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• Nanopore regulation strategy can improve the sodium storage capacity of hard carbon. • The relationship between nanopore and sodium storage capability was investigated. • Micropores hardly accommodate Na+ ions and hinder Na+ ion diffusion. • Mesopores facilitate Na+ ion intercalation and shorten the ion diffusion pathway. Hard carbon is regarded as one of the most promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries in virtue of the low cost and stable framework. However, the correlation between pore structures of hard carbon and sodium-ion storage is still ambiguous. In this work, based on precise control of pore-size distribution, the capacity, ion diffusion, and initial Coulombic efficiency were improved. Meanwhile, the relationship between pore structure and capacity was investigated. Our result indicates that the micropores hinder ion diffusion and hardly ever accommodate Na+ ions, while mesopores facilitate Na+ ion intercalation. Hard carbon with negligible micropores and abundant mesopores delivers a maximum capacity of 283.7 mAh g−1 at 20 mA g−1, which is 83% higher than that of micropore-rich one. Even after 320 cycles at 200 mA g−1, the capacity still remains 189.4 mAh g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generated lattice strain induces the charge redistribution at the interface between BP and NiO, which leads to the improved electron transfer efficiency and favorable H* adsorption kinetics for photocatalytic H 2 evolution reaction. [Display omitted] • A novel multilayered heterostructure coupling BP nanosheets and NiO nanosheets with abundant interface P-Ni and P O bonds is prepared. • Due to the lattice mismatch between BP and NiO, the strain effect was introduced. • BP-NiO heterostructure with strain effect exhibits much enhanced photocatalytic H 2 evolution activity in the presence of Eosin Y. • The lattice strain induces the charge redistribution at the interface between BP and NiO, leading to the improved electron transfer efficiency and favorable H* adsorption kinetics. As an emerging post-graphene two-dimensional material, black phosphorus (BP) has attracted enormous interest as a promising cocatalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen (H 2) evolution, however, the activity of either pristine bulk or BP nanosheets is far from satisfactory. Herein, we present an effective strategy to greatly boost the H 2 evolution performance of BP via applying the synergistic effect of heterojunction and interfacial lattice strain. A multilayered heterostructure coupling BP nanosheets and nickel oxide (NiO) nanosheets with abundant interface P-Ni and P O bonds is synthesized and utilized as a proof-of-concept material for our design. Both the experimental and theoretical results have revealed that the strain is formed in BP-NiO multilayered heterostructure. The generated lattice strain induces the charge redistribution at the interface between BP and NiO, which leads to the improved electron transfer efficiency and favorable H* adsorption kinetics for photocatalytic H 2 evolution reaction. As a result, the BP-NiO heterostructure with strain effect exhibits much enhanced photocatalytic H 2 evolution activity in the presence of Eosin Y (EY) as photosensitizer, exceeding that of zero-strained BP/NiO heterostructure and many other reported noble-metal-free cocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A Co 3 O 4 -Bi 2 O 3 -Ti catalytic membrane was facilely fabricated. • The membrane efficiently activated PMS to degrade organic pollutants continuously. • Reactive oxidative species and non-radical electron transfer were involved. • The catalytic membrane showed excellent reusability. In this study, a functionalized Co 3 O 4 -Bi 2 O 3 -Ti catalytic membrane (CBO-Ti-M) was prepared and applied for removing organic pollutants via activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in the dead-end filtration mode. Characterizations including scanning electron microcopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the Co 3 O 4 -Bi 2 O 3 catalyst was successfully supported on the Ti membrane. The CBO-Ti-M /PMS system could efficiently remove various organic pollutants such as sulfamethoxazole, methyl orange, bisphenol A and methylene blue, achieving removal efficiencies of 98.0%-99.5%. The effects of PMS concentration, flow rate and solution environment on degradation efficiency were investigated in detail. Furthermore, quenching experiments, electron spin resonance (ESR) and in-situ open circuit potential (OCP) tests collectively demonstrated that singlet oxygen as well as the non-radical electron transfer pathway mainly contributed in the reaction mechanism. The synergistic effect of Co and Bi was illustrated according to XPS results, and the possible degradation pathway of MB was proposed based on LC-MS analysis. Reusability test showed that pollutant removal efficiency with the CBO-Ti-M /PMS system remained stable in four runs and limited metal leaching was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sucrose and phytic acid as abundant biomass resources have been combined for the fabrication of highly porous carbons with surface areas up to 1897 m2/g through hydrothermal carbonization and phytic acid-induced in-situ activation in the absence of additional activation agents. The carbons were employed as efficient adsorbents for the adsorptive removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) from water and the adsorption of dibenzothiophene (DBT) from model fuels. Kinetic and isotherm studies were performed for both processes. The effect of pH and ionic strength on SMX adsorption as well as the effect of arene on DBT adsorption was also investigated. By comparing the two adsorption processes, it was found that heteroatom doping could promote DBT adsorption obviously, but its effect on SMX adsorption was less straightforward. This was mainly attributed to the divergent solution media and thus the different adsorption mechanisms between aqueous and non-aqueous adsorption processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]