Light Response Research Articles

A novel lanthanum-modified polytitanium chloride coagulant: Efficient algae removal and enhanced photocatalytic ability of recycled algal sludge

The removal of harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs) and reuse of the resulting algal sludge are pressing issues in current environmental governance and ecological conservation. Aiming at tackling the above-mentioned challenges, titanium (Ti)-based coagulants are promising candidates. However, most of them suffer from poor stability and weak actual algal removal ability, and recycling of the algal sludge usually produces titanium dioxide (TiO2) with low photocatalytic ability. In this work, a lanthanum (La)-modified polytitanium chloride (La-PTC) coagulant is reported. La in the La-PTC coagulant serves a "kill two birds with one stone" strategy in algae removal and algae sludge reuse. Owing to the introduction of La ions, the La-PTC coagulant exhibits ultra-high stability and excellent algae removal capability with an efficiency of 98.71%, which is 7.25% higher than that of PTC coagulant. Moreover, recycling algae sludge can prepare high catalytic (2.45 times the commercial P25 TiO2) La/C-TiO2, where the presence of La enhances its visible light response range and inhibits electron hole recombination. The strategy of this La modified coagulant can not only achieve efficient removal of HCBs, but also transform the recovered algal sludge into photocatalysts with higher catalytic capacity.

Enhanced piezo-photocatalytic activity of ZnS/Fe2O3: Benefit from type I junction and weak water flow-induced piezoelectric polarization

Photocatalysis is considered to be a sustainable and less polluting environmental purification technology, however, the limited photogenerated charge separation efficiency and light absorption hinder its large-scale application. Encouragingly, piezocatalysis is proposed as an emerging and appealing strategy to drive the migration and separation of photoinduced carriers. Nevertheless, the source of piezocatalysis is usually derived from high energy-consuming ultrasonic vibration. Herein, we realize superior piezo-photocatalytic chlortetracycline hydrochloride degradation performance stimulated by low-frequency water flow-driven piezoelectric polarization of I-type ZnS/Fe2O3 junction. The integration of Fe2O3 is beneficial to extend the light absorption from ultraviolet region to visible range and boost the charge separation efficiency of ZnS/Fe2O3. Meanwhile, the piezoelectric polarization triggered by weak water flow further promotes the directional separation of photogenerated carriers. With all these merits, the optimized ZnS/Fe2O3 shows a piezo-photocatalytic chlortetracycline hydrochloride (CTC) degradation rate of 73.2 % within 20 min, which is 2.8 and 2.1 times that of Fe2O3 and ZnS, respectively, and 17.4-fold and 1.1-fold that of single stirring and light, respectively. This work provides a feasible guidance for designing efficient piezo-photocatalysts for in-situ purification of wastewater in natural environmental with effective visible light responsiveness and sensitivity to weak mechanical stress.

Light response of poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) to neutrons

There is an increasing necessity for low background active materials as ton-scale, rare-event and cryogenic detectors are developed. Poly(ethylene-2,6-naphthalate) (PEN) has been considered for these applications because of its robust structural characteristics, and its scintillation light in the blue wavelength region. Radioluminescent properties of PEN have been measured to aid in the evaluation of this material. In this article we present a measurement of PEN’s quenching factor using three different neutron sources; neutrons emitted from spontaneous fission in 252Cf , neutrons generated from a DD generator, and neutrons emitted from the 13C(α,n)16O and the 7Li(p,n)7Be nuclear reactions. The fission source used time-of-flight to determine the neutron energy, and the neutron energy from the nuclear reactions was defined using thin targets and reaction kinematics. The Birks’ factor and scintillation efficiency were found to be kB = 0.12 ± 0.01 mm MeV−1 and S = 1.31 ± 0.09 MeVeeMeV−1 from a simultaneous analysis of the data obtained from the three different sources. With these parameters, it is possible to evaluate PEN as a viable material for large-scale, low background physics experiments.

