Hierarchically Plasmonic Z‑Scheme Photocatalyst of Ag/AgCl Nanocrystals Decorated Mesoporous Single-Crystalline Metastable Bi₂₀TiO₃₂ Nanosheets

The hierarchical photocatalysts of Ag–AgCl@Bi₂₀TiO₃₂ composites have been successfully synthesized by anchoring Ag–AgCl nanocrystals on the surfaces of mesoporous single-crystalline metastable Bi₂₀TiO₃₂ nanosheets via a two-stage strategy for excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities in the Z-scheme system. First, the single-crystalline metastable Bi₂₀TiO₃₂ nanosheets with tetragonal structures were prepared via a facile hydrothermal process in assistance with the post-heat-treatment route using benzyl alcohol. Especially, the mesoporous Bi₂₀TiO₃₂ nanosheets showed high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B dye under visible-light irradiation. Then, the as-prepared mesoporous Bi₂₀TiO₃₂ nanosheets were used as a support for loading Ag–AgCl nanocrystals using the deposition–precipitation method and irradiation–reduction process to fabricate the Ag–AgCl@Bi₂₀TiO₃₂ composites. Inspiringly, the hierarchical Ag–AgCl@Bi₂₀TiO₃₂ photocatalyst has the higher photocatalytic performance than Ag–AgCl nanocrystals and mesoporous Bi₂₀TiO₃₂ nanosheets over the degradation of rhodamine B and acid orange 7 dyes, which is attributed to the effective charge transfer from plasmon-excited Ag nanocrystal to Bi₂₀TiO₃₂ for the construction of a Z-scheme visible-light photocatalyst. This work could provide new insights into the fabrication of hierarchically plasmonic photocatalysts with high performance and facilitate their practical application in environmental issues

Contactless Boiling State Monitoring in Mini-Channels Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerators

The thermal performance and stability of mini-channel heat exchangers are mainly affected by the boiling state of the liquid, but the traditional contact monitoring methods have inevitable drawbacks such as flow interference and electrode contamination. In this paper, a contactless boiling state online monitoring sensor based on a liquid–solid/gas–solid interfacing triboelectric nanogenerator is proposed. The liquid–solid/gas–solid-based triboelectric nanogenerator (L-S/G-S TENG) is made of a poly­(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) tube covered by a copper electrode, wherein the electrode is located on the outer surface of the tube. As the liquid in the mini-channel boils, the contact form in the L-S/G-S TENG changes from solid–liquid contact to solid–gas contact, and a voltage signal is generated, identifying the boiling states. The voltage change of deionized water when boiling in a channel with an electrode width of 50 mm and an inner and outer diameter of 3 mm × 5 mm will reach 4.68 V. In addition, the effects of electrode width, channel size, and channel thickness, and liquid property on the performance of the L-S/G-S TENG are systematically investigated. It is found that the signal output of the system would increase with the width of the electrode and mini-channel size but decreases with the increase of channel wall thickness and liquid conductivity. This work not only provides an ingenious method for contactless online monitoring of the liquid boiling state in mini-channels but also makes a solid step forward for the microfluidic sensing technology based on triboelectric nanogenerators

Data for: Discovery of Potent Proteolysis Targeting Chimera Degrader of IDO1

Supplementary Information for Discovery of Potent Proteolysis Targeting Chimera Degrader of IDO