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Nitric oxide (NO) is one of the major air pollutants that may cause ecological imbalance and severe human disease. However, the removal of NO faces challenges of low efficiency, high energy consumption, and production of toxic NO 2 byproducts. Herein, we report an efficient *OOH intermediate-involved NO oxidation route with high NO 3 - selectivity via a gas phase photo-Fenton system. Fe single atoms (Fe SAs)-anchored NH 2 -UiO-66(Zr) (Fe SAs@NU) was synthesized. The five-coordinated Fe SAs undergo a transient structure reconstitution during the photo-Fenton process, which enables a novel heterolytic cleavage pathway of H 2 O 2 to derive specific ·OOH/·O 2 - radicals as reactive oxygen species. Therefore, a high NO (550 parts per billion) removal rate of 81% (NO 3 - selectivity up to 99%) is achieved under visible-light irradiation (>420 nm). This study provides new insight for the high-performance photo-Fenton process via a transient structure reconstitution pathway for the removal of gas phase NO x pollutants.

Although photocatalytic hydrogen production from water holds great potential as a renewable and sustainable energy alternative, the practical application of the technology demands cost-effective, simple photocatalytic systems with high efficiency in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, the synthesis and characterization of Cu 31 S 16 /Zn x Cd 1-x S heterostructured nanoplates (Cu 31 S 16 /ZnCdS HNPs) as a high photocatalytic system are reported. The cost-effective, hierarchical structures are easily prepared using the Cu 31 S 16 NPs as the seed by the epitaxial growth of the ZnCdS nanocrystals (NCs). The Cu 31 S 16 /ZnCdS without the noble metal cocatalyst exhibits a high HER rate of 61.7 mmol g -1  h -1 , which is 8,014 and 17 times higher than that of Cu 31 S 16 and ZnCdS, respectively, under visible light irradiation. The apparent quantum yield (AQY) of Cu 31 S 16 /ZnCdS reaches 67.9% at 400 nm with the highest value so far in the reported ZnCdS-based photocatalysts. The excellent activity and stability of the Cu 31 S 16 /ZnCdS are attributed to the formation of a strong internal electric field (IEF) and the Z-scheme pathway. The comprehensive experiments and theoretical calculations provide the direct evidences of the Z-scheme route. This work may offer a way for the design and development of efficient photocatalysts to achieve solar-to-chemical energy conversion at a practically useful level., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Atomically dispersed Pt-group metals are promising as nanocatalysts because of their unique geometric structures and ultrahigh atomic utilization. However, loading isolated Pt-group metals in single-atom alloys (SAAs) with distinctive bimetallic sites is challenging. In this study, we present amorphous mesoporous Ni boride (Ni-B) as an ideal substrate to uniformly disperse Pt atoms with tunable loadings (1.7 to 12.2 wt %). The effect of the morphology, composition, and crystal phase of the Ni-B host on the growth and dispersion of Pt atoms is discussed. The resulting amorphous Pt-Ni-B mesoporous nanospheres exhibit superior electrocatalytic H 2 evolution performance in acidic media. This strategy holds the potential to synthesize a diverse library of mesoporous amorphous Pt-group SAAs, by leveraging functional amorphous nanostructured 3 d transition-metal borides as substrates, thereby proposing a comprehensive strategy to control atomically dispersed Pt-group metals.

A piezoelectric polymer membrane based on single metal atoms was demonstrated to be effective by anchoring isolated calcium (Ca) atoms on a composite of nitrogen-doped carbon and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). The addition of Ca-atom-anchored carbon nanoparticles not only promotes the formation of the β phase (from 29.8 to 56.3%), the most piezoelectrically active phase, in PVDF, but also introduces much higher porosity and hydrophilicity. Under ultrasonic excitation, the fabricated catalyst membrane demonstrates a record-high and stable dye decomposing rate of 0.11 min -1 and antibacterial efficiencies of 99.8%. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the primary contribution to catalytic activity arises from single-atom Ca doping and that a possible synergistic effect between PVDF and Ca atoms can improve the catalytic performance. It is shown that O 2 molecules can be easily hydrogenated to produce ·OH on Ca-PVDF, and the local electric field provided by the β-phase-PVDF might enhance the production of ·O 2 - . The proposed polymer membrane is expected to inspire the rational design of piezocatalysts and pave the way for the application of piezocatalysis technology for practical environmental remediation.