Hybridizing engineering strategy of decatungstate III: Transition metal modified carbon quantum dot-regulated photo-catalytic oxidation performance of decatungstate

The selective oxidation of hydrocarbons (RH) by dioxygen (O2) is a very important method for industrial production of bulk oxygen-containing compounds, However, due to the high chemical inertness of RH and O2, achieving this reaction under mild conditions still faces significant challenges. This paper discloses an efficient hybridizing engineering (HE) strategy of decatungstate (DT) with 3d transition metal ions (Mn+=Ni2+, Co2+ or Cu2+)-modified carbon quantum dots (Mn+/CQD) as the dopants. Compared to pure CQD, The Mn+/CQD can more efficiently combine with DT anion to fabricate a high-quality hybrid via electrostatic interactions, thereby bestowing the hybrid with an enhanced visible light response especially the separation efficiency of photo-generated charge pairs. Furthermore, the above hybridization effects of Mn+/CQD on DT anion can be fine-tuned and gradually improved with a change of the metal ion from Cu2+, Co2+ to Ni2+, along with a continuous enhancement of the hybrid's photo-catalytic efficiency in the visible light- triggered selective oxidation of ethylbenzene with O2 in acetonitrile. The best Ni2+/CQD-doped TBADT can achieve ca. 48% ethylbenzene conversion and 87.6% acetophenone selectivity in the presence of 2 M HCl, and it also shows a much higher photo-catalytic activity for the photo-oxidation of toluene, cyclohexane and benzyl alcohol compared to pure TBADT. The HE strategy with Mn+/CQDs as the cationized hybridizers is much superior to that with pure CQD or Ni2+ as the hybridizer in hoisting the photo-catalytic performance of DT.

Na-doped nitride-rich carbon nitride for efficient photocatalytic NO abatement

Nitride-rich carbon nitride (C3N5) is gaining prominence as a substantial catalyst for photocatalytic reaction because of its narrow bandgap, extensive light responsiveness, and photocatalytic stability. To enhance the efficiency of photogenerated carrier separation in C3N5, we propose a strategy for Na-doped modification. Photocatalytic NO removal efficiency of C3N5/Na achieved 73.9 % under 15 % relative humidity, which is 3.5 times higher than that of C3N5. Besides, the NO removal efficiency of C3N5/Na maintained above 70 % even after six cycles under different relative humidities. Detailed analytical characterization revealed that Na doping of C3N5 not only increased its specific surface area by 5.5-fold but also modulated its energy band structure and molecular structure, leading to improved hole-carrier separation efficiency and enhancing the photocatalytic performance of C3N5/Na. ESR and reactive species trapping experiments confirmed that electrons and superoxide are the main reactive species, and modulation of the energy band structure accelerates the reaction. This work explains the effect of Na doping on C3N5 and provides a new strategy for designing efficient for photocatalytic treatment of air pollution.

Rapid and Scalable Synthesis of In2O3‐Decorated MXene Nanosheets for High‐Performance Flexible Broadband Photodetectorss

AbstractA promising flexible photodetector based on hybrid nanocomposites of 2D MXene and In2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) has been developed, demonstrating excellent ultraviolet (UV) light responsivity. In this work, In2O3‐decorated MXene nanosheets (In2O3MX) are synthesized via a simple one‐step sonochemical method using ultrasonication, rapidly producing the composites in a short time. The synthesized material shows efficacy across broadband wavelengths (UV, Vis, NIR). Notably, the photodetector using In2O3MX exhibits a responsivity (R) of 121.6 A W−1 and a specific detectivity (D*) of 106.4 × 10¹⁰ Jones in the UV range, and confirming enhanced electrical properties and the feasibility of low‐voltage detection with tau plots. Additionally, the electrical and optical characteristics remain unchanged after bending the device up to 10,000 times with a bending radius of 6.0 mm, highlighting its suitability for flexible optoelectronic applications. Overall, this study introduces a novel approach to the simple synthesis of 2D MXene nanocomposites and provides valuable insights into the development of flexible photodetectors using these materials.

Inhibition of sulfur assimilation by S-benzyl-L-cysteine: Impacts on growth, photosynthesis, and leaf proteome of maize plants

Sulfur is an essential nutrient for various physiological processes, including protein synthesis and enzyme activation. We aimed to evaluate how S-benzyl-L-cysteine (SBC), an inhibitor of the sulfur assimilation pathway, affects maize plants' growth, photosynthesis, and leaf proteomic profile. Thus, maize plants were grown for 14 days in vermiculite supplemented with SBC. Photosynthesis was assessed using light and CO2 response curves and chlorophyll a fluorescence. Leaf proteome analysis was conducted to evaluate photosynthetic protein biosynthesis, and ROS content was quantified to assess oxidative stress. Applying SBC resulted in a significant decrease in the growth of maize plants. The gas exchange analysis revealed that maize plants exhibited a diminished rate of CO2 assimilation attributable to both stomatal and non-stomatal limitations. Furthermore, SBC suppressed the activity of important elements involved in the photosynthetic electron transport chain (including photosystems I and II, cytochrome b6f, and ATP synthase) and enzymes responsible for the Calvin cycle, some of which have sulfur-containing prosthetic groups. Consequently, the diminished electron flow rate resulted in a substantial increase in the levels of ROS within the leaves. Our research highlights the crucial role of SBC in disrupting maize photosynthesis by limiting L-cysteine and assimilated sulfur availability, which are essential for the synthesis of protein and prosthetic groups and photosynthetic processes, emphasizing the potential of OAS-TL as a new herbicide site of action.

