Yueping Fang

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) has received increasing attention for environmental and agricultural applications. Here, homogeneous (H-CN) and heterogeneous (He-CN) g-C₃N₄ were synthesized and systematically compared with respect to structure, photocatalysis, and biological effects. H-CN exhibited an ordered lamellar structure and efficient charge separation, leading to a 92% methylene blue degradation within 3 h, compared with 76% for He-CN. In hydroponic lettuce, H-CN at 200 mg/L significantly enhanced plant growth, increasing height by 30%, stem diameter by 25%, and leaf area by 40% (n = 3, P < 0.05). Photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content increased by 39% and 31%, respectively, while nitrate levels decreased by 42% (n = 3, P < 0.05). Antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, CAT) rose by 39%, 36%, and 54%, respectively, accompanied by a 36% reduction in ROS (n = 6, P < 0.05). Metabolomics revealed enhanced nitrogen assimilation and enrichment of flavonoids and amino acids. Cytotoxicity assays indicated lower toxicity of H-CN (80% HepG2 cell viability at 300 mg/L) compared with He-CN (20%) (n = 3, P < 0.05). These results establish a structure-performance-biological effect relationship, highlight the agricultural potential of H-CN, and underscore the importance of dosage control for safe and effective application.

Herein, Cu-foam-supported CuO nanowire arrays covered with Cu₂S nanosheet substrates (Cu/CuO/Cu₂S) are adopted as efficient photoelectrodes for photorechargeable lithium-ion batteries (PR-LIBs). The assembled PR-LIB exhibits remarkable solar energy conversion efficiency alongside superior lithium storage capabilities. Without an electrical power supply, the photocharged PR-LIB sustained a discharge process for 63.0 h under a constant current density of 0.05 mA cm^-2. The corresponding solar-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency is 4.50%, which is an impressive achievement among recently reported contemporary technologies. Mechanism investigation shows that the Cu/CuO/Cu₂S photogenerated carriers augment the extraction and insertion of Li⁺ according to different oxidation and reduction reactions in the charging and discharging reactions. This research delineates a refined model system and proposes innovative directions for developing efficient heterojunction photoelectrodes, significantly propelling the development of PR-LIB technology.

Replacing traditional oxygen evoltion reaction (OER) with biomass oxidation reaction (BOR) is an advantageous alternative choice to obtain green hydrogen energy from electrocatalytic water splitting. Herein, a novel of extremely homogeneous Ni₃S₂ nanosheets covered TiO₂ nanorod arrays are in situ growth on conductive Ni foam (Ni/TiO₂@Ni₃S₂). The Ni/TiO₂@Ni₃S₂ electrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity and long‐term stability for both BOR and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Especially, taking glucose as a typical biomass, the average hydrogen production rate of the HER‐glucose oxidation reaction (GOR) two‐electrode system reached 984.74 µmol h⁻¹, about 2.7 times higher than that of in a common HER//OER two‐electrode water splitting system (365.50 µmol h⁻¹). The calculated power energy saving efficiency of the GOR//HER system is about 13% less than that of the OER//HER system. Meanwhile, the corresponding selectivity of the value‐added formic acid produced by GOR reaches about 80%. Moreover, the Ni/TiO₂@Ni₃S₂ electrode also exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity on a diverse range of typical biomass intermediates, such as urea, sucrose, fructose, furfuryl alcohol (FFA), 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and alcohol (EtOH). These results show that Ni/TiO₂@Ni₃S₂ has great potential in electrocatalysis, especially in replacing OER reaction with BOR reaction and promoting the sustainable development of hydrogen production.

Formic acid is an appealing hydrogen storage material. In order to rapidly produce hydrogen from formic acid under relatively mild conditions, high-efficiency and stable photocatalytic systems are of great significance to prompt hydrogen (H₂) evolution from formic acid. In this paper, an efficient and stable photocatalytic system (CdS/P/MoS₂) for H₂ production from formic acid is successfully constructed by elemental P doping of CdS nanorods combining with in situ photodeposition of MoS₂. In this system, P doping reduces the band gap of CdS for enhanced light absorption, as well as promoting the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. More importantly, MoS₂ nanoparticles decorated on P-doped CdS nanorods can play as noble-metal-free cocatalysts, which increase the light adsorption, facilitate the charge transfer and effectively accelerate the hydrogen evolution reaction. Consequently, the apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of the designed CdS/P/MoS₂ is up to 6.39% at 420 nm, while the H₂ evolution rate is boosted to 68.89 mmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹, which is 10 times higher than that of pristine CdS. This study could provide an alternative strategy for the development of competitive CdS-based photocatalysts as well as noble-metal-free photocatalytic systems toward efficient hydrogen production.