In this study, the electrochemical properties of magnesium terephthalate with hydration water (MgC₈H₄O₄·2H₂O) as an anode material for sodium ion batteries were investigated for the first time. MgC₈H₄O₄· 2H₂O was synthesized via a facile neutralization method using terephthalic acid (C₈H₆O₄) and magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)₂) as precursors. od cycle performance was obtained as 114 mAh·g^-1 was found for the second cycle and 95 mAh·g^-1 was obtained after 50 cycles at a current rate of 0.5C (1C=300 mA·g^-1), giving a capacity retention of 84%. At a current rate of 2C, it presents a discharge capacity of 90 mAh·g^-1. After heating under a nitrogen atmosphere at 400 ℃, anhydrous magnesium terephthalate (MgC₈H₄O₄) was obtained. The effect of hydration water on the crystal structure, morphology, and electrochemical properties was investigated. The results indicate that the specific discharge capacity, rate capacity, and cyclic performance of MgC₈H₄O₄· 2H₂O are better than those of MgC₈H₄O₄.

Pine sawdust was torrefied at 200, 300, and 400 ℃ in a muffle furnace, and used with Shengli lignite for co-gasification. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated that the pine sawdust torrefied at 200 and 300 ℃ contained the functional groups C―O―, ―CH₃, and ―OH, while the pine sawdust torrefied at 400 ℃ was similar to lignite, containing the functional groups ―C=C―, ―C=O, and ―OH. That is, when the torrefaction temperature of the pine sawdust increased, the single bonds in functional groups were converted to double bonds. After torrefaction, individual gasification and co-gasification of the lignite and pine sawdust chars were studied and compared in a thermogravimetric analyzer and fixed-bed reactor. It was found that both experimental results were consistent. The gas yield of pine sawdust char by individual gasification was higher when the pretreatment temperature was increased. Co-gasification of pine sawdust torrefied 200 and 400 ℃ with lignite had a positive effect on the product gas yield, carbon conversion, and synergetic efficiency, and the synergetic effects for sawdust torrefied at 200 ℃ were less than those for sawdust torrefied at 400 ℃. In contrast, pine sawdust torrefied at 300 ℃ had some inhibitory effects for co-gasification with lignite. Considering both the thermogravimetric analysis and fixed bed experiments, it is concluded that the synergetic effects can be attributed to the alkali metal and the hydrogen atomin the pine sawdust chars occurring at the pyrolysis stage.

Two new porphyrin-Salen type ligands 5-(3-amino-4-(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)aminophenyl)- 10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin (1) and 5- (N,N'- di(3,5- di- tert- butylsalicylidene)-3,4-diaminophenyl)-10,15,20- triphenylporphyrin (2), their homo- and hetero- binuclear metal complexes and their mononuclear metal complexes were synthesized and characterized by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The third-order nonlinear optical properties of these ligands and complexes were investigated by Z scan techniques. Experimental results indicated that ligands 1 and 2 have a close strong reverse-saturable absorption and self-defocusing effect. The polarization induced by the coordinated metal ions affects the nonlinear refractive indexes of these ligands.

Uranyl ion adsorption on the hydroxylated α- quartz (101) surface was investigated by firstprinciples density functional theory calculations. We explicitly considered the first hydration shell of the uranyl ion for short-range solvent effects and used the conductor-like screening model (COSMO) for longrange solvent effects. Both the adsorption energies and electronic structures of the adsorption system indicated that the bidentate hydrated uranyl species were more stable than bidentate hydroxylated species, and bidentate adsorption of the uranyl ion on the bridge site of dia-O_s1O_s2 was the most stable adsorption model in the aqueous state. The large differences in the electronic structures of the two forms were mainly because of the different degree of bonding between uranium and the surface after adsorption, which makes the 5f orbital narrow and causes a red shift. Use of halogen ions in the uranyl coordination environment can adjust the band gap of the uranyl adsorption system.