Ultra‐Fast Weak Light Detectors Based on van der Waals Stacked 2D Semiconductor/h‐BN Heterostructures

AbstractFast and sensitive detectors for weak light are crucial in various fields like real‐time monitoring, medical diagnosis, and astronomy. However, photodetectors using 2D materials face challenges in achieving both a low detection limit for weak light and fast response. Here, a vertical vdW graphene/indium selenide (InSe)/hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) heterostructure on a gold electrode is provided, demonstrating an ultra‐low detection limit of 47.4 nW cm−2 and an ultra‐fast response speed of 327 ns. Vertical photodetectors feature nanoscale channel length, thus reducing scattering and recombination of carriers. The high potential barrier of multilayer h‐BN effectively blocks carrier transport, resulting in ultra‐low dark current and minimal power dissipation. Additionally, enhanced light absorption in InSe by the metal‐insulator‐semiconductor structure improves the sensitivity to weak light detection. More importantly, the built‐in field at the graphene/InSe interface can promote the separation of photo‐generated carriers to improve the collection efficiency. These factors jointly reduce the detection limit and response time simultaneously for weak light. This vertical vdW heterostructure comprising a 2D semiconductor/h‐BN offers a solution to make the majority of 2D semiconductors applicable in ultra‐fast weak light detectors.

In silico analysis and functional validation of sinf-yc genes in foxtail millet setaria italica (l.)

Nuclear transcription factor YCs (NF-YCs) are universally involved in plant development and abiotic stress response. As a typical C4 crop, foxtail millet has significant research value for studies of functional genes and mechanisms of plant stress resistance. To further investigate the correlation between the structure and function of the SiNF-YC genes in foxtail millet (Setaria italica), bioinformatic analysis of the SiNF-YCs on the subcellular localization, physicochemical properties, and cis acting elements were performed in this study. The results showed that a total of 12 SiNF-YC subfamily genes that distributed on chromosomes 1-9 were identified from the foxtail millet genome, which encoding 129-469 amino acids. The subcellular localization prediction results showed that the proteins encoded by this gene subfamily are mainly located in the nucleus, with a few being extracellular secreted. The multiple cis-elements related to drought resistance and light response are contained in the gene promoter region. Through haplotype analysis on the phenotypes of drought treated and heading dates that from five different regions, obvious haplotypes were identified except for SiNF-YC8 and SiNF-YC14. At last, drought regulation related gene SiNF-YC5 and heading date regulation related gene SiNF-YC10 were selected to explore superior gene haplotypes, laying a foundation for further exploring the functional genes involved in drought resistance and development within this gene family. Bangladesh j. Bot. 53(3): 535-543, 2024 (September)

Unusual photodynamic characteristics of the light-oxygen-voltage domain of phototropin linked to terrestrialadaptation of Klebsormidium nitens.

Phototropin (Phot), a blue light-sensing LOV domain protein, mediates blue light responses and is evolutionarily conserved across the green lineage. Klebsormidium nitens, a green terrestrial alga, presents a valuable opportunity to study adaptive responses from aquatic to land habitat transitions. We determined the crystal structure of Klebsormidium nitens Phot LOV1 domain (KnLOV1) in the dark and engineered different mutations (R60K, Q122N, and D33N) to modulate the lifetime of the photorecovery cycle. We observed unusual, slow recovery kinetics in the wild-type KnLOV1 domain (τ = 41 ± 3 min) compared to different mutants (R60K: τ = 2.0 ± 0.1 min, Q122N: τ = 1.7 ± 0.1 min, D33N: τ = 9.6 ± 0.1 min). Crystal structures of wild-type KnLOV1 and mutants revealed subtle but critical changes near the protein chromophore that is responsible for modulating protein dark recovery time. Our findings shed light on the unique structural and biochemical characteristics of the newly studied KnLOV1 and its evolutionary importance for phototropin-mediated physiology.

