity of the solar spectrum and has only been in service for about 60 years. If vertebrates evolved specific genetic responses regulated by light wavelengths representing the entire solar spectrum, there may be genetic consequences to reducing the spectral complexity of light.ResultsWe utilized RNA-Seq to assess changes in the transcriptional profiles of Xiphophorus maculatus skin after exposure to FL (“cool white”), or narrow wavelength regions of light between 350 and 600 nm (i.e., 50 nm or 10 nm regions, herein termed “wavebands”). Exposure to each 50 nm waveband identified sets of genes representing discrete pathways that showed waveband specific transcriptional modulation. For example, 350–400 or 450–500 nm waveband exposures resulted in opposite regulation of gene sets marking necrosis and apoptosis (i.e., 350–400 nm; necrosis suppression, apoptosis activation, while 450–500 nm; apoptosis suppression, necrosis activation).Further investigation of specific transcriptional modulation employing successive 10 nm waveband exposures between 500 and 550 nm showed; (a) greater numbers of genes may be transcriptionally modulated after 10 nm exposures, than observed for 50 nm or FL exposures, (b) the 10 nm wavebands induced gene sets showing greater functional specificity than 50 nm or FL exposures, and (c) the genetic effects of FL are primarily due to 30 nm between 500 and 530 nm.Interestingly, many genetic pathways exhibited completely opposite transcriptional effects after different waveband exposures. For example, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) pathway exhibits transcriptional suppression after FL exposure, becomes highly active after 450–500 nm waveband exposure, and again, exhibits strong transcriptional suppression after exposure to the 520–530 nm waveband.ConclusionsCollectively, these results suggest one may manipulate transcription of specific genetic pathways in skin by exposure of the intact animal to specific wavebands of light. In addition, we identify genes transcriptionally modulated in a predictable manner by specific waveband exposures. Such genes, and their regulatory elements, may represent valuable tools for genetic engineering and gene therapy protocols.

Photo-induced toxicity following exposure to crude oil and ultraviolet radiation in 2 Australian fishes.

Some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), components of crude oil, are known to cause increased toxicity when organisms are co-exposed with ultraviolet radiation, resulting in photo-induced toxicity. The photodynamic characteristics of some PAHs are of particular concern to places like Australia with high ultraviolet radiation levels. The objective of the present study was to characterize the photo-induced toxicity of an Australian North West Shelf oil to early life stage yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) and black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri). The fish were exposed to high-energy water accommodated fractions for 24 to 36 h. During the exposure, the fish were either co-exposed to full-intensity or filtered natural sunlight and then transferred to clean water. At 48 h, survival, cardiac effects, and spinal deformities were assessed. Yellowtail kingfish embryos co-exposed to oil and full-spectrum sunlight exhibited decreased hatching success and a higher incidence of cardiac arrhythmias, compared with filtered sunlight. A significant increase in the incidence of pericardial edema occurred in black bream embryos co-exposed to full-spectrum sunlight. These results highlight the need for more studies investigating the effects of PAHs and photo-induced toxicity under environmental conditions relevant to Australia. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:1359-1366. © 2018 SETAC.

Hydrothermally Treating High-Ti Cinder for a Near Full-Sunlight-Driven Photocatalyst toward Highly Efficient H2 Evolution

A major drawback of conventional photocatalysts like TiO2 is the limit of only working under ultraviolet irradiation. As a solution, visible-light-driven photocatalysts have been explored in recent years but full-sunlight-driven photocatalysts are still lacking. Herein, multielement-codoped (Mn, Fe, Si, Al, S, F, etc.) TiO2 nanomaterials were prepared from an industrial high-Ti cinder (HiTi) by a two-step hydrothermal method using NaOH and NH4F (or H2O) as morphology controlling agents. The prepared HiTi photocatalyst exhibits a strong absorption at near full-sunlight spectrum (300–800 nm). Among all TiO2-based photocatalysts without any noble metal cocatalyst, the photocatalytic H2 evolution rate on NaOH- and H2O-hydrothermally treated HiTi (HiTi-TiO2) is remarkably superior to the reference P25 TiO2 powders by a factor of 3.8 and thus is the highest. However, NaOH- and NH4F-treated HiTi (HiTi-TiO2-F) shows a lower photoreactivity than HiTi-TiO2 does. Mechanistic studies show that the multielement-doped ...

Polarization Photoelectric Conversion in Layered GeS

AbstractPolarization photovoltaic effect is a unique character for an energy material with specific in‐plane anisotropy. Especially, if the energy material has a direct bandgap close to 1.6 eV, it will efficiently absorb full sunlight spectrum with specific axial polarization. In this study, polarized microtransmittance measurements of GeS multilayer with polarization angles ranging from θ = 0° (E || a) [through 90° (E || b)] to θ = 180° (E || a) have been studied near band edge. The polarized absorption edge follows a sinusoidal variation of E(θ) = 1.6 + 0.05⋅|sin(θ)| eV with respect to the angle change of the polarized absorption spectra. This anisotropic optical response is well reproduced by first‐principles calculations based on a combined Green's function technique, the GW–Bethe–Salpeter equation (BSE) approach. To characterize highly anisotropic band structure of layered GeS, polarized thermoreflectance measurement and first‐principles quasiparticle band‐structure calculations are also carried out. The interband transitions belonging to E ||a and E ||b polarizations are respectively identified. The polarized surface photovoltaic effects of a GeS Schottky solar cell are also tested. The special in‐plane optical anisotropy (along a and perpendicular to the a axis) renders GeS owning highly bi‐axial responsivity with respect to the c‐plane photoelectric conversion.