The TiC monolayer sheet, a new two-dimensional structure, is proposed as a promising hydrogen storage material because of its high specific surface area and the large number of exposed Ti ions on the surface. First principles calculations showed that both chemisorption and physisorption of H₂ can take place on the TiC sheet surface, with adsorption energies of 0.36 and 0.09 eV per H₂, respectively. For 1 and 1/4 monolayer (ML) coverages, the dissociation barriers of H₂ on the TiC sheet surface were calculated to be 1.12 and 0.33 eV, respectively. Thus, as well as physisorption and chemisorption, there were dissociated H atoms on the TiC sheet surface. The maximum H₂ storage capacity was calculated to be up to 7.69% (mass fraction). The capacities were 1.54%, 3.07%, and 3.07% for dissociated H atoms, and chemisorption and physisorption of H₂, respectively. Considering only Kubas adsorption, the hydrogen storage capacity was 3.07%. The adsorption energy for H₂ chemisorption on the TiC sheet surface only slightly changed at different coverages, which benefits the storage and release of H₂.

Much attention has been given to the optical properties of noble metal nanostructures and these are closely related to the size, morphology, and environment of the nanoparticles. In this paper, the influences of structures and assembly modes on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Au nanorods were studied through a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation on Au nanorod assemblies (dimers and multimers) of different configurations. The simulated optical spectra agree well with the experimental results. The simulated results for the side-by-side (S-S) oriented Au nanorods indicate that the transverse SPR (SPR_T) has a slight redshift, and the longitudinal SPR (SPR_L) blue-shifts obviously. For the end-to-end (E-E) oriented Au nanorod dimer, the results indicate that with a decrease in the gap spacing of the E-E oriented Au nanorods, the SPR_T does not shift while the SPR_L red-shifts obviously. Moreover, a new coupling SPR peak appears in the near-infrared (NIR) region, blue-shifting and enhancing with a decrease in the gap spacing. Based on the spring oscillator model and the polarization of the nanoparticles under an incident electric field, we propose a reason for the SPR shift and the appearance of a new coupling SPR for the Au nanorod assemblies.

It is investigated that the minimum-energy structures and energetics of clusters of the larger linear HCCCN molecule with small numbers of para- hydrogen molecules with pairwise additive potentials. We performed the optimization of the minimum-energy structures using a genetic al rithm. It was found that p-H₂ molecules filled three solvation rings around the HCCCN axis, each of which contained up to six p-H₂ molecules, followed by accumulation of two p-H₂ molecules around the hydrogen and nitrogen ends of the HCCCN molecule. The first solvation shell was completed with number of p-H₂ molecules (N)=20. The chemical potential was calculated, and the N dependence of the chemical potential μ(N) showed oscillatory behavior.

The electronic structure tailoring of GaAs nanowires through surface modification was investigated by first-principles calculations. The effect of different surface-passivation materials (H, F, Cl, Br, and I) on the electronic structure of the GaAs nanowires was studied. The results show that for different atoms, the tailoring of the electronic structure is mainly determined by their passivation ability. The surface modification tunes the bandgap and also the bandgap types. The electronic structure of the GaAs nanowires was determined by the surface states and the quantum-confinement effect jointly. The amplitude of the bandgap variation on the diameter is different for the GaAs nanowires modified with different materials. Surface modification offers a new way to tailor the bandgap of GaAs nanowires without changing their diameter or crystal structure.

The formation energy of different ensembles on Pd(111) surfaces containing N (N=1-4) Au atoms were investigated using a density functional theory model. The best model for exploring the adsorption of thiophene was selected, and the mechanism of competitive hydrodesulfurization on a Au/Pd(111) bimetallic surface was investigated. The results showed that Au/Pd(111) has the lowest formation energy, and adsorption at the hexa nal close-packed site is most stable when the thiophene plane is tilted at 30° to the Au/Pd(111) bimetallic surface with S atom. The reactions are exothermic, and desulfurization can be either direct or indirect. The direct desulfurization pathway has a low activation energy, but it is difficult to control the products. The indirect desulfurization pathway is the best fit for the cis-hydrogenation process; C―S cleavage has the highest reaction energy barrier, and is the rate-determining step. The activation energy barrier of the rate-determining step on Au/Pd(111) is lower than those on Au(111) and Pd(111). This indicates that bimetallic AuPd is more active than single Au and Pd in the hydrodesulfurization of thiophene.

Li₂MnO₃ materials were synthesized by solid state reactions. A series of Li₂MnO₃ thin films were fabricated at different temperatures under O₂ by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using a home-made Li₂MnO₃ target. The structure and morphology of the as- prepared Li₂MnO₃ thin films were characterized by X- ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Their electrochemical performance was also investigated. The results show that the crystallinity of the thin films increased with an increase in deposition temperature, and the thin film electrode prepared at lower than 25 ℃ did not work well. The highest electrochemical activity was achieved by the thin film deposited at 400 ℃, and this result is consistent with our previous report on powder materials. The Li₂MnO₃ thin film electrodes deposited at 400 and 600 ℃ exhibited lower discharge voltage decay upon cycling compared with the powder electrode.

Size-dependent electron injection processes in CuInS₂ (CIS) quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) were studied. CuInS₂ quantum dots (QDs) with various diameters were synthesized and sensitized on TiO₂ films. The energy levels of the CuInS₂ QDs were measured by cyclic voltammetry. The rates and efficiencies of electron transfer from CuInS₂ QDs to TiO₂ films were determined by time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. It was found that the rate of electron injection increased with a decrease in QD size while the efficiency of electron injection decreased. Furthermore, the power conversion efficiency, the short-circuit photocurrent, and the fill factor (FF) of the QDSSCs increased with an increase in QD size. The enhanced performance of the QDSSCs was attributed to the increase in electron injection efficiency. These results indicate that the performance of the QDSSCs could be optimized by varying the size of the QDs.

Based on the cyclic voltammogram (CV) of TiO₂/Ti electrodes in Cu²⁺ ion solution, we fabricated Cu₂O and Cu particles onto TiO₂ flat surfaces separately or simultaneously by adjusting the applied potentials during electrodeposition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that Cu₂O and Cu have different growth modes: Cu₂O particles crystallize on the TiO₂ surface separately while Cu particles nucleate on previously grown particles, forming a stacked particle structure. This growth behavior can be explained by the different electron transfer behavior on the Cu₂O/TiO₂ and Cu/TiO₂ interfaces and this is determined by their bandgap alignments. Compared with a pure TiO₂ photoanode, a significant enhancement of the photocurrent was observed for both the Cu₂O/TiO₂ and Cu/TiO₂ heterostructures. A potential region exists where Cu₂O and Cu grow on the TiO₂ surface simultaneously and the corresponding photocurrent is relatively stable and reaches a maximum. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and photocurrent vs potential characteristics revealed that the visible light absorption by Cu₂O and Cu contributes significantly to the photocurrent. Cu/TiO₂ resulted in greater broadband visible light utilization during the photoelectric conversion. Additionally, the increased zero-current potential and the effective charge separation as well as the rapid carrier transfer on the electrode/electrolyte interface are also related to the enhanced photoelectrochemical properties.

Amanganese dioxide (MnO₂)-graphene composite material with a unique structure consisting of MnO₂ surrounded by graphene sheets was prepared by a simple hydrothermal and thermal decomposition method. The morphology and structure of the obtained materials were examined by scanning electron microscopy, transition electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and N₂ adsorption-desorption. Electrochemical properties were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge- discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The specific surface area increased from 109 to 168 m²·g^-1 for the composite containing 15% (w) graphene. The specific capacitance also increased from 294 to 454 F·g^-1 at a current density of 0.2 A·g^-1 in an aqueous electrolyte supercapacitor. Moreover, after 2000 cycles of a galvanostatic charge-discharge test, the hybrid electrode still had excellent cycle stability (92% retention rate).

A bamboo leaf inhibitor (designated PSLE) was extracted from Phyllostachys sulphurea (Corr. Riviere) leaves using a series of C₂H₅OH-water solutions (20%-80% (volume fraction)). The solutions were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and ultraviolet- visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry. The total flavonoid content of the PSLE was determined. The inhibition effect of PSLE toward the corrosion of aluminum in HCl solution was studied by weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Density functional theory (DFT) quantum chemical calculations including solvent effects were used to investigate the adsorption of light by the two major components vientin and isovientin. The results show that PSLE is a od inhibitor and the adsorption of PSLE on the aluminum surface obeys the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The inhibition efficiency increases with PSLE concentration while it decreases with temperature and HCl concentration. A od correlation exists between the total flavonoid content and the inhibition performance. This implies that the flavonoids are the major contributor to inhibition activity. PSLE behaves as a cathodic inhibitor. The EIS spectra are characterized by one large capacitive loop at high frequencies followed by a large inductive loop at low frequency values. The impedance value increases with increasing inhibitor concentration. SEM results confirm that the corrosion of aluminum is retarded remarkably by PSLE. The quantum calculation results indicate that the adsorption center of either vientin or isovientin is mainly a flavonoid backbone structure (FBS).

A series of ZrO₂/MWCNTs were prepared, using ZrO(NO₃)₂·2H₂O as a precursor, by the surface modification of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Manganese oxides were supported on the ZrO₂/ MWCNTs to prepare MnO_x/ZrO₂/MWCNTs catalysts. The effect of zirconium on the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) activity of the catalysts was investigated. Furthermore, the structural properties of the catalysts were comprehensively characterized by a suite of analytical methods. The results show that the addition of zirconium improved the SCR activity of the MnO_x/MWCNTs significantly and the catalyst with 30% Zr loading was found to have the highest activity. X- ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N₂ adsorption-desorption results revealed that the modification of zirconium could enhance the dispersion of MnO_x on the support as well as enhance the interaction between the metal oxides and the MWCNTs. Additionally, zirconium could also increase the specific surface area, the total pore volume, and the average pore size of the catalysts. Moreover, from the results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), H₂ temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR), and temperature-programmed desorption of NH₃ (NH₃- TPD), zirconium increased the atomic concentration of the chemisorbed oxygen on the catalysts surface and promoted the conversion of Mn³⁺ to Mn⁴⁺. Therefore, the surface-active sites increased and the redox ability of the catalysts improved. Additionally, the amount and strength of acid on catalyst surface increased. These factors are the main reason for the MnO_x/ZrO₂/MWCNTs catalysts having better low-temperature SCR activity.

TiO₂ rutile nanorods were successfully synthesized by a hydrochloric acid-modified hydrothermal process, using butyl titanate as the titanium source, followed by hydrogenation treatment. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis near infrared (NIR) diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV- Vis- NIR DRS), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS), and the photodegradation of gas-phase acetaldehyde and liquid-phase phenol to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the catalysts. The results show that the photoresponse of TiO₂ gradually expands from the ultraviolet region to the visible and near-infrared regions upon increasing the hydrogenation time at high temperature. Its color changed from white to gray, and this is attributed to the introduction of Ti³⁺ defects and oxygen vacancies. Based on surface photovoltage spectroscopy responses and the amount of hydroxyl radicals produced, hydrogenation treatment promoted the photogenerated charge separation significantly. This is responsible for the improved photocatalytic degradation activity toward gasphase acetaldehyde and liquid-phase phenol under visible or ultraviolet irradiation. Therefore, a specific amount of defects and/or vacancies can induce new and appropriate surface states below the conduction band of the TiO₂ samples. However, if the amount of introduced defects or vacancies is too high, low-level surface states are produced and this is not favorable for photogenerated charge separation, and detrimental to photocatalytic reactions.

In this study, Ag₃PO₄ nanoparticles (NPs), cobalt phosphate (Co₃(PO₄)₂, CoP) nanosheets (NSs), and their composites (CoP/Ag₃PO₄) were synthesized via a facile chemical precipitation method. Their visiblelight photocatalytic activities were compared and investigated. The structural, morphological, optical, and visiblelight photocatalytic properties of the prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), fieldemission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), ultraviolet- visible (UV- Vis) diffuse absorbance and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies. We found that both the degradation rate and cyclical stability of the CoP/Ag₃PO₄ hybrids increased significantly under visible-light irradiation when methyl orange (MO) was used as the target with reference to single-phase Ag₃PO₄ NPs or CoP NSs. This suggests that CoP might play a cocatalyst role, which suppresses carrier recombination and provides a large number of photogenerated holes. Additionally, we also observed that the CoP/Ag₃PO₄ hybrids hardly degraded Rhodamine B (RhB), a cationic dye. This behavior might be attributed to the lower amount of dye molecule absorption because of a change in surface polarity. We thus present a new approach for the development of low-cost and visible-light responsive photocatalysts.