Genome-Wide Identification of the Remorin Gene Family in Poplar and Their Responses to Abiotic Stresses.

The Remorin (REM) gene family is a plant-specific, oligomeric, filamentous family protein located on the cell membrane, which is important for plant growth and stress responses. In this study, a total of 22 PtREMs were identified in the genome of Populus trichocarpa. Subcellular localization analysis showed that they were predictively distributed in the cell membrane and nucleus. Only five PtREMs members contain both Remorin_C- and Remorin_N-conserved domains, and most of them only contain the Remorin_C domain. A total of 20 gene duplication pairs were found, all of which belonged to fragment duplication. Molecular evolutionary analysis showed the PtREMs have undergone purified selection. Lots of cis-acting elements assigned into categories of plant growth and development, stress response, hormone response and light response were detected in the promoters of PtREMs. PtREMs showed distinct gene expression patterns in response to diverse stress conditions where the mRNA levels of PtREM4.1, PtREM4.2 and PtREM6.11 were induced in most cases. A co-expression network centered by PtREMs was constructed to uncover the possible functions of PtREMs in protein modification, microtube-based movement and hormone signaling. The obtained results shed new light on understanding the roles of PtREMs in coping with environmental stresses in poplar species.

Screening and Identification of Target Gene of StTCP7 Transcription Factor in Potato

TCP transcription factors are involved in the regulation of plant growth and development and response to stress. Previous studies showed that StTCP7 was involved in the abiotic stress response of potato and positively regulated plant tolerance to drought stress. On the basis of previous studies, this study verified the downstream target genes of StTCP7 transcription factor binding through yeast one hybridization, double luciferase and other technologies, and conducted a preliminary analysis of the downstream target genes. The results showed that the StTCP7 transcription factor could bind the promoter region of StDAM5 and StGOLS2 and regulate the expression of their genes. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the expression level of StDAM5 gene was the highest in flower stalk tissue and the lowest in leaf stalk. The expression of StGOLS2 gene was the highest in stem, the second in stalk, and the lower in root. Both StDAM5 and StGOLS2 genes responded to abiotic stress treated with 200 mM NaCl, 20% PEG-6000 and 100 µM ABA. The expression levels of target genes StDAM5 and StGOLS2 were up-regulated in StTCP7 interfered plants. The protein encoded by the target gene StDAM5 belongs to the Type II MADS-box protein, which contains 238 amino acids and is an acidic hydrophilic protein. The analysis of StDAM5 promoter region showed that the promoter region of StDAM5 gene contained cis-acting elements such as light response and abscisic acid. Subcellular localization showed that StDAM5 protein was expressed in both nucleus and cytoplasm.

Photothermal synergistic catalytic oxidation mechanism of toluene by Ce-doped SrTiO3 via one-pot hydrothermal synthesis

Industrial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions pose significant environmental and human health risks, with photothermal catalysis degradation emerging as a promising VOCs treatment technology. The light response range and catalysis degradation efficiency of photocatalysts, however, need to be improved. This study prepared Ce-doped SrTiO3 perovskite catalysts via a one-pot hydrothermal method. The synergistic photic/thermal degradation mechanism of toluene was uncovered via XPS, Uv–Vis, EPR, and in-situ DRIFTS analysis. It was found that the toluene removal rate and CO2 yield reached their maximums at 200 °C, reaching 95 % and 90 %, respectively, at a Ce doping ratio of 50 %. During the catalytic process, the prerequisite to trigger toluene oxidation, and light promote the generation of reactive oxygen species (·OH and ·O2–), which facilitates the formation of intermediates and thus accelerates the deep oxidation of toluene. The doped Ce increases surface oxygen vacancies while lowering the energy band gap of the catalyst, facilitating the separation of holes and photogenerated electrons. Furthermore, in situ DRIFTS studies demonstrated that toluene undergoes a ring-opening process, producing intermediates such as benzaldehyde and benzoic acid. This study will assist in promoting the use of photothermal synergistic catalytic degradation technology to remove VOCs from industrial sources.