The exfoliation of bulk C 3 N 4 (BCN) into ultrathin layered structure is an effective strategy to boost photocatalytic efficiency by exposing interior active sites and accelerating charge separation and transportation. Herein, we report a novel nitrate anion intercalation-decomposition (NID) strategy that is effective in peeling off BCN into few-layer C 3 N 4 (fl-CN) with tailored thickness down to bi-layer. This strategy only involves hydrothermal treatment of BCN in diluted HNO 3 aqueous solution, followed by pyrolysis at various temperatures. The decomposition of the nitrate anions not only exfoliates BCN and changes the band structure, but also incorporates oxygen species onto fl-CN, which is conducive to O 2 adsorption and hence relevant chemical processes. In photocatalytic O 2 reduction under visible light irradiation, the H 2 O 2 production rate over the optimal fl-CN-530 catalyst is 952 μmol g -1  h -1 , which is 8.8 times that over BCN. More importantly, under full arc irradiation and in the absence of hole scavenger, CH 4 can be photocatalytically oxidized by on-site formed H 2 O 2 and active oxygen species to generate value-added C1 oxygenates with high selectivity of 99.2 % and record-high production rate of 1893 μmol g -1  h -1 among the metal-free C 3 N 4 -based photocatalysts., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Direct CO 2 hydrogenation to value-added chemicals is a promising path toward realizing the "carbon-neutral" goal. However, controlling the selectivity of CO 2 hydrogenation toward desired products ( e.g. , CO and CH 4 ) using non-precious metal-based catalysts is important but challenging. It is imperative to explore catalysts with high activity and stability. Herein, boron-doped cobalt nanoparticles supported on H-ZSM-5 were devised for CO 2 hydrogenation to produce CO in a gas-solid flow system. Our results demonstrate that boron doping not only increases the CO 2 adsorption capability of the catalyst but also optimizes the electronic state of Co for CO desorption during hydrogenation process. As a result, the boron-doped cobalt catalysts displayed an enhanced CO selectivity of 94.5% and a CO 2 conversion rate of 45.6%, which is much higher than that of Co-ZSM-5 without boron doping. This study shows that the strategic design of metal borides is important for controlling the selectivity of desired products in the CO 2 hydrogenation reaction., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Achieving the complete mineralization of persistent pollutants in wastewater is still a big challenge. Here, we propose an efficient photo-self-Fenton reaction for the degradation of different pollutants using the high-density (Ag: 22 wt %) of atomically dispersed AgCo dual sites embedded in graphic carbon nitride (AgCo-CN). Comprehensive experimental measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the Ag and Co dual sites in AgCo-CN play a critical role in accelerating the photoinduced charge separation and forming the self-Fenton redox centers, respectively. The bimetallic AgCo-CN exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance toward the phenol even under extreme conditions due to an efficient degradation pathway and in situ generation of the hydrogen peroxide producing the main active oxygen species (⋅OH and 1 O 2 ) and showed long-term activity in a self-design photo-Filter reactor for the purification of the phenol. Our discoveries pave the way for the design of efficient single-atoms photocatalysts-based photo-self-Fenton reaction for recalcitrant pollutant treatment., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Photocatalytic Fenton reactions combined the advantages from both photocatalysis and Fenton reaction in mineralizing organic pollutants. The key problems are the efficiency and recycling stability. Herein, we reported a novel Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 /reduced graphene oxide (FTG) nanocomposite synthesized by a facile solvothermal method. The TiO 2 in FTG degraded organic pollutants and mineralized intermediates via photocatalysis under visible light irradiation, which could also promote Fenton reaction by accelerating Fe 3+ -Fe 2+ recycle. Meanwhile, the Fe 2 O 3 rapidly degraded organic pollutants via Fenton reactions, which also promoted photocatalysis by enhancing visible light absorbance and diminishing photoelectron-hole recombination. The high distribution of TiO 2 and Fe 2 O 3 on rGO, together with their strong interaction resulted in enhanced synergetic cooperation between photocatalysis and Fenton reactions, leading to the high mineralization efficiency of organic pollutants. More importantly, it could also inhibit the leaching of Fe species, leading to the long lifetime of FTG during photocatalytic Fenton reactions in a wide pH range from 3.4 to 9.2., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as crucial players in catalysis research, prompting extensive investigation and application. The precise control of metal atom nucleation and growth has garnered significant attention. In this study, we present a straightforward approach for preparing SACs utilizing a photocatalytic radical control strategy. Notably, we demonstrate for the first time that radicals generated during the photochemical process effectively hinder the aggregation of individual atoms. By leveraging the cooperative anchoring of nitrogen atoms and crystal lattice oxygen on the support, we successfully stabilize the single atom. Our Pd 1 /TiO 2 catalysts exhibit remarkable catalytic activity and stability in the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction, which was 43 times higher than Pd/C. Furthermore, we successfully depose Pd atoms onto various substrates, including TiO 2 , CeO 2 , and WO 3 . The photocatalytic radical control strategy can be extended to other single-atom catalysts, such as Ir, Pt, Rh, and Ru, underscoring its broad applicability., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Controlling the synthesis of metal nanostructures is one approach for catalyst engineering and performance optimization in electrocatalysis. As an emerging class of unconventional electrocatalysts, two-dimensional (2D) metallene electrocatalysts with ultrathin sheet-like morphology have gained ever-growing attention and exhibited superior performance in electrocatalysis owing to their distinctive properties originating from structural anisotropy, rich surface chemistry, and efficient mass diffusion capability. Many significant advances in synthetic methods and electrocatalytic applications for 2D metallenes have been obtained in recent years. Therefore, an in-depth review summarizing the progress in developing 2D metallenes for electrochemical applications is highly needed. Unlike most reported reviews on the 2D metallenes, this review starts by introducing the preparation of 2D metallenes based on the classification of the metals (e.g., noble metals, and non-noble metals) instead of synthetic methods. Some typical strategies for preparing each kind of metal are enumerated in detail. Then, the utilization of 2D metallenes in electrocatalytic applications, especially in the electrocatalytic conversion reactions, including the hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction, fuel oxidation reaction, CO 2 reduction reaction, and N 2 reduction reaction, are comprehensively discussed. Finally, current challenges and opportunities for future research on metallenes in electrochemical energy conversion are proposed.

Efficient utilization of infrared (IR) light, which occupies almost half of the solar energy, is an important but challenging task in solar-to-fuel transformation. Herein, we report the discovery of CuS@ZnS core@shell nanocrystals (CSNCs) with strong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) characteristics in the IR light region showing enhanced photocatalytic activity in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). A unique "plasmon-induced defect-mediated carrier transfer" (PIDCT) at the heterointerfaces of the CSNCs divulged by time-resolved transient spectroscopy enables producing a high quantum yield of 29.2%. The CuS@ZnS CSNCs exhibit high activity and stability in H 2 evolution under near-IR light irradiation. The HER rate of CuS@ZnS CSNCs at 26.9 μmol h -1 g -1 is significantly higher than those of CuS NCs (0.4 μmol h -1 g -1 ) and CuS/ZnS core/satellite heterostructured NCs (15.6 μmol h -1 g -1 ). The PIDCT may provide a viable strategy for the tuning of LSPR-generated carrier kinetics through controlling the defect engineering to improve photocatalytic performance.

