Pyridinic N-reduced graphene oxide and ZnO composite synergistically enhance photocatalytic performance.

This paper reports the synthesis of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO)/zinc oxide (ZnO) composite photocatalysts by one-step hydrothermal method. Taking urea as the nitrogen source, ammonia is released at high temperature, and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has a strong adsorption effect on ammonia, which is more conducive to improving the nitrogen doping efficiency in the nitrogen doping process. The results of the dye degradation test showed that when the nitrogen content was 4 wt%, the photocatalytic degradation ability of the catalyst was the best, which was 88% higher than that of pure zinc oxide. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) test showed that the catalytic effect of the sample dominated by pyridinic nitrogen was significantly improved. Besides, fluorescence tests have confirmed that highly conductive rGO can simultaneously capture or transfer photoelectrons within the system, thereby enhancing the photoelectron migration and reducing the private carrier recombination efficiency. N-rGO could act as an active electron accelerator, induce and enhance synergistic coupling, promote photocatalytic redox reactions, and dramatically improve the photocatalytic ability of modified graphene-based composite.

Effect of dietary fatty acids on serum parameters, fatty acid compositions, and liver histology in Shaoxing laying ducks.

The effects of different fatty acid (FA) contents in diet on serum parameters, FA compositions of eggs and meat, and liver morphological changes were studied in Shaoxing laying ducks. A total of 264 ducks at 17 weeks were fed a control diet or a diet containing 30 g/kg fish oil (FO), 25 g/kg sunflower oil (SO), or 30 g/kg palm oil with 20 g/kg beef tallow (PBO). Malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the liver and the serum of ducks fed the PBO diet was significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of ducks fed the other diets. Triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels were significantly lower (P<0.05) in ducks fed the FO diet. Serum TC also was lower in ducks fed the SO diet. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was also affected by diets. The contents of polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) in eggs and meat were significantly higher (P<0.001) in ducks fed the FO and SO diets than in ducks fed the control diet. The level of C22:6 (n-3) FA in ducks fed the FO diet was significantly higher than that in ducks fed the other diets. However, the conversion efficiency of the longer-chain C20:5 (n-3) FA was higher than that of C22:6 (n-3). Ducks fed the PBO diet exhibited lipid droplet accumulation in the liver. These results demonstrate that a diet enriched with different FAs has strong effects on serum lipid levels and the deposition of PUFAs into tissue lipids.