Visible light response SnFe2O4/BiOCl microspheres: Sysnthesis, magnetical and photocatalytic properties

The current two-dimensional (2D) BiOCl photocatalyst generally suffer from poor photocatalytic performance and low recovery efficiency, which is caused by its small size and response to UV-light only. In this paper, magnetic recyclable SnFe2O4/BiOCl (labelled as SFO/BOC) nanospheres with excellent photocatalytic properties (86 %TC, 91 %CIP) were successfully synthesized by a two-step solvothermal method for the first time and used for photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics. The results showed that SFO/BOC microspheres had high photodegradation efficiency (86.64 % and 90.68 %) and cyclic stability (74.63 % and 80.78 % after 5 cycles) for TC and CIP under visible light irradiation for 1 h. The photodegradation mechanism of SFO/BOC was discussed by the radical trapping experiments. This study provides a new type of photocatalytic materials for the development of high efficiency photocatalyst with excellent magnetic recovery.

Genome-Wide Identification of the bHLH Gene Family in Rhododendron delavayi and Its Expression Analysis in Different Floral Tissues.

The bHLH genes play a crucial role in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, there is currently limited research on bHLH genes in the important horticultural plant Rhododendron delavayi Franch. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive genome-wide identification and in-depth analysis of the bHLH gene family in R. delavayi using bioinformatics approaches. A total of 145 bHLH family members were identified, encoding proteins ranging from 98 to 3300 amino acids in length, with molecular weights ranging from 11.44 to 370.51 kDa and isoelectric points ranging from 4.22 to 10.80. These 145 bHLH genes were unevenly distributed across 13 chromosomes, with three bHLH genes located on contig 52. Chromosome 8 contained the highest number of bHLH family members with 19 genes, while chromosomes 9 and 13 had the lowest, with 7 genes each. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close evolutionary relationship between bHLH genes in R. delavayi and Arabidopsis thaliana. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that most bHLH genes were located in the nucleus. Promoter analysis of R. delavayi bHLH genes revealed the presence of various cis-regulatory elements associated with light responses, methyl jasmonate responses, low-temperature responses, and coenzyme responses, suggesting that bHLH genes are involved in multiple biological processes in R. delavayi. Through transcriptome analysis, we identified three key functional genes-Rhdel02G0041700, Rhdel03G0013600, and Rhdel03G0341200-that may regulate flower color in R. delavayi. In conclusion, our study comprehensively identified and analyzed the bHLH gene family in R. delavayi and identified three bHLH genes related to flower color, providing a foundation for molecular biology research and breeding in R. delavayi.

The regular octahedral CdS/K2Nb2O6 core-shell Z-Scheme heterojunction towards enhancing photocatalytic H2 evolution and degradation via synergism of carrier efficiency and light response

The regular octahedral CdS/K2Nb2O6 core-shell Z-Scheme heterojunction is synthesized via an approach of hydrothermal-chemical method. The CdS/K2Nb2O6 nano-heterojunction (CdS/KNO-3) exhibits arresting enhanced photocatalytic HER (∼634.39 μmol g−1 h−1)/degradation (∼0.05428 min−1) than the monomer K2Nb2O6 (∼27.8/14.4 folds) and CdS (∼20.3/10.0 folds), including a decent stability (average HER of ∼621.39 μmol∙g−1 h−1). It can be mainly attributed to the CdS/K2Nb2O6 Z-Scheme heterojunction with appropriate potential gradient can promote the interface carrier driving to optimize carrier efficiency, including increasing carrier transport, extending carrier lifetime and reducing recombination. Additionally, the octahedral core-shell nanostructure can provide numerous active sites for decreasing overpotential and promoting electron diffusion, while improving the solar efficiency (high solar response of CdS), including shorting carrier pathway for photocorrosion optimization and increasing structural stability.

Interface engineering of AgI/(P, K)-g-C3N4 novel S-scheme heterostructures as a highly efficient photocatalyst for RhB degradation