The selective conversion of dilute NO pollutant into low-toxic product and simultaneous storage of metabolic nitrogen for crop plants remains a great challenge from the perspective of waste management and sustainable chemistry. This study demonstrates that this bottleneck can be well tackled by refining the reactive oxygen species (ROS) on Ni-modified NH 2 -UiO-66(Zr) (Ni@NU) using nickel foam (NF) as a three-dimensional (3D) substrate through a flow photoanode reactor via the gas-phase photoelectrocatalysis. By rationally refining the ROS to ⋅OH, Ni@NU/NF can rapidly eliminate 82 % of NO without releasing remarkable NO 2 under a low bias voltage (0.3 V) and visible light irradiation. The abundant mesoporous pores on Ni@NU/NF are conducive to the diffusion and storage of the formed nitrate, which enables the progressive conversion NO into nitrate with selectivity over 99 % for long-term use. Through calculation, 90 % of NO could be recovered as the nitrate species, indicating that this state-of-the-art strategy can capture, enrich and recycle the pollutant N source from the atmosphere. This study offers a new perspective of NO pollutant treatment and sustainable nitrogen exploitation, which may possess great potential to the development of highly efficient air purification systems for industrial and indoor NO x control., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The photoreduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into renewable synthetic fuels is an attractive approach for generating alternative energy feedstocks that may compete with and eventually displace fossil fuels. However, it is challenging to accurately trace the products of CO 2 photoreduction on account of the poor conversion efficiency of these reactions and the imperceptible introduced carbon contamination. Isotope-tracing experiments have been used to solve this problem, but they frequently yield false-positive results because of improper experimental execution and, in some cases, insufficient rigor. Thus, it is imperative that accurate and effective strategies for evaluating various potential products of CO 2 photoreduction are developed for the field. Herein, we experimentally demonstrate that the contemporary approach toward isotope-tracing experiments in CO 2 photoreduction is not necessarily rigorous. Several examples of where pitfalls and misunderstandings arise, consequently making isotope product traceability difficult, are demonstrated. Further, we develop and describe standard guidelines for isotope-tracing experiments in CO 2 photoreduction reactions and then verify the procedure using some reported photoreduction systems., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Designing adsorption materials with high adsorption capacities and selectivities is highly desirable for precious metal recovery. Desorption performance is also particularly crucial for subsequent precious metal recovery and adsorbent regeneration. Herein, a metal-organic framework (MOF) material (NH 2 -UiO-66) with an asymmetric electronic structure of the central zirconium oxygen cluster has an exceptional gold extraction capacity of 2.04 g g -1 under light irradiation. The selectivity of NH 2 -UiO-66 for gold ions is up to 98.8 % in the presence of interfering ions. Interestingly, the gold ions adsorbed on the surface of NH 2 -UiO-66 spontaneously reduce in situ, undergo nucleation and growth and finally achieve the phase separation of high-purity gold particles from NH 2 -UiO-66. The desorption and separation efficiency of gold particles from the adsorbent surface reaches 89 %. Theoretical calculations indicate that -NH 2 functions as a dual donor of electrons and protons, and the asymmetric structure of NH 2 -UiO-66 leads to energetically advantageous multinuclear gold capture and desorption. This adsorption material can greatly facilitate the recovery of gold from wastewater and can easily realize the recycling of the adsorbent., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Efficient removal of air pollution caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM) through distributed energy collected from the environment is an effective strategy to achieve both energy conservation and better air quality. Herein, a curtain purification system based on a rabbit fur-based rotary triboelectric nanogenerator (RR-TENG) and a collaborative photocatalysis technology was designed for indoor air purification. The high electrostatic field from RR-TENG enhances formaldehyde adsorption, while it can also efficiently adsorb PM 2.5 simultaneously. More interestingly, the ultrahigh electric field provided by RR-TENG promotes the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs of the g-C 3 N 4 /TiO 2 composite photocatalyst, generating more superoxide radicals (⋅O 2 - ), hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH), and holes (h + ) and thereby improving the photocatalytic efficiency. In a simulated reaction chamber of 9 L, the formaldehyde removal rate of the system can reach 79.2% within 90 min and RR-TENG rapidly reduces PM 2.5 from 999 μg m -3 to 50 μg m -3 within 60 s. This study proposes a curtain purification system integrating the function of energy collection and photocatalytic purification, which can be applied for improving air quality and human health.

Amorphous noble metals with high surface areas have attracted significant interest as heterogeneous catalysts due to the numerous dangling bonds and abundant unsaturated surface atoms created by the amorphous phase. However, synthesizing amorphous noble metals with high surface areas remains a significant challenge due to strong isotropic metallic bonds. This paper describes the first example of a mesoporous amorphous noble metal alloy [iridium-tellurium (IrTe)] obtained using a micelle-directed synthesis method. The resulting mesoporous amorphous IrTe electrocatalyst exhibits excellent performance in the electrochemical N 2 reduction reaction. The ammonia yield rate is 34.6 μg mg -1 h -1 with a Faradaic efficiency of 11.2% at -0.15 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode in 0.1 M HCl solution, outperforming comparable crystalline and Ir metal counterparts. The interconnected porous scaffold and amorphous nature of the alloy create a complementary effect that simultaneously enhances N 2 absorption and suppresses the hydrogen evolution reaction. According to theoretical simulations, incorporating Te in the IrTe alloy effectively strengthens the adsorption of N 2 and lowers the Gibbs free energy for the rate-limiting step of the electrocatalytic N 2 reduction reaction. Mesoporous chemistry enables a new route to achieve high-performance amorphous metalloid alloys with properties that facilitate the selective electrocatalytic reduction of N 2 .

Construction of a well-defined mesoporous nanostructure is crucial for applying nonnoble metals in catalysis and biomedicine owing to their highly exposed active sites and accessible surfaces. However, it remains a great challenge to controllably synthesize superparamagnetic CoFe-based mesoporous nanospheres with tunable compositions and exposed large pores, which are sought for immobilization or adsorption of guest molecules for magnetic capture, isolation, preconcentration, and purification. Herein, a facile assembly strategy of a block copolymer was developed to fabricate a mesoporous CoFeB amorphous alloy with abundant metallic Co/Fe atoms, which served as an ideal scaffold for well-dispersed loading of Au nanoparticles (∼3.1 nm) via the galvanic replacement reaction. The prepared Au-CoFeB possessed high saturation magnetization as well as uniform and large open mesopores (∼12.5 nm), which provided ample accessibility to biomolecules, such as nucleic acids, enzymes, proteins, and antibodies. Through this distinctive combination of superparamagnetism (CoFeB) and biofavorability (Au), the resulting Au-CoFeB was employed as a dispersible nanovehicle for the direct capture and isolation of p53 autoantibody from serum samples. Highly sensitive detection of the autoantibody was achieved with a limit of detection of 0.006 U/mL, which was 50 times lower than that of the conventional p53-ELISA kit-based detection system. Our assay is capable of quantifying differential expression patterns for detecting p53 autoantibodies in ovarian cancer patients. This assay provides a rapid, inexpensive, and portable platform with the potential to detect a wide range of clinically relevant protein biomarkers.

