Hemin Zhang

Hematite has a great potential as a photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting by converting solar energy into hydrogen fuels, but the solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of state-of-the-art hematite photoelectrodes are still far below the values required for practical hydrogen production. Here, we report a core-shell formation of gradient tantalum-doped hematite homojunction nanorods by combination of hydrothermal regrowth strategy and hybrid microwave annealing, which enhanc

A novel strategy was designed to prepare Ag cluster-doped TiO(2) nanoparticles (Ag/TiO(2) NPs) without addition of any chemical reducing agent and/or organic additive. A defect-rich TiO(x) species was generated by laser ablation in liquid (LAL) of a Ti target. The silver ions could be reduced and deposited on the surface of TiO(2) NPs through the removal of oxygen vacancies and defects; the TiO(x) species evolved into anatase NPs in a hydrothermal treatment process. The derived Ag/TiO(2) NPs are

Abstract A “three birds, one stone” strategy is proposed to enhance the performance of hematite photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting. One‐pot hybrid microwave synthesis of Ta and Sn codoped Fe 2 O 3 @FeTaO 4 core–shell nanorods on F:SnO 2 substrate achieves three synergetic effects simultaneously: i) core–shell heterojunction formation to alleviate the significant electron–hole recombination; ii) preserved morphology of small‐diameter nanorods to provide a short hole diffusion dis

Successful conservation of an endangered species relies on a good understanding of its reproductive biology, but there are large knowledge gaps. For example, many questions remain unanswered with regard to gestation and fetal development in the giant panda. We take advantage of a sample size that is unprecedented for this species (n=13) to explore patterns in reproductive development across individuals at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. We use ultrasound technique

As a new path to "green" ammonia production, photoelectrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (PEC NO₃ RR) is investigated for the first time. An Au-decorated ordered silicon nanowire (O_SiNW) array photocathode demonstrates 95.6 % of Faradaic efficiency (FE) to ammonia at 0.2 V_RHE , which represents a more positive potential than the thermodynamic reduction potential of nitrate by utilizing photovoltage. The high FE is possible because both Si and Au surfaces are inactive f

Orthorhombic iron niobate (FeNbO4) has a band structure to form an effective heterojunction with hematite to make an efficient photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting. However, this high temperature phase is difficult to synthesize by conventional thermal annealing (CTA) without damaging F:SnO2 (FTO) substrate. In contrast, hybrid microwave annealing (HMA) selectively forms a few atomic overlayers of highly crystalline orthorhombic FeNbO4 phase covering hematite nanorods in an extrem

To obtain full details of gut microbiota, including bacteria, fungi, bacteriophages, and helminths, in giant pandas (GPs), we created a comprehensive microbial genome database and used metagenomic sequences to align against the database. We delineated a detailed and different gut microbiota structures of GPs. A total of 680 species of bacteria, 198 fungi, 185 bacteriophages, and 45 helminths were found. Compared with 16S rRNA sequencing, the dominant bacterium phyla not only included Proteobacte

A simple electrochemical activation treatment is proposed to improve effectively the photoelectrochemical performance of Nb,Sn co-doped hematite nanorods. The activation process involves an initial thrice cathodic scanning (reduction) and a subsequent thrice anodic scanning (oxidation), which modifies both the surface and bulk properties of the Nb,Sn:Fe₂O₃ photoanode. First, it selectively removes the surface components to different extents endowing the hematite surface wit

We present a clean synthesis of well-crystallized pure Mn3O4 nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation of an Mn metal plate immersed in deionized water at room temperature. The particle size, phase structure, and magnetic properties are characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and superconducting quantum interference device. The colloids solution of Mn3O4 nanocrystals with narrow particles size distribution could be facile obtained in