In this study, we developed an in-situ deposition method to load small-sized AgI nanoparticles as an oxidative photocatalyst (OP) onto phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) co-doped two-dimensional porous g-C3N4 (PK-CN-N) as a reductive photocatalyst (RP), forming an S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst AgI/PK-CN-N. PK-CN-N achieved morphology control and element doping, leading to surface functionalization and heterostructure formation for the AgI/PK-CN-N photocatalyst. Notably, the 50AgI/PK-CN-N composite demonstrated an approximately 95 % removal efficiency for RhB within 30 minutes, 17.6 times higher than pure g-C3N4, surpassing most reported g-C3N4-based photocatalysts. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency is attributed to the surface modification strategy and heterostructure formation of g-C3N4, which broadens the visible light response range, increases the number of active sites, improves the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and enhances REDOX capabilities. The band structure of the composite was elucidated through Mott-Schottky analysis and UV–vis DRS. The formation of the AgI/PK-CN-N S-scheme heterojunction and its charge transfer mechanism was confirmed through XPS, band structure analysis, KPFM, and EPR spectroscopy. Experimental data confirmed the presence of a strong and effective interface electric field between the two semiconductors, leading to band bending and accelerated charge separation. Additionally, the introduction of small-sized AgI semiconductors enhanced the exposure of the coupling interface, further improving catalytic performance. The reusability and lifespan of the catalyst were also analyzed, showing that after four cycles, the photocatalytic activity remained above 92 %.

A multi-stimulus responsive nanogel actuator with the π-π stacking interaction self-assembly and application for bioinspired smart skin with light, heat and humidity responses and superb UV resistance

The fabrication and development of assemblies of bionic smart skin with multi-stimulus response and multi-color tunable properties is a major challenge in the field of advanced materials and smart wearable devices. In this work, an amphiphilic functional nanogel switch connected by long polyether chain segments containing bis-spiropyran with the π-π stacking interactions was designed. A multi-stimulus responsive color-changing nanogel actuator (SP-PEG-NA) was constructed using ionic liquid-assisted self-assembly. A composite bionic smart skin (WPU/SP-PEG@CF) was prepared by compositing SP-PEG-NA, waterborne polyurethane (WPU) and flexible cotton fabric based on physical cross-linking. The smart skin possesses multiple color-changing properties in response to light, heat and humidity. Even under ultra-low UV intensity (0.025 mW/cm2), WPU/SP-PEG@CF also exhibits significant photochromic properties. Surprising, the smart composite constructed with the nanogels possessed extremely high UV shielding performance (UPF 628.68) and photocontrolled hydrophobic-hydrophilic transition properties. The self-assembled nanogel actuators greatly improved the stimulus–response sensitivity. The multiple supramolecular noncovalent interactions of the nanogel actuator such as hydrophilic long polyether structures hydrogen-bonding and π-π stacking interactions endowed nanogel highly self-assembly properties. They showed excellent multi-stimulus response in color-changing, versatility and reversibility. The multi-stimulus responsive and multifunctional smart composites prepared using self-assembled nanogel has potential applications in smart wearable materials, sensors and information display.

Modulating the Conductivity of Light-Responsive Ionic Liquid Crystals.

In this work, we describe the phase behaviour and the dielectric and conductivity response of new light-responsive ionic liquid crystals, ILCs, which can be applied as controllable electrolytes. The materials include two different dicationic viologens, the asymmetric 6BP18 and the symmetric EV2ON(Tf)2, containing bistriflimide as the counterions, mixed with 5% and 50% molar, respectively, of one new photoresponsive mesogen called CNAzO14. These mixtures exhibit liquid crystal behaviour, light responsiveness through the E-Z photoisomerisation of the azobenzene groups in CNAzO14, and strong dielectric responses. The 5%-CNAzO14/Ev2ON(Tf)2 mixture displays direct current conductivities in the 10-7 S·cm-1 range, which can be increased by a two-fold factor upon the irradiation of UV light at 365 nm. Our findings set the grounds for designing new smart ionic soft materials with nanostructures that can be tuned and used for energy conversion and storage applications.

Recent Research Progress on Surface Modified Graphite Carbon Nitride Nanocomposites and Their Photocatalytic Applications: An Overview

Semiconductors with visible light catalytic characteristics can realize the degradation of pollutants, CO2 reduction, and hydrogen preparation in sunlight. They have huge application value in the fields of environmental repair and green energy. Graphite phase nitride (g-C3N4, CN) is widely used in various fields such as photocatalytic degradation of pollutants due to its suitable gap width, easy preparation, low cost, fast visible light response, and rich surface activity sites. However, the absorption rate of ordinary CN on visible light is low, and the carriers are easy to recombination, making the lower optical catalytic activity. Therefore, in order to improve the photocatalytic characteristics of the CN, it is necessary to make the surface modification. This article first introduces several main methods for the current surface modification of CN, including size regulation, catalyst embedding, defect introduction, heterostructure construction, etc., and then summarizes the optical catalytic application and related mechanisms of CN. Finally, some challenges and development prospects of CN in preparation and photocatalytic applications are proposed.