The influence of metal ions, the state of metal salt, and ligands on the sterilization ability of (Metalorganic frameworks) MOFs to effectively achieve sterilization has been investigated in this study. Initially, the MOFs were synthesized by elements of Zn, Ag, and Cd for the same periodic and main group of Cu. This illustrated that the atomic structure of Cu was more beneficial for coordinating with ligands. To further induce the maximum amount of Cu 2+ ions in the Cu-MOFs to achieve the highest sterilization, various Cu-MOFs synthesized by the different valences of Cu, various states of copper salts, and organic ligands were performed, respectively. The results demonstrated that Cu-MOFs synthesized by 3, 5-dimethyl-1, 2, 4-triazole and tetrakis (acetonitrile) copper(I) tetrafluoroborate presented the largest inhibition-zone diameter of 40.17 mm towards Staphylococcus Aureus ( S. aureus ) under dark conditions. The proposed mechanism of Cu (Ⅱ) in MOFs could significantly cause multiple toxic effects, such as the generation of reactive oxygen species, and lipid peroxidation in S. aureus cells, when the bacteria was anchored by the Cu-MOFs via electrostatic interaction. Finally, the broad antimicrobial properties of Cu-MOFs against Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), Acinetobacter baumannii ( A. baumannii ), and S. aureus were demonstrated. In conclusion, the Cu-3, 5-dimethyl-1, 2, 4-triazole MOFs appeared to be potential antibacterial catalysts in the antimicrobial field., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Xu, Ding, Liu, Lv, Miao, Liu, Gong, Huo and Li.)

Oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR and OER, respectively) are vital steps for metal-air batteries, which are plagued by their sluggish kinetics. It is still a challenge to develop highly effective and low-cost non-noble-metal-based electrocatalysts. Herein, a simple and reliable method was reported to synthesize a Co 2 P-assisted Co single-atom (Co-N 4 centers) electrocatalyst (Co 2 P/Co-NC) via evaporative drying and pyrolysis processes. The Co 2 P nanoparticles and Co-N 4 centers are uniformly distributed on the nitrogen-doped carbon matrix. Notably, Co 2 P/Co-NC showed excellent activities in both ORR (initial potential, 1.01 V; half-wave potential, 0.88 V) and OER (overpotential, 369 mV at 10 mA cm -2 ). The above results were comparable to those of commercial catalysts (such as Pt/C and RuO 2 ). Based on the experimental and theoretical analyses, the impressive activity can be ascribed to the tailored electronic structure of Co-N 4 centers by the adjacent Co 2 P, enabling the electron transfer from the Co atom to the neighboring C atoms, leading to a downshift of the d-band center, and improved reaction kinetics were achieved. The assembled Zn-air batteries using Co 2 P/Co-NC as the air cathode showed a peak power density of 187 mW cm -2 and long-life cycling stability for 140 h at 5 mA cm -2 . This work may pave a promising avenue to design hybrid bifunctional electrocatalysts for highly efficient ORR/OER.

The design for non-Cu-based catalysts with the function of producing C 2+ products requires systematic knowledge of the intrinsic connection between the surface state as well as the catalytic activity and selectivity. In this work, photochemical in situ spectral surface characterization techniques combined with the first principle calculations (DFT) were applied to investigate the relationships between the composition of surface states, coordinated motifs, and catalytic selectivity of a titanium oxynitride catalyst. When the catalyst mediates CO 2 photoreduction, C 2 product selectivity is positively correlated with the surface Ti 2+ /Ti 3+ ratio and the surface oxidation state is regulated and controlled by coordinated motifs of N-Ti-O/V[O], which can reduce the potential dimerization energy barriers of *CO-CO* and promote spontaneous formation of the subsequent *CO-CH 2 * intermediate. This phenomenon provides a new perspective for the design of heterogeneous catalysts for photoreduction of CO 2 into useful products., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Exploring the pathways for photocatalytic dissolution of precious metals (PMs) is crucial for optimizing recovery. In this work, we systematically investigated the selectivity and solvation effects observed for dissolution by focusing on photocatalysis, precious metals and solvents. By combining transient characterization, reaction kinetics, and density functional theory, we determined that the radicals generated in photocatalysis were the key active species in the entire reaction. The cyano functional group in the solvent was the driving factor for dissolution of gold, and the importance of chlorine radicals for dissolution of platinum group precious metals was further confirmed. In addition, the catalytic properties of different precious metals can promote different transformations of functional groups, leading to selective dissolution. The structures of photocatalytic precious metal leaches also precisely explains the special coordination forms of precious metals and functional group ligands., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

With the rapid development of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) for flexible wearable devices and electronic skins, challenges have gradually emerged related to the electrification surface, such as pollutant contamination and sophisticated surface adaptability. Hence, we report a simple spraying method to produce a shape-adaptive photocatalytic (SAP) triboelectric material with both self-cleaning and shape-adaptive functions. By spraying the polyvinyl alcohol solution with TiO 2 photocatalysts and pre-drying cyclic, the SAP film can be adapted to a varied and intricate substrate. The highest transferred charge density of the SAP film reaches 197.5 μC/m 2 , when it contacts with the PTFE film. At the same time, it can degrade 74.4% of simulated pollutants under sunlight illumination, and 97% of the transferred charge density can be maintained after the degradation process, indicating good self-cleaning function and stable electrical output. Moreover, the spraying method of this allows it to have shape-adaptive functions. Accordingly, the SAP film can be deposited on the rectangular pyramid and hemispherical surface for fabricating TENGs with special shapes. This low-cost and simple spraying method further promotes the commercialized application of TENGs in the field of wearable devices and skin sensors.

