Although it is known that the environmental behavior and fate of synthetic organic compounds are altered on association with humic materials, the nature of this interaction has been a source of controversy. Fluorescence quenching and polarization techniques were used to study the interaction between water‐soluble humic acid and naphthalene and 1‐naphthol. Stern‐Volmer plots constructed using intensity values for these fluorophores dissolved in humic acid solutions (0–25 mg L−1) were linear. The ultraviolet/visible (UV/VIS) absorption spectra of each fluorophore in the presence and absence of the humic acid quencher were identical. This, in addition to the observed increase in quenching with temperature, indicates a dynamic (collisional) mode of quenching. Fluorescent lifetimes of the probes decreased in the presence of humic acid, providing further evidence of dynamic quenching. However, the slopes of Stern‐Volmer plots constructed with lifetime values were considerably smaller than plots obtained with intensity values. Calculated bimolecular quenching constants of 5.2 × 1010 M−1 s−1 for naphthalene and 4.8 × 1011 M−1 s−1 for 1‐naphthol are above the maximum considered possible for a diffusion‐controlled interaction. Fluorescence‐polarization measurements indicate no rigid association between unquenched 1‐naphthol and humic acid. The interaction of naphthalene and 1‐naphthol with humic acid in aqueous solution occurs through a loose association in which humic acid surrounds the fluorophore in a cage‐like manner. This pseudomicelle confines the probe without rigidly binding it, promoting frequent quenching collisions and a combination of dynamic and static quenching.
A study was conducted to evaluate the long-term effects of biosolids amendment on restoration of disturbed sagebrush steppe habitat in northwestern Colorado. Twenty-four years after biosolids amendment, soil fertility and plant community development were studied in replicated plots receiving various biosolids amendments on two different substrates. The two substrates used were a subsoil, determined to have low initial fertility, and a topsoil over retorted shale substrate, determined to have relatively high initial fertility. Results suggest that biosolids amendments have long-lasting effects on soil fertility and plant community composition, but these effects vary between the two substrates that were utilized. Within the plots established on subsoil, the long-term effect of biosolids was a reduction in plant species diversity and dominance by perennial grasses. On the topsoil substrate, there was a decrease in perennial grasses and an increase in shrub dominance with increasing biosolids. Results demonstrate the importance of considering initial soil conditions, seed mixture, and biosolids application rate when using biosolids for restoration of disturbed sagebrush steppe habitat. The long-term effects of the biosolids treatments at this site demonstrate the need to consider restoration treatment effects over longer and more ecologically meaningful time frames.
The photoluminescence of CuInS2 thin films and solar cells is investigated as a function of postdeposition treatments for different temperatures and excitation intensities. Annealing in hydrogen atmosphere causes an increase of PL intensity at 1.445 eV by more than a factor of 100, while subsequent annealing in oxygen or air ambient passivates this transition, which is ascribed to a donor-acceptor pair recombination between a sulphur vacancy and a copper vacancy. A defect mechanism is suggested that assumes the passivation of sulphur vacancies by oxygen in grain surfaces which can be activated by hydrogen annealing.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.