The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectrum and pre-resonance Raman spectra of Aflatoxin B₂ (AFB₂) adsorbed on silver cluster were calculated by density functional theory (DFT) methods with the B3LYP/6-311G (d,p)(C, H, O)/LanL2DZ(Ag) basis set. The results show that the SERS enhancement factors were 10², and this belongs to the C=O stretching vibration of the pyrane ring because of the larger static polarizability of the complex. The pre-resonance Raman spectra of the AFB₂-Ag₂ complex were explored at 1144 and 544 nm, which corresponds to charge transfer excitation energy, and its enhancement factor was 10². The pre-resonance enhancement factor was 10⁴ when incident light charge transfer pre-resonant wavelengths of 432 and 410 nm were selected. These come from a charge transfer resonance enhancement between the silver cluster and the AFB₂ molecule. Therefore, changing the wavelength of the incident light is more conducive to the trace detection of the strong carcinogen AFB₂.

⁹⁰Sr is an important radionuclide that needs to be removed from radioactive waste water (RWW) in nuclear power plants (NPP) prior to its discharge into the environment. Hydrous antimony oxide is a type of selective adsorbent for Sr(Ⅱ) ions, especially in acid solution. In this paper, a series of self-doped hydrous antimony oxides Sb(Ⅲ)/Sb₂O₅ were prepared by a two-step process in an absolute alcohol solvent, using antimony trichloride as a stable and low-toxic antimony source and H₂O2 solution as an oxidant. UV radiation was used to enhance the oxidation rate of Sb(Ⅲ). The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analyses, and the effect of the preparation conditions on the composition and structure of the products are discussed. Batch adsorption experiments were performed to study the relationship between the Sb(Ⅲ)/Sb(total) ratio in the oxide adsorbent and the Sr(Ⅱ) adsorption activity. Moreover, the influence of the initial pH of the waste water was investigated. The results showed that Sb(Ⅲ) ions can coexist with Sb(V) and form the solid solution of Sb(Ⅲ)/Sb₂O₅ with cubic pyrochlore structure. Materials with different Sb(Ⅲ)/Sb(total) ratios can be obtained by choosing different alcohols as the solvent and a suitable mixing method of the reactants, as well as by changing the reaction temperature during the oxidation process. Among the as- prepared Sb(Ⅲ)/Sb₂O₅ adsorbents, the sample with a Sb(Ⅲ)/Sb(total) ratio of 49.8% showed the best Sr(Ⅱ) adsorption performance, and the distribution coefficients of Sr(Ⅱ) was about 6.6×107 mL·g^-1. This hydrous antimony oxide showed favorable performance in the wide pH value of pH=3-13. In addition, Sr(Ⅱ) adsorption on the as-prepared material fitted the Langmuir model very well under the conditions studied.

The influence of sodium and potassium promoters on the structure and reaction behavior of an FeMn catalyst toward light olefin synthesis from syngas was investigated by N₂ adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), H₂ temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR), CO/CO₂ temperature-programmed desorption (CO/CO₂-TPD), Mössbauer spectroscopy (MES) and CO+H₂ reaction. We found that an increase in manganese improves the dispersion of the active Fe component and light olefin selectivity; however, excessive enrichment with the Mn promoter on the catalyst surface suppresses CO conversion. Potassium and sodium inhibit the reduction of the catalyst in H₂ and improve the adsorption of CO₂ and CO because of the enhanced surface basicity of the catalysts. After reduction with syngas (n_H2/n_CO=20) and reaction with syngas (n_H2/n_CO=3.5), the analysis of the bulk structure was compared with those of the FeMn, FeMnNa, and FeMnK catalysts. The results show that FeC_x is found in relatively high levels in the FeMnK catalysts because of the stronger alkalinity and adsorbability of CO. However, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) results indicate that sodium and potassium improved the selectivity toward light olefins. The best catalytic performance was achieved by the FeMnNa catalyst. Its CO conversion and light olefins selectivity were 96.2% and 30.5% (molar fraction), respectively.