Controlling the morphology, composition, and crystalline phase of mesoporous nonnoble metal catalysts is essential for improving their performance. Herein, well-defined P- and B-codoped NiFe alloy mesoporous nanospheres (NiFeB-P MNs) with an adjustable Ni/Fe ratio and large mesopores (11 nm) are synthesized via soft-template-based chemical reduction and a subsequent phosphine-vapor-based phosphidation process. Earth-abundant NiFe-based materials are considered promising electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) because of their low cost and high intrinsic catalytic activity. The resulting NiFeB-P MNs exhibit a low OER overpotential of 252 mV at 10 mA cm -2 , which is significantly smaller than that of B-doped NiFe MNs (274 mV) and commercial RuO 2 (269 mV) in alkaline electrolytes. Thus, this work highlights the practicality of designing mesoporous nonnoble metal structures and the importance of incorporating P in metallic-B-based alloys to modify their electronic structure for enhancing their intrinsic activity., (© 2022 The Authors. Small published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Learning from the important role of porphyrin-based chromophores in natural photosynthesis, a bionic photocatalytic system based on tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin-coupled TiO 2 was designed for photo-induced treating low-concentration NO x indoor gas (550 parts per billion), achieving a high NO removal rate of 91% and a long stability under visible-light (λ ≥ 420 nm) irradiation. Besides the great contribution of the conventional • O 2 - reactive species, a synergic effect between a singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) and mobile hydroxyl radicals ( • OH f ) was first illustrated for removing NO x indoor gas ( 1 O 2 + 2NO → 2NO 2 , NO 2 + • OH f → HNO 3 ), inhibiting the production of the byproducts of NO 2 . This work is helpful for understanding the surface mechanism of photocatalytic NO x oxidation and provides a new perspective for the development of highly efficient air purification systems.

Divergent synthesis of four contorted aromatics containing pentagons, a heptagon, and/or an azulene from the same difluorenyl pentacenediene precursor were realized in one step. The subtle differences in molecular structure were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The mechanisms for the control of different products, which involve a ring-expansion rearrangement, Scholl reactions, and/or Mallory cyclization were proposed on the basis of control experiments and DFT calculations. Such development adds good structure versatility and materials accessibility to the study of contorted aromatics.

Commercially, lithium metal batteries are still limited by the growth of lithium dendrites and excessive consumption of the electrolyte. A stable multifunctional solid electrolyte interface is the development strategy of lithium metal batteries in the future. However, most of the artificial solid electrolyte interphases (SEIs) cannot meet the original intention of multifunctional design and cannot form an SEI film with a high conductivity and low nucleation potential. In this work, we report a universal and simple method of adding multifunctional fluorosulfonate to a commercial electrolyte, so increasing the inorganic LiF in the SEI. In addition, the imidazole ring in the fluorosulfonate combines with the alkyl group in the electrolyte to form a flexible interface layer, which inhibits the growth of lithium dendrites and makes lithium deposition more uniform, thereby realizing a stable fast charge cycle. With an ultralow capacity of 2 mAh/cm 2 deposited, the symmetrical battery can be deposited stably for nearly 300 h at a high current density of 20 mA/cm 2 . The capacity retention rate of the Li-LiFePO 4 (LFP) full cell was still at 90.6% after 1000 cycles at 5 C. Even with 5 C high-rate fast charging, the capacity was maintained at 76.56% after 200 cycles, which is four times that of commercial electrolytes. This simple addition strategy gives insights into the practical application of the new electrolyte and provides a new idea for the construction of a stable SEI for commercial lithium metal batteries.

2D heterostructures exhibit a considerable potential in electrolytic water splitting due to their high specific surface areas, tunable electronic properties, and diverse hybrid compositions. However, the fabrication of well-defined 2D mesoporous amorphous-crystalline heterostructures with highly active heterointerfaces remains challenging. Herein, an efficient 2D heterostructure consisting of amorphous nickel boron oxide (Ni-B i ) and crystalline mesoporous iridium (meso-Ir) is designed for water splitting, referred to as Ni-B i /meso-Ir. Benefiting from well-defined 2D heterostructures and strong interfacial coupling, the resulting mesoporous dual-phase Ni-B i /meso-Ir possesses abundant catalytically active heterointerfaces and boosts the exposure of active sites, compared to their crystalline and amorphous mono-counterparts. The electronic state of the iridium sites is tuned favorably by hybridizing with Ni-B i layers. Consequently, the Ni-B i /meso-Ir heterostructures show superior and stable electrochemical performance toward both oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in an alkaline electrolyte., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Harvesting distributed and low-quality mechanical energies by triboelectric nanogenerators to power electrochemical reactions is beneficial to electric energy saving and certain applications. However, the conventional self-powered electrochemical process is awkward about the reaction rate, energy conversion efficiency, high-operation frequency, and mismatched impedance. Here we demonstrate an advanced self-powered electrochemical system. In comparison with the conventional system that is inert in activity, the superior power management and electrochemical reaction regulation in tandem make the novel system outstanding for hydrogen peroxide production. In addition to the visible product, an internal current efficiency of 24.6% in the system was achieved. The developed system provides an optimization strategy toward electric energy saving for electrochemical reactions as well as enabling their applications in remote areas by converting environmental mechanical vibrational energy for ecological improvement or recyclable chemical fuel generation.

Photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) generation represents a promising approach for artificial photosynthesis. However, the sluggish half-reaction of water oxidation significantly limits the efficiency of H 2 O 2 generation. Here, a benzylamine oxidation with more favorable thermodynamics is employed as the half-reaction to couple with H 2 O 2 generation in water by using defective zirconium trisulfide (ZrS 3 ) nanobelts as a photocatalyst. The ZrS 3 nanobelts with disulfide (S 2 2- ) and sulfide anion (S 2- ) vacancies exhibit an excellent photocatalytic performance for H 2 O 2 generation and simultaneous oxidation of benzylamine to benzonitrile with a high selectivity of >99%. More importantly, the S 2 2- and S 2- vacancies can be separately introduced into ZrS 3 nanobelts in a controlled manner. The S 2 2- vacancies are further revealed to facilitate the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. The S 2- vacancies can significantly improve the electron conduction, hole extraction, and kinetics of benzylamine oxidation. As a result, the use of defective ZrS 3 nanobelts yields a high production rate of 78.1 ± 1.5 and 32.0 ± 1.2 μmol h -1 for H 2 O 2 and benzonitrile, respectively, under a simulated sunlight irradiation.

With the excellent structural design, rotary triboelectric nanogenerator (R-TENG) is suitable for harvesting mechanical energy such as wind energy and water energy to build a self-powered electrochemical system for environmental science. The electrochemical performance has been greatly improved by using the pulsed direct-current (PDC) output of a TENG; however, a full-wave PDC (FW-PDC) is hardly realized in R-TENG devices due to existence of phase superposition. Here, a R-TENG with FW-PDC output is reported to perform a self-powered electro-Fenton system for enhancing the removal efficiency of levofloxacin (OFL). By adjusting the rotation center angle ratio between each rotator and stator unit, the phase superposition of R-TENG caused by multiple parallel electrodes can be effectively eliminated, thus achieving the desired FW-PDC output. Because of the reduced electrode passivation effect, the removal efficiency of OFL is improved by 30% under equal electric charges through using the designed R-TENG with FW-PDC output compared to traditional R-TENG. This study provides a promising methodology to improve the performance of self-powered electrochemical process for treating environment pollutions.

Herein, we introduce polymer nanofibers of TiO 2 @NiCo-LDH as interlayers into Li-S batteries. From 0 to 60 °C, the interlayers can deliver high sulfur utilization, an outstanding rate capability, and excellent cycling life. High-temperature excitation makes it easier for the valence band electrons of TiO 2 to transition to the conduction band. The electron-hole pairs formed on the surface combine with the ether group of 1,3-dioxolane in the electrolyte, which greatly reduces the decomposition and volatilization rates of the electrolyte, ensuring Li-S batteries with good cycle performance at high temperatures. The capacity can stabilize at 798.6 mAh g -1 after 100 cycles at 60 °C and 1C, and the battery can provide a capacity higher than 323.2 mAh g -1 at 0 °C. Simultaneously, the lithium metal symmetrical battery with a functional separator can be continuously cycled for 1800 and 750 h without a short circuit at the current densities of 0.65 and 1.63 mA cm -2 , respectively.

The effective activation and utilization of O 2 have always been the focus of scientists because of its wide applications in catalysis, organic synthesis, life and medical science. Here, a novel method for activating O 2 spontaneously via interfacial oxygen vacancies on carbon-coated TiO 2- x to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) with versatile applications is reported. The interfacial oxygen vacancies can be stabilized by the carbon layer and hold its intrinsic properties for spontaneous oxygen activation without light irradiation, while common surface oxygen vacancies on TiO 2- x are always consumed by the capture of H 2 O to form the surface hydroxyls. Thus, O 2 absorbed at the interface of carbon and TiO 2- x can be directly activated into singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) or superoxide radicals (·O 2 - ), confirmed both experimentally and theoretically. These reactive oxygen species exhibit excellent performance in oxidation reactions and inhibition of MCF-7 cancer cells, providing new insight into the effective utilization of O 2 via oxygen vacancies on metal oxides.

Amorphous bimetallic borides are an emerging class of catalytic nanomaterial that has demonstrated excellent catalytic performance due to its glass-like structure, abundant unsaturated active sites, and synergistic electronic effects. However, the creation of mesoporous Earth-abundant bimetallic metal borides with tunable metal proportion remains a challenge. Herein, we develop a sophisticated and controllable dual-reducing agent strategy to synthesize the mesoporous nickel-cobalt boron (NiCoB) amorphous alloy spheres (AASs) with adjustable compositions by using a soft template-directed assembly approach. The selective use of tetrabutylphosphonium bromide (Bu 4 PBr) is beneficial to generate well-defined mesopores because it both moderates the reduction rate by decreasing the reducibility of M 2+ species and prevents the generation of soap bubbles. Our meso-Ni 10.0 Co 74.5 B 15.5 AASs generate the highest catalytic performance for the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (AB). Its high performance is attributed to the combination of optimal synergistic effects between Ni, Co, and B as well as the high surface area and the good mass transport efficiency due to the open mesopores. This work describes a systematic approach for the design and synthesis of mesoporous bimetallic borides as efficient catalysts.

Steam generation and photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants based on solar light are regarded as two important strategies for addressing the water scarcity issues. The water evaporation efficiency was greatly inhibited by the high cost, low stability, and low efficiencies of solar light absorption and photothermal conversion of photothermal materials. Moreover, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are easily volatilized and enriched in as-distilled water during the photothermal process. Inspired by the structure of biomass materials in nature, a bifunctional solar light-driven steam generation and VOC removal microreactor was explored by coating commercial TiO 2 (P25) powders on a carbonized biomass waste Flammulina . With the 3D aligned porous carbon architectures, this microreactor exhibited both a high water evaporation rate (37.0 kg m -2 h -1 ) and a high energy conversion efficiency (91.2%) under simulated sunlight irradiation (light intensity = 25.5 kW m -2 ). A high VOC removal rate (80.9% in 40 min) was also achieved during the steam generation process via choosing phenol as the probe pollutant molecules. The nature-inspired designing concept and bifunctional microreactor in this study may open up a new strategy for producing clean distilled water from seawater with an efficient removal of VOCs.

One-dimensional sp-hybridized carbon wires, including cumulenes and polyynes, can be regarded as finite versions of carbynes. They are likely to be good candidates for molecular-scale conducting wires as they are predicted to have a high-conductance. In this study, we first characterize the single-molecule conductance of a series of cumulenes and polyynes with a backbone ranging in length from 4 to 8 carbon atoms, including [7]cumulene, the longest cumulenic carbon wire studied to date for molecular electronics. We observe different length dependence of conductance when comparing these two forms of carbon wires. Polyynes exhibit conductance decays with increasing molecular length, while cumulenes show a conductance increase with increasing molecular length. Their distinct conducting behaviors are attributed to their different bond length alternation, which is supported by theoretical calculations. This study confirms the long-standing theoretical predictions on sp-hybridized carbon wires and demonstrates that cumulenes can form highly conducting molecular wires.

The photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) technique has attracted much attention to getting clear energy and environmental purification. Simultaneous reactions of solar energy generation could be used to apply for practical applications to maximize the functionality of reactor systems. Herein, we crafted a self-driving photoelectrocatalytic reactor system, comprising platinum (Pt) modified p-Si nanowires (Pt/Si-NWs) as a photocathode and TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TiO 2 -NTAs) as a photoanode for synergistic H 2 evolution and water purification, respectively. Hydrogen evolution in the cathode chamber and environmental remediation in the anode chamber were achieved with the aid of appropriate bandgap illumination and self-built bias voltage. The mismatch of Fermi levels between TiO 2 -NTAs and Si-NWs reduced the recombination rates of photoinduced electrons and holes through the formation of Z scheme and inner electric filed. The synergistic PEC reactions exhibited much higher activities than those achieved using other systems so far. This basic principal could be applied for fabricating other PEC reactors in photoelectro conversion devices and be established as design guidelines for reactors to maximize the PEC performance.

Highly effective photocatalysts for the hydrogen-evolution reaction were developed by conferring the linkers of NH 2 -MIL-125(Ti), a metal-organic framework (MOF) constructed from TiO x clusters and 2-aminoterephthalic acid (linkers), with active copper centers. This design enables effective transfer of electrons from the linkers to the transient Cu 2+ /Cu + centers, leading to 7000-fold and 27-fold increase of carrier density and lifetime of photogenerated charges, respectively, as well as high-rate production of H 2 under visible-light irradiation. This work provides a novel design of a photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution using non-noble Cu 2+ /Cu + as co-catalysts., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

This study explores a new mode of contortion in perylene diimides where the molecule is bent, like a bow, along its long axis. These bowed PDIs were synthesized through a facile fourfold Suzuki macrocyclization with aromatic linkers and a tetraborylated perylene diimide that introduces strain and results in a bowed structure. By altering the strings of the bow, the degree of bending can be controlled from flat to highly bent. Through spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations, it is demonstrated that the energy of the lowest unoccupied orbital can be controlled by the degree of bending in the structures and that the energy of the highest occupied orbital can be controlled to a large extent by the constitution of the aromatic linkers. The important finding is that the bowing results not only in red-shifted absorptions but also more facile reductions., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The synergistic photocatalytic Fenton reaction is a powerful advanced oxidation technique for the degradation of persistent organic pollutants. However, microwave-induced thermal effects on the formation of novel structures facilitating the photocatalytic degradation have been rarely reported. Herein, a two-step microwave thermal strategy was developed to synthesize a new hybrid catalyst comprising defective WO 3- x nanowires coupled with reduced graphene oxides (rGOs). Conventionally, microwave methods could induce superhot spots on the GO surface, resulting in the site-specific crystallization and oriented growth of WO 3 . However, in the solid phase, localized microwave thermal effects could reduce the interfacial area between WO 3 and rGO and enhance the bonding between them. As for the unique structure and surface properties, the synthesized catalyst enhanced the light absorption, promoted the interfacial charge separation, and increased the carrier density in the photocatalytic processes. In addition, surface formation of W 4+ provided a new pathway for Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ cycling which linked the photocatalytic reaction and the Fenton process. The optimized catalyst exhibited a remarkable performance in the degradation of bisphenol A with a ∼83% removal yield via a photo-Fenton route. These microwave-induced functionalities of materials for synergistic reactions could also give a new avenue to other photoelectrocatalytic fields and solar cells.

Catalytic oxidation of CO at ambient temperature is an important reaction for many environmental applications. Here, we employed a defect engineering strategy to design an extraordinarily effective Sn-doped Co 3 O 4 nanorods (NRs) catalyst for CO oxidation. Our combined theoretical and experimental data demonstrated that Co 2+ in the lattice of Co 3 O 4 were substituted by Sn 4+ . Based on a variety of characterizations and kinetic studies, this catalyst was found to combine the advantages of the nanorod-like morphology for largely exposing catalytically active Co 3+ sites and the promotional effect of Sn dopant for adjusting the textural/redox properties. Additionally, the Sn-substituted Co 3 O 4 NRs can be further activated via heat treatment to achieve low-temperature CO oxidation (T 100 ∼ -100 °C) with excellent stability at ambient temperature. This study reveals the importance of Sn-substitution of inactive Co 2+ in Co 3 O 4 and provides an ultra-efficient catalyst for CO oxidation, making this robust material one of the most powerful catalysts available up to now., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A facile in situ one-step route for the preparation of platinum nanoparticles supported on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) without adding stabilizing agents was developed. The obtained 10% Pt@MOF-T3 material possessed a large surface area and high crystallinity. Meanwhile, uniform and well-dispersed platinum nanoparticles were formed inside the cavities of MOFs, which could be attributed to the efficient complexation and stabilization effect derived from the dipyridyl groups. The as-synthesized 10% Pt@MOF-T3 sample showed high activity and selectivity in the hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). This excellent catalytic performance could be attributed to the synergistic effects of well-dispersed platinum nanoparticles and electron donation offered by MOFs. Meanwhile, the presence of bipyridine ligands in the MOF framework avoided the irreversible adsorption of the hydrocarbon compounds, leading to the enhanced catalytic efficiency. Besides, it was easily recycled and reused at least five times, showing good recyclability., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.)

