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Pyrite (FeS 2 ) nanorod arrays were produced on a fluorine doped tin oxide substrate by sulfurizing FeO(OH) nanorods, and then tested as the counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). FeS 2 nanorods show better catalytic properties than the FeS 2 film and the Pt film due to their active facets, which helps to achieve a high short-circuit photocurrent density (J sc ) of DSSCs. On the other hand, FeS 2 nanorods have lower interface resistance than FeS 2 thin films, which contributes to a higher fill factor (FF) of DSSCs. As a result, the solar cell with a CE of FeS 2 nanorods exhibits an excellent power conversion efficiency, which is comparable to that of traditional DSSCs with a Pt CE.

Nutrient flux to the sea through the estuary is important to the health of the sea. Combining natural processes with anthropogenic activities, we discuss the influence on the nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes to the Yangtze River basin, to the estuary and to the sea. The fluxes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) to the estuary through the river/estuary interface are obviously higher than those to the sea through to the estuary/sea interface of the Yangtze estuary. The changes in nutrient fluxes through different interfaces are largely due to the estuarine hydrological and biogeochemical processes. Household, livestock and agricultural runoff are major sources of nitrogen from human activities, and household and livestock contribute to an increase in the anthropogenic phosphorus. The fluxes of DIN and DIP from economic activities account for about one-third of DIN and DIP fluxes to the sea through the Yangtze estuary.

(2005) Phosphorus release in response to pH variation in the lake sedimentswith different ratios of iron-bound P to calcium-bound P, Chemical Speciation & Bioavailability, 17:2,[55][56][57][58][59][60][61] ABSTRACTPhosphorus released from the sediment may render lakes eutrophic under appropriate pH and redox conditions. Phosphorus speciation in lake sediments was investigated by a Standard Measurements and Testing (SMT) protocol in three shallow lakes: Taihu Lake, Chaohu Lake and Longganhu Lake in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Twelve lake sediment samples with different ratios of iron-bound phosphorus (Fe-P) content to calcium-bound phosphorus (Ca-P) content were collected and exposed to various pH conditions. These sediment samples showed different patterns of P release responding to pH variations under an oxic condition. The sediments with Fe-PyCa-P ratios less than 0.5 released more phosphorus under acidic conditions, while the sediments of higher Fe-PyCa-P ratios released more phosphorus under alkaline conditions. The various patterns of phosphorus release from these lake sediments are dependent on the concentrations of the reactive Al and Fe forms and organic matter, which mainly contribute to the different Fe-PyCa-P ratios. Therefore, a ratio of Fe-P content to Ca-P content in the sediment might be regarded as a simple index for the risk assessment of acidity-related or alkalinity-related release of phosphorus.