We used Zr_0.5Ce_0.5O₂ solid solution modified high specific surface area SiC as the catalyst support and synthesized Ni/Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂/SiC, Fe/Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂/SiC, and Co/Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂/SiC catalysts by a two-step impregnation method. The catalytic activity and stability were investigated in the catalytic combustion deoxidation of coal-bed gas. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), inductively coupled plasma- mass spectroscopy (ICP- MS), high- resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), Brunner-Emmet-Teller (BET) measurements, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and temperature-programmed reduction of H₂ (H₂-TPR). The results suggest that partial diffusion of Ni, Fe, and Co to the Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ lattice leads to the formation of defects in the catalyst bulk phase. Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ increased the redox process between metals and their oxides, improving the oxygen storage, mobility capacity, and the activation of CH₄. In addition, the excellent resistance of both SiC and Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ solid solution to carbon deposition effectively inhibited coke formation on the catalysts during the combustion of rich methane atmosphere. Hence, these catalysts have od catalytic combustion deoxidation activity and stability. Co/ Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂/SiC catalyst had the best activity among the three catalysts: CH₄ was activated at 320 ℃ and O2 was completely removed at 410 ℃.

The molecular dynamics mechanism for methyldopa permeation through the phospholipid bilayer membrane has been studied by molecular dynamics simulation. The phospholipid bilayer membrane used in the work was one type of lecithin phospholipid bilayer membrane called the 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3- phosphate dylcholine (POPC) bilayer membrane, and the molecular dynamics simulation was performed with the Gromacs program. The free energy barrier for methyldopa to permeate through the POPC bilayer membrane was 99.9 kJ·mol^-1 (310 K) from the molecular dynamics simulation, suggesting that methyldopa is capable of permeating through the cell membrane. The free energy barrier for methyldopa to diffuse through the POPC bilayer membrane was 16.9-27.7 kJ·mol^-1 (310 K), which indicates that it is easy for methyldopa to diffuse through the cell membrane. Therefore, the results of the free energy barrier give information of the mechanism for methyldopa to metabolize in the human body. Furthermore, the results help to understand the mechanism for methyldopa in treating hypertension disease, and have significance for developing new drugs to control hypertension.

Composite films of graphene and tungsten oxide were fabricated by dip-coating with ammonium metatungstate as the precursor and polyvinylpyrrolidone as the bridging agent. The as-prepared composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy. Photocurrent test, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), transient photocurrent spectroscopy，and intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy were used to study the transfer process and transport behavior of the charge carriers at the interface of the film electrodes. The results showed that the tungsten oxide nanoparticles were sufficiently composited with graphene. The efficiency of photoelectric conversion improved significantly. The transient constant and the electron-hole lifetime increased after the incorporation of graphene. The electron transit time of the composite film was reduced and was found to be only 47.5% of that of the tungsten oxide film.

MoS₂/graphene composites were synthesized using L-cysteine and sodium molybdate as the sources of sulfur and molybdenum, and L-cysteine was found to be beneficial for two-dimensional layered structure formation. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-assisted hydrothermal synthesis gave petal-shaped MoS₂/ reduction of graphene oxide (R ) composite electrode materials (PVP-MoS₂/R ). X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy confirmed that MoS₂ changed to a less ordered layer structure from the multilayer stacking structure after moderate addition of PVP. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the moderate PVP-assisted MoS₂/R material had a petal-shaped microsphere morphology with od dispersion. The ordered stacking structure with less layers and od dispersion of the composite materials shorten the embedded in/out path of lithium ions in MoS₂, which obviously improved their capacity, cycle stability, and rate performance as lithium ion battery anode materials.

Texture and wettability have an important influence on fogging, frosting, and icing on a metal surface. We fabricated micro- and nano-structure patterns on a copper surface by wire electrical discharge machining and subsequent chemical oxidation. By controlling the manufacturing process, three types of microstructure were machined: gratings, pillars, and pyramids. We then studied the wetting performance of the superhydrophobic surfaces with one-tier texture or two-tier texture and the corresponding transport of water in different phase states including fog, frost and icing and their melting processes. Two-tier roughness on the copper effectively improved the superhydrophobicity and retarded the formation and growth of frost. More importantly, these surfaces showed a long delayed icing time, even after several heating and cooling cycles, displaying od resistance to frost and icing. This can be well explained by an understanding of classical nucleation theory, Brown coalescence, and one-dimensional heat and mass transport.