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Halogen has a significant effect on the photocatalytic performance of bismuth chalcohalide (Bi19X3S27, X = Cl, Br), which is a class of unique material that holds a bright future and is used in hyd...

Metal selenides have attracted increased attention as promising electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems including metal-ion batteries and water splitting. However, their practical application is greatly hindered by collapse of the microstructure, thus leading to performance fading. Tuning the structure at nanoscale of these materials is an effective strategy