Selective photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 has been regarded as one of the most amazing ways for re-using CO 2 . However, its application is still limited by the low CO 2 conversion efficiency. This work developed a novel Pt/In 2 O 3 /g-C 3 N 4 multifunctional catalyst, which exhibited high activity and selectivity to HCOOH during photocatalytic CO 2 reduction under visible light irradiation owing to the synergistic effect between photocatalyst, thermocatalyst, and heterojunctions. Both In 2 O 3 and g-C 3 N 4 acted as visible photocatalysts, in which porous g-C 3 N 4 facilitated H 2 production from water splitting while the In 2 O 3 nanosheets embedded in g-C 3 N 4 pores favored CO 2 fixation and H adsorption onto the Lewis acid sites. Besides, the In 2 O 3 /g-C 3 N 4 heterojunctions could efficiently inhibit the photoelectron-hole recombination, leading to enhanced quantum efficiency. The Pt could act as a co-catalyst in H 2 production from photocatalytic water splitting and also accelerated electron transfer to inhibit electron-hole recombination and generated a plasma effect. More importantly, the Pt could activate H atoms and CO 2 molecules toward the formation of HCOOH. At normal pressure and room temperature, the TON of HCOOH in CO 2 conversion was 63.1 μmol g -1 h -1 and could reach up to 736.3 μmol g -1 h -1 at 40 atm., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Mesoporous metals have shown significant potential for use in catalysis; however, controllably synthesizing highly ordered mesoporous amorphous alloys is a serious challenge. In this paper, a synthesis strategy was developed for generating ordered amorphous alloy nanowire arrays from mesoporous Ni-P by combining mesoporous silica templating with electroless plating. Mesoporous silica is externally grafted with -CH 3 and internally covered with -NH 2 acting as an efficient template, ensuring the formation of Ni-P nanowires inside the pore channels and endowing the final product with an ordered mesoporous array structure. The resulting ordered mesoporous Ni-P amorphous alloy nanowire arrays were subjected to a liquid-phase sugar hydrogenation to polyols and exhibited a highly superior catalytic performance (97% glucose conversion and 94% maltose conversion) within 4 h at 4 MPa hydrogen pressure and 373 K relative to those reference catalysts, including conventionally prepared Ni-P amorphous alloy nanoparticles (87% glucose conversion and 86% maltose conversion), ordered mesoporous Ni nanowire arrays (90% glucose conversion and 87% maltose conversion), and the commercial Raney Ni catalyst (76% glucose conversion and 66% maltose conversion). According to a comparative study, the enhanced catalytic efficiencies can be ascribed to the integration of amorphous alloy properties and mesoporous material characteristics. The composition- and morphology-controllable synthesis presented here might supply a general synthetic methodology for rationally designing ordered mesoporous amorphous alloys for a broader range of applications.

Most photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) reactions are performed in the liquid phase for convenient electron transfer in an electrolyte solution. Herein, a novel PEC reactor involving a tandem combination of TiO 2 nanorod array/fluorine-doped tin oxide (TiO 2 -NR/FTO) working electrodes and an electrochemical auxiliary cell was constructed to drive the highly efficient PEC oxidation of indoor gas (NO x ). With the aid of a low bias voltage (0.3 V), the as-formed PEC reactor exhibited an 80% removal rate for oxidizing NO (500 ppb) under light irradiation, which is much higher than that of the traditional photocatalytic (PC) process. Upon being irradiated by light, the photogenerated electrons are quickly separated from the holes and transferred to the counter electrode (Pt) owing to the applied bias voltage, leaving photogenerated holes in the TiO 2 -NR/FTO electrode for oxidizing NO molecules. Moreover, both dry and humid NO could be effectively removed by the tandem TiO 2 -NR/FTO-based gas-phase PEC reactor, indicating that the NO molecules could also be directly oxidized by photogenerated holes in addition to hydroxyl radicals. The presence of trace amounts of water could promote the PEC oxidation of NO owing to the formation of hydroxyl radicals induced by reactions between the water and holes, which could further oxidize NO. This PEC reactor offers an energy-saving, environmentally friendly, and efficient route to treat air polluted with low concentrations of gases (NO x and SO x ).

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells have been regarded as the most promising candidate for fuel cell vehicles and tools. Their broader adaption, however, has been impeded by cost and lifetime. By integrating a thin layer of tungsten oxide within the anode, which serves as a rapid-response hydrogen reservoir, oxygen scavenger, sensor for power demand, and regulator for hydrogen-disassociation reaction, we herein report proton exchange membrane fuel cells with significantly enhanced power performance for transient operation and low humidified conditions, as well as improved durability against adverse operating conditions. Meanwhile, the enhanced power performance minimizes the use of auxiliary energy-storage systems and reduces costs. Scale fabrication of such devices can be readily achieved based on the current fabrication techniques with negligible extra expense. This work provides proton exchange membrane fuel cells with enhanced power performance, improved durability, prolonged lifetime, and reduced cost for automotive and other applications.

Selective hydrogenation of nitriles is an industrially relevant synthetic route for the preparation of primary amines. Amorphous metal-boron alloys have a tunable, glass-like structure that generates a high concentration of unsaturated metal surface atoms that serve as active sites in hydrogenation reactions. Here, a method to create nanoparticles composed of mesoporous 3D networks of amorphous nickel-boron (Ni-B) alloy is reported. The hydrogenation of benzyl cyanide to β-phenylethylamine is used as a model reaction to assess catalytic performance. The mesoporous Ni-B alloy spheres have a turnover frequency value of 11.6 h -1 , which outperforms non-porous Ni-B spheres with the same composition. The bottom-up synthesis of mesoporous transition metal-metalloid alloys expands the possible reactions that these metal architectures can perform while simultaneously incorporating more Earth-abundant catalysts., (© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The hybrid Cu 2 O-TiO 2 photocatalytic composite with a p-n heterojunction was synthesized by the supercritical solvothermal route. The uniformly distributed Cu 2 O was stably combined with TiO 2 to benefit the increase of the specific surface area, the harvesting of visible light, and the separation of photogenerated holes and electrons. As a result, photocatalytic inactivation of Acinetobacter baumannii under visible-light irradiation was facilitated. Based on the photogenerated holes acting as the main active species, the Cu 2 O-TiO 2 photocatalytic heterojunction could induce the leakage of K + ions and serious damage of the cell structure, leading to the final cell death. During the photoantibacterial process on Cu 2 O-TiO 2 , the RecA gene played a significant role in enhancing the survival rate of Acinetobacter baumannii . Furthermore, the great bactericidal effect of Cu 2 O-TiO 2 nanocomposites to different bacteria indicated the potential application for the environment-friendly disinfection.

Generating high surface area mesoporous transition metal boride is interesting because the incorporation of boron atoms generates lattice distortions that lead to the formation of amorphous metal boride with unique properties in catalysis. Here we report the first synthesis of mesoporous cobalt boron amorphous alloy colloidal particles using a soft template-directed assembly approach. Dual reducing agents are used to precisely control the chemical reduction process of mesoporous cobalt boron nanospheres. The Earth-abundance of cobalt boride combined with the high surface area and mesoporous nanoarchitecture enables solar-energy efficient photothermal conversion of CO 2 into CO compared to non-porous cobalt boron alloys and commercial cobalt catalysts., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)