Transition-metal oxide photocatalysis has attracted increasing attention in environmental remediation and solar energy conversion. Surface lattice oxygen is the key active site on the metal oxide, but its role and activation mechanism in the photocatalytic VOC mineralization are still unclear. In this work, we have demonstrated that Sr2Sb2O7 exhibits an excellent photocatalytic activity and stability compared to TiO2 (P25) in gaseous toluene mineralization because the lattice oxygen on Sr2Sb2O7 can be activated efficiently. The lattice oxygen of Sr2Sb2O7 promotes the adsorption and activation of O2 and H2O molecules and enhances the production of •O2- and •OH radicals, as confirmed by the electron spin resonance and DFT calculations. The in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy spectra are applied to dynamically monitor the intermediate activation and selective conversion. Combined with DFT calculation, the role and the mechanism of lattice oxygen in photocatalysis have been revealed. Owing to the promoted surface lattice oxygen, the selectivity for benzoic acid formation is enhanced and final product desorption is promoted, which could largely advance the ring opening and mineralization of toluene. This work reveals the origin of lattice oxygen activation and the role for efficient VOC degradation at the atomic scale.Rigorous studies of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) suggest that children are exposed to enteric pathogens via multiple interacting pathways, including soil ingestion. In 30 compounds (household clusters) in low-income urban Maputo, Mozambique, we cultured Escherichia coli and quantified gene targets from soils (E. coli ybbW, Shigella/enteroinvasiveE. coli (EIEC) ipaH, Giardia duodenalis β-giardin) using droplet digital PCR at three compound locations (latrine entrance, solid waste area, dishwashing area). We found that 88% of samples were positive for culturable E. coli (mean = 3.2 log10 CFUs per gram of dry soil), 100% for molecular E.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/mptp-hydrochloride.html  coli (mean = 5.9 log10 gene copies per gram of dry soil), 44% for ipaH (mean = 2.5 log10), and 41% for β-giardin (mean = 2.1 log10). Performing stochastic quantitative microbial risk assessment using soil ingestion parameters from an LMIC setting for children 12-23 months old, we estimated that the median annual infection risk by G. duodenalis was 7100-fold (71% annual infection risk) and by Shigella/EIEC was 4000-fold (40% annual infection risk) greater than the EPA's standard for drinking water. Compounds in Maputo, and similar settings, require contact and source control strategies to reduce the ingestion of contaminated soil and achieve acceptable levels of risk.The coupling protocols combining photoemission spectroscopy and other characterization methods such as electrochemical, electrical, optical, thermal, or magnetic paved the way to considerable progress in the field of materials science. Access to complementary data on the same object is relevant, but in the vast majority of cases, it is carried out sequentially and separately. This raises the complex question of the equivalence of the analyzed surfaces subjected to these different characterizations. In the frame of lithium ion battery technology (LIB), several techniques have been developed to follow in operando condition the reactivity of electro-active materials toward liquid or solid electrolytes. Besides the knowledge of the redox processes obtained using operando protocols, especially at the interfaces, some limitations associated with material sensitivity and/or the characterization techniques are still a breakdown to widen our understanding of the origin of the LIB performance degradation processes. Herein, we propose a new design of an operando cell adapted to perform X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) at the interface between electrode and electrolyte under electrochemical solicitations. To illustrate its performance, the crucial issues associated with the lithium metal interface have been scrutinized using Li/Li symmetrical cells and two types of ionic liquids, 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (C1C6ImTFSI) and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (C1C6ImFSI) laden with LiTFSI salt. Our original setup allowed us to follow-up the lithium surface reactivity toward these ionic liquid based electrolytes in open circuit voltage condition and under polarization. Beside the gain of time and the matter saving, we highlighted and optimized the blocking issues to perform accurate OXPS measurement for probing the evolution of the chemical structure and the surface potential change at the interface lithium/electrolyte in dynamic mode.Directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymer (BCP) thin films is of particular interest in nanoscience and nanotechnology due to its superior ability to form various well-aligned nanopatterns. Herein, nanoscratch-DSA is introduced as a simple and scalable DSA strategy allowing highly aligned BCP nanopatterns over a large area. A gentle scratching on the target substrate with a commercial diamond lapping film can form uniaxially aligned nanoscratches. As applied in BCP thin films, the nanoscratch effectively guides the self-assembly of overlying BCPs and provides highly aligned nanopatterns along the direction of the nanoscratch. The nanoscratch-DSA is not material-specific, allowing more versatile nanofabrication for various functional nanomaterials. In addition, we demonstrate that the nanoscratch-DSA can be utilized as a direction-controllable and area-selective nanofabrication method.Photolysis via vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) irradiation is a robust technology capable of inactivating pathogens and degrading micropollutants, and therefore, its application has recently attracted great interest. However, VUV irradiation of water may yield nitrite (NO2-, a regulated carcinogenic contaminant) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, a compound linked to aging, inflammation, and cancer), thus motivating us to better understand its risks. By applying a novel H2O2 detection method insensitive to coexisting compounds, this study clearly observed concurrent and substantial formations of NO2- and H2O2 during VUV irradiation of various synthetic and real waters. Increasing pH and/or decreasing oxygen promoted the conversion of nitrate (NO3-) into NO2- but suppressed the H2O2 formation, suggesting that there was a transition of radicals from oxidizing species like hydroxyl radicals to reducing species like hydrogen atoms and hydrated electrons. Under low light dose conditions, both NO2- and H2O2 were formed concurrently; however, under high radiation dosage conditions, the patterns conducive to NO2- formation were opposite to those conducive to H2O2 formation.