Enhanced CO evolution for photocatalytic conversion of CO2 by H2O over Ca modified Ga2O3

高効率で二酸化炭素を再資源化する光触媒の合成に成功 --CO2を「ひかり」と「みず」でリサイクル--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2020-10-14.Artificial photosynthesis is a desirable critical technology for the conversion of CO2 and H2O, which are abundant raw materials, into fuels and chemical feedstocks. Similar to plant photosynthesis, artificial photosynthesis can produce CO, CH3OH, CH4, and preferably higher hydrocarbons from CO2 using H2O as an electron donor and solar light. At present, only insufficient amounts of CO2-reduction products such as CO, CH3OH, and CH4 have been obtained using such a photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical conversion process. Here, we demonstrate that photocatalytic CO2 conversion with a Ag@Cr-decorated mixture of CaGa4O7-loaded Ga2O3 and the CaO photocatalyst leads to a satisfactory CO formation rate (>835 µmol h−1) and excellent selectivity toward CO evolution (95%), with O2 as the stoichiometric oxidation product of H2O. Our photocatalytic system can convert CO2 gas into CO at >1% CO2 conversion (>11531 ppm CO) at ambient temperatures and pressures

Order-to-disorder structural transformation of a coordination polymer and its influence on proton conduction.

Accepted 14 Jul 2014.We observed an ordered-to-disordered structural transformation in a Cu(2+) coordination polymer and investigated its influence on the proton conductivity. The transformation generated highly mobile proton carriers in the structure. The resulting material exhibited a conductivity greater than 10(-2) S cm(-1) at 130 °C. The structural transformation and the conduction mechanism were investigated by EXAFS, TPD-MS and NMR

Dual Ag/Co cocatalyst synergism for the highly effective photocatalytic conversion of CO2 by H2O over Al-SrTiO3

金属ナノ粒子で光触媒のモチベーションを上げることに成功 --人工光合成で二酸化炭素(CO2)の再資源化の新展開--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-03-11.Loading Ag and Co dual cocatalysts on Al-doped SrTiO3 (AgCo/Al-SrTiO3) led to a significantly improved CO-formation rate and extremely high selectivity toward CO evolution (99.8%) using H2O as an electron donor when irradiated with light at wavelengths above 300 nm. Furthermore, the CO-formation rate over AgCo/Al-SrTiO3 (52.7 μmol h−1) was a dozen times higher than that over Ag/Al-SrTiO3 (4.7 μmol h−1). The apparent quantum efficiency for CO evolution over AgCo/Al-SrTiO3 was about 0.03% when photoirradiated at a wavelength at 365 nm, with a CO-evolution selectivity of 98.6% (7.4 μmol h−1). The Ag and Co cocatalysts were found to function as reduction and oxidation sites for promoting the generation of CO and O2, respectively, on the Al-SrTiO3 surface

Efficient Assay for Total Antioxidant Capacity in Human Plasma Using a 96-Well Microplate

In the present study, we tried to establish an efficient assay for total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in human plasma using a 96-well microplate. TAC was assessed using lag time by antioxidants against the myoglobin-induced oxidation of 2,2'-azino-di(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) with hydrogen peroxide, and expressed as Trolox equivalent. The linearity of the calibration curve with Trolox was maintained with the Trolox concentration range from 2.5 µM to 25 µM (R2 = 0.997). The assay was applied to the measurement of TAC in healthy human plasma. Coefficient of variation in intraday assay was 2.4%. Difference was not observed in interday assay. Plasma TAC of men ((569 ± 41) µM Trolox equivalent; n = 6) was higher than that of women ((430 ± 28) µM Trolox equivalent; n = 4). After the vegetable juice was drunk for 1 week, the increase in plasma TAC was observed in almost all the volunteers. In summary, we developed the efficient assay for plasma TAC using a 96-well microplate

Pivotal Role of Dendritic Cell–derived CXCL10 in the Retention of T Helper Cell 1 Lymphocytes in Secondary Lymph Nodes

Various immune diseases are considered to be regulated by the balance of T helper (Th)1 and Th2 subsets. Although Th lymphocytes are believed to be generated in draining lymph nodes (LNs), in vivo Th cell behaviors during Th1/Th2 polarization are largely unexplored. Using a murine granulomatous liver disease model induced by Propionibacterium acnes, we show that retention of Th1 cells in the LNs is controlled by a chemokine, CXCL10/interferon (IFN) inducible protein 10 produced by mature dendritic cells (DCs). Hepatic LN DCs preferentially produced CXCL10 to attract 5′-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU)+CD4+ T cells and form clusters with IFN-γ–producing CD4+ T cells by day 7 after antigen challenge. Blockade of CXCL10 dramatically altered the distribution of cluster-forming BrdU+CD4+ T cells. BrdU+CD4+ T cells in the hepatic LNs were selectively diminished while those in the circulation were significantly increased by treatment with anti-CXCL10 monoclonal antibody. This was accompanied by accelerated infiltration of memory T cells into the periphery of hepatic granuloma sites, most of them were in cell cycle and further produced higher amount of IFN-γ leading to exacerbation of liver injury. Thus, mature DC-derived CXCL10 is pivotal to retain Th1 lymphocytes within T cell areas of draining LNs and optimize the Th1-mediated immune responses

Bifunctionality of Rh3+ Modifier on TiO2 and Working Mechanism of Rh3+/TiO2 Photocatalyst under Irradiation of Visible Light

A rhodium(III) ion (Rh3+)-modified TiO2 (Rh3+/TiO2) photocatalyst, prepared by a simple adsorption method and exhibiting high levels of photocatalytic activity in degradation of organic compounds, was investigated by using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements, (photo)electrochemical measurements, double-beam photoacoustic (DB-PA) spectroscopic measurements, and photoluminescence measurements. Based on the results, the features of the Rh3+ modifier and the working mechanism of the Rh3+/TiO2 photocatalyst are discussed. XAFS measurements revealed that the Rh3+ species were highly dispersed and almost atomically isolated on TiO2. The (photo)electrochemical measurements, DB-PA spectroscopic measurements, and photoluminescence showed a unique bifunction of the Rh3+ modifier as a promoter for O2 reductions and an electron injector to the conduction band of TiO2 for response to visible light. The reasons for the Rh3+/TiO2 photocatalyst exhibiting higher levels of photocatalytic activity than those of TiO2 photocatalysts modified with other metal ions are also discussed on the basis of obtained results

MyoD regulates apoptosis of myoblasts through microRNA-mediated down-regulation of Pax3

Suppression of the myogenic transcription factor MyoD is required for maintenance of muscle stem cells