Integrating a dual-silicon photoelectrochemical cell into a redox flow battery for unassisted photocharging

Solar rechargeable flow cells (SRFCs) provide an attractive approach for in situ capture and storage of intermittent solar energy via photoelectrochemical regeneration of discharged redox species for electricity generation. However, overall SFRC performance is restricted by inefficient photoelectrochemical reactions. Here we report an efficient SRFC based on a dual-silicon photoelectrochemical cell and a quinone/bromine redox flow battery for in situ solar energy conversion and storage. Using narrow bandgap silicon for efficient photon collection and fast redox couples for rapid interface charge injection, our device shows an optimal solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency of similar to 5.9% and an overall photon-chemical-electricity energy conversion efficiency of similar to 3.2%, which, to our knowledge, outperforms previously reported SRFCs. The proposed SRFC can be self-photocharged to 0.8V and delivers a discharge capacity of 730 mAhl(-1). Our work may guide future designs for highly efficient solar rechargeable devices

Clustered Distribution of Natural Product Leads of Drugs in the Chemical Space as Influenced by the Privileged Target-Sites

10.1038/srep09325Scientific Reports

Spacing allocation method for vehicular platoon : a cooperative game theory approach

Recently, spacing policies of the vehicular platoon have been widely developed to enhance safety, traffic efficiency, and fuel consumption. However, the integrated spacing policies aim to maximum overall benefit, and the distributed spacing policies intense to get optimal monomer benefit. Ignoring the fairness of the benefit allocation of each vehicle will reduce the motivation to constitute the platoon. To fill this critical gap, this study proposes a spacing allocation method by treating spacing decisions as cooperative games. A flock's model which is used to be the payoff function is introduced based on bionic motion principles. We present a characteristic function of the platoon for the cooperative game model considering the specific structure of the platoon. The τ value, Shapley value, and average lexicographic value are introduced and applied to allocate the spacing fairly. Proposed methods are compared with constant distance policy in some typical situations. The simulation results demonstrate that the spacing policy based on cooperative game theory improved the stable time for consistency control and the convergence of longitudinal following error.Published versio

Amorphous Multi-elements Electrocatalysts with Tunable Bifunctionality toward Overall Water Splitting

Economically producing hydrogen via electrocatalytic water splitting requires highly efficient and low-cost catalysts and scalable synthetic strategies. Herein, we present the preparation of hierarchically structured multi-elements water splitting electrocatalysts consisting of Fe, Co, Ni, S, P, and O with a one-step electrodeposition method. By tuning of the non-metal compositions of the catalysts, the electrochemical performances of the catalysts for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 1 M KOH can be rationally modified, respectively. Under the optimum conditions, current densities of 100 and 1000 mA cm(-2) were obtained at overpotentials of only 135 and 264 mV on the HER catalyst and 258 and 360 mV on the OER catalyst, respectively. When the best-performing HER and OER catalysts were assembled in a two-electrode system for overall water splitting, a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) could be obtained under a cell voltage of 1.46 V with longterm durability. As far as we know, this is among the lowest voltages ever reported for a two-electrode electrolyzer based upon earth-abundant, elements. Moreover, the catalysts can be facilely assembled on commercially available Ni mesh and demonstrate even higher performance, indicating their great potential for scaled-up water electrolysis. We further demonstrate that S and P play different and pivotal roles in modifying the apparent and intrinsic electrocatalytic activity of the as-prepared amorphous electrocatalysts, therefore pointing out a pathway toward the optimization of multi-elements catalysts

Evolutionary Variation of Accumulative Day Length and Accumulative Active Temperature Required for Growth Periods in Global Soybeans

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is a typical short-day and thermophilic crop. This study aimed to reveal the required accumulative day length (ADL) and accumulative active temperature (AAT) for DSF (days of sowing to flowering) and DFM (days of flowering to maturity) in global soybeans. A sample consisted of 354 varieties from 27 countries in five geographic regions, which were tested in Nanjing, China in two spring-sowing and two summer-sowing seasons. The ADL and AAT were calculated from the climatological data provided by the Public Service of Nanjing Meteorological Bureau. The results showed that the average DSF and DFM of global soybeans were 41.0 d and 83.3 d, which required ADLDSF of 606.6 d·h and AATDSF of 1185.9 d·°C, ADLDFM of 1126.7 d·h and AATDFM of 2145.1 d·°C, respectively, all with a wide variation among/within geographic and MG(maturity-group)-set subpopulations. From the multiple regression of DSF and DFM on required ADL and AAT, the ADL, AAT and ADL×AAT contributed 38.5%, 44.79% and 17.10% to DSF variation and 86.98%, 11.42% and 0.54% to DFM variation, respectively, and their relative importance to DSF and DFM varied among the geographic and MG subpopulations. The geographic subpopulations matched only partially with the genomic marker clusters, indicating multiple genetic sources of each subpopulation and that genetic exchange happened among subpopulations

Evolutionary Variation of Accumulative Day Length and Accumulative Active Temperature Required for Growth Periods in Global Soybeans

