Rapid Fabrication of Oxygen Defective α-Fe2O3(110) for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Activities

This is the author accepted manuscript.Defect engineering is increasingly recognized as a viable strategy for boosting the performance of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting by metal oxide-based photoelectrodes. However, previously developed methods for generating point defect associated with oxygen vacancies is rather time-consuming. Herein, high density oxygen deficient α-Fe2O3 with dominant (110) crystal plane is developed in very short timescale of 10 minutes by employing aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition and pure nitrogen as gas carrier. The oxygen defective film exhibits almost 8 times higher photocurrent density compared to hematite photoanode with low concentration of oxygen vacancies which is prepared in purified air. The existence of oxygen vacancies improves light absorption ability, accelerates charge transport in the bulk of film, and promotes charge separation at electrolyte/semiconductor interface. DFT simulations verify that oxygen defective hematite has a narrow band gap, electron-hole trapped centre, and strong adsorption energy of water molecules compared to that of pristine hematite. This strategy might bring PEC technology another step further towards large-scale fabrication for future commercialization.Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysi

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality. Methods Prospective cohort study in 109 institutions in 41 countries. Inclusion criteria: children <18 years who were newly diagnosed with or undergoing active treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumour, glioma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma. Of 2327 cases, 2118 patients were included in the study. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality at 30 days, 90 days and 12 months. Results All-cause mortality was 3.4% (n=71/2084) at 30-day follow-up, 5.7% (n=113/1969) at 90-day follow-up and 13.0% (n=206/1581) at 12-month follow-up. The median time from diagnosis to multidisciplinary team (MDT) plan was longest in low-income countries (7 days, IQR 3-11). Multivariable analysis revealed several factors associated with 12-month mortality, including low-income (OR 6.99 (95% CI 2.49 to 19.68); p<0.001), lower middle income (OR 3.32 (95% CI 1.96 to 5.61); p<0.001) and upper middle income (OR 3.49 (95% CI 2.02 to 6.03); p<0.001) country status and chemotherapy (OR 0.55 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.86); p=0.008) and immunotherapy (OR 0.27 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.91); p=0.035) within 30 days from MDT plan. Multivariable analysis revealed laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 5.33 (95% CI 1.19 to 23.84); p=0.029) was associated with 30-day mortality. Conclusions Children with cancer are more likely to die within 30 days if infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, timely treatment reduced odds of death. This report provides crucial information to balance the benefits of providing anticancer therapy against the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children with cancer

WTa37O95.487 Nanocatalyst for Pollutant Degradation

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Chemical Society via the DOI in this recordData Availability: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.The release of toxic industrial effluents has created serious impacts on human health and the aquatic ecosystem. WTa37O95.487 is a wide-band gap material that was reported in 1971, but no one has investigated its photocatalytic properties due to its wide band gap and unique crystal structure. Herein, we carried out detailed experimental and density functional theory (DFT) simulations of WTa37O95.487 nanocatalysts. The influence of temperature and light intensity on their crystallography, morphology, optical, and photocatalytic properties was studied. The powder obtained at 150 °C (WT-1) exhibited higher photocatalytic activity of 99% of methylene blue dye degradation within 30 min with a pseudo-first-order kinetics constant of 0.0643 min–1. DFT simulations revealed a good correlation between theory and experiment of electronic properties of WTa37O95.487, which consequently validate the catalytic performance of the catalyst. The WTa37O95.487 nanocatalyst is proposed as a novel and effective photocatalyst for treating dye effluents of wastewater.National University of MalaysiaCenter for Research and Instrumentation (CRIM)Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC