A fluid flow conduit according to one embodiment comprises: a body comprising a channel-defining surface which defines a principal flow channel extending in a longitudinal direction, wherein the body defines an interior flow region comprising the principal flow channel; an inlet for introducing fluid into the interior flow region, the inlet shaped so that an average velocity of fluid entering the interior flow region from the inlet is oriented in an inlet flow direction non-parallel to the longitudinal direction; and an outlet for conveying fluid out of the principal flow channel, the outlet spaced apart from the inlet in the longitudinal direction such that fluid that passes from the inlet to the outlet passes through at least a portion of the principal flow channel; wherein the fluid flow conduit defines a recess in the interior flow region and facing the inlet.

Photoactive catalyst and methods of producing H.sub.2 by photocatalytic water splitting. The photoactive catalyst includes an upconverting material, a photocatalyst material, and plasmonic metal nanostructures deposited on the surface of the photocatalyst material. The upconverting material is not embedded in or coated by the photocatalyst material. The upconverting material is capable of emitting light at a first wavelength that has an energy equal to or higher than the band gap of the photocatalyst material and at a second wavelength that can be absorbed by the plasmonic metal nanostructures.

Exemplary Embodiments of the invention address the problem of providing semiconductor single-layer carbon nanotubes in which the light emission energy thereof is lowered by approximately 300 meV, and a method for manufacturing the same. In one embodiment of the invention, by applying a method for directly irradiating semiconductor single-layer carbon nanotubes with ultraviolet light in atmospheric air, ozone is generated in the atmosphere, a gram amount of oxygen atoms is introduced to the semiconductor single-layer carbon nanotubes, and semiconductor single-layer carbon nanotubes in which the light emission energy thereof is lowered by approximately 300 meV.

A nail polish curing device with a light absorbing chamber is provided, including: a lower case, an upper case, a control module and a bottom plate. The lower case includes an enclosed wall and an opening on a side of the wall. A chamber is formed by the opening and the wall. The upper case is detachably mounted on the lower case. An upper opening and a recess that serves as a hidden handle are provided on the upper case. The control module is disposed on the upper case and is configured to activate UV light emitting diode module. Herein, a light absorbing layer is provided on the bottom plate and on each surface of the lower case in the chamber. The light absorbing layers are configured to completely absorb UV light emitted by the UV light emitting diode.

A hydrogen generation method including steps as follows: adding a nitrogen-substituted derivative of an alkyldithiolate ruthenium complex as a biomimetic hydrogenase photocatalyst into a solution, adding an organic acid into the solution, adding a P-ligand into the solution, adding an electron donor into the solution, and irradiating the solution with light in order to generate hydrogen.

InGaN offers a route to high efficiency overall water splitting under one-step photo-excitation. Further, the chemical stability of metal-nitrides supports their use as an alternative photocatalyst. However, the efficiency of overall water splitting using InGaN and other visible light responsive photocatalysts has remained extremely low despite prior art work addressing optical absorption through band gap engineering. Within this prior art the detrimental effects of unbalanced charge carrier extraction/collection on the efficiency of the four electron-hole water splitting reaction have remained largely unaddressed. To address this growth processes are presented that allow for controlled adjustment and establishment of the appropriate Fermi level and/or band bending in order to allow the photochemical water splitting to proceed at high rate and high efficiency. Beneficially, establishing such material surface charge properties also reduces photo-corrosion and instability under harsh photocatalysis conditions.

The disclosure relates to a dual catalytic method for forming aryl carbon-nitrogen bonds. The method comprises contacting an aryl halide with an amine in the presence of a dual catalytic solution comprising a Ni(II) salt catalyst, a photocatalyst, and an optional base, thereby forming a reaction mixture; exposing the reaction mixture to light under reaction condition sufficient to produce the aryl carbon-nitrogen bonds. In certain embodiments, the amine may be present in a molar excess to the aryl halide. In certain embodiment, the photocatalyst may be [Ru(bpy).sub.3]Cl.sub.2 or an organic phenoxazine. In certain embodiments, the Ni salt catalyst solution includes a Ni(II) salt and a polar solvent, wherein the Ni(II) salt is dissolved in the polar solvent.

An apparatus and a method for plant extraction are disclosed. The apparatus of the present invention comprises an extraction module, a separating module and a reservoir. The method essentially includes plant material preparing, decarboxylating, active components extracting and separating. By using liquid tetrafluoroethane as the solvent in the apparatus of the present invention, the active components of the plant material are efficiently extracted under low pressure extraction and high pressure extraction conditions.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a fluorinated carbonate derivative in a safe and efficient manner. The method for producing a fluorinated carbonate derivative according to the present invention is characterized in comprising irradiating light on a composition containing a C.sub.1-4 halogenated hydrocarbon having one or more kinds of halogen atoms selected from the group consisting of a chlorine atom, a bromine atom and an iodine atom, a fluorine-containing compound having a nucleophilic functional group and a base in the presence of oxygen.

The present invention generally relates to photocatalytic systems comprising graphene and associated methods. Some embodiments are directed to systems comprising one or more layers of graphene having a first surface and a second, opposed surface. A light-absorbing complex may be associated with the first surface of the one or more graphene layers, and an electron donor complex may be associated with the light-absorbing complex. A catalytic complex may be associated with the first surface or the second surface of the one or more graphene layers. For example, the catalytic complex may catalyze the formation of hydrogen gas, NADH, and/or NADPH.