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is a typical short-day and thermophilic crop. This study aimed to reveal the required accumulative day length (ADL) and accumulative active temperature (AAT) for DSF (days of sowing to flowering) and DFM (days of flowering to maturity) in global soybeans. A sample consisted of 354 varieties from 27 countries in five geographic regions, which were tested in Nanjing, China in two spring-sowing and two summer-sowing seasons. The ADL and AAT were calculated from the climatological data provided by the Public Service of Nanjing Meteorological Bureau. The results showed that the average DSF and DFM of global soybeans were 41.0 d and 83.3 d, which required ADLDSF of 606.6 d·h and AATDSF of 1185.9 d·°C, ADLDFM of 1126.7 d·h and AATDFM of 2145.1 d·°C, respectively, all with a wide variation among/within geographic and MG(maturity-group)-set subpopulations. From the multiple regression of DSF and DFM on required ADL and AAT, the ADL, AAT and ADL×AAT contributed 38.5%, 44.79% and 17.10% to DSF variation and 86.98%, 11.42% and 0.54% to DFM variation, respectively, and their relative importance to DSF and DFM varied among the geographic and MG subpopulations. The geographic subpopulations matched only partially with the genomic marker clusters, indicating multiple genetic sources of each subpopulation and that genetic exchange happened among subpopulations

Identification of Gene–Allele System Conferring Alkali-Tolerance at Seedling Stage in Northeast China Soybean Germplasm

Salinization of cultivated soils may result in either high salt levels or alkaline conditions, both of which stress crops and reduce performance. We sampled genotypes included in the Northeast China soybean germplasm population (NECSGP) to identify possible genes that affect tolerance to alkaline soil conditions. In this study, 361 soybean accessions collected in Northeast China were tested under 220 mM NaHCO3:Na2CO3 = 9:1 (pH = 9.8) to evaluate the alkali-tolerance (ATI) at the seedling stage in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, China. The restricted two-stage multi-locus model genome-wide association study (RTM-GWAS) with gene–allele sequences as markers (6503 GASMs) based on simplified genome resequencing (RAD-sequencing) was accomplished. From this analysis, 132 main effect candidate genes with 359 alleles and 35 Gene × Environment genes with 103 alleles were identified, explaining 90.93% and 2.80% of the seedling alkali-tolerance phenotypic variation, respectively. Genetic variability of ATI in NECSGP was observed primarily within subpopulations, especially in ecoregion B, from which 80% of ATI-tolerant accessions were screened out. The biological functions of 132 candidate genes were classified into eight functional categories (defense response, substance transport, regulation, metabolism-related, substance synthesis, biological process, plant development, and unknown function). From the ATI gene–allele system, six key genes–alleles were identified as starting points for further study on understanding the ATI gene network

Promoting Charge Separation and Injection by Optimizing the Interfaces of GaN:ZnO Photoanode for Efficient Solar Water Oxidation

Photoelectrochemical water splitting provides an attractive way to store solar energy in molecular hydrogen as a kind of sustainable fuel. To achieve high solar conversion efficiency, the most stringent criteria are effective charge separation and injection in electrodes. Herein, efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation is realized by optimizing charge separation and surface charge transfer of GaN:ZnO photoanode. The charge separation can be greatly improved through modified moisture-assisted nitridation and HCl acid treatment, by which the interfaces in GaN:ZnO solid solution particles are optimized and recombination centers existing at the interfaces are depressed in GaN:ZnO photoanode. Moreover, a multimetal phosphide of NiCoFeP was employed as water oxidation cocatalyst to improve the charge injection at the photoanode/electrolyte interface. Consequently, it significantly decreases the overpotential and brings the photocurrent to a benchmark of 3.9 mA cm^–2 at 1.23 V vs RHE and a solar conversion efficiency over 1% was obtained

Allelic Variations at Four Major Maturity <i>E</i> Genes and Transcriptional Abundance of the <i>E1</i> Gene Are Associated with Flowering Time and Maturity of Soybean Cultivars

<div><p>The time to flowering and maturity are ecologically and agronomically important traits for soybean landrace and cultivar adaptation. As a typical short-day crop, long day conditions in the high-latitude regions require soybean cultivars with photoperiod insensitivity that can mature before frost. Although the molecular basis of four major <i>E</i> loci (<i>E1</i> to <i>E4</i>) have been deciphered, it is not quite clear whether, or to what degree, genetic variation and the expression level of the four <i>E</i> genes are associated with the time to flowering and maturity of soybean cultivars. In this study, we genotyped 180 cultivars at <i>E1</i> to <i>E4</i> genes, meanwhile, the time to flowering and maturity of those cultivars were investigated at six geographic locations in China from 2011 to 2012 and further confirmed in 2013. The percentages of recessive alleles at <i>E1</i>, <i>E2</i>, <i>E3</i> and <i>E4</i> loci were 38.34%, 84.45%, 36.33%, and 7.20%, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that allelic variations at each of four loci had a significant effect on flowering time as well as maturity. We classified the 180 cultivars into eight genotypic groups based on allelic variations of the four major <i>E</i> loci. The genetic group of e1-nf representing dysfunctional alleles at the <i>E1</i> locus flowered earliest in all the geographic locations. In contrast, cultivars in the E1E2E3E4 group originated from the southern areas flowered very late or did not flower before frost at high latitude locations. The transcriptional abundance of functional <i>E1</i> gene was significantly associated with flowering time. However, the ranges of time to flowering and maturity were quite large within some genotypic groups, implying the presence of some other unknown genetic factors that are involved in control of flowering time or maturity. Known genes (e.g. <i>E3</i> and <i>E4</i>) and other unknown factors may function, at least partially, through regulation of the expression of the <i>E1</i> gene.</p></div

Correlation coefficients between the transcript abundance of the <i>E1</i> (A) or <i>e1-as</i> (B) genes and flowering time of cultivars grown at Harbin, in 2012.

<p>Correlation coefficients between the transcript abundance of the <i>E1</i> (A) or <i>e1-as</i> (B) genes and flowering time of cultivars grown at Harbin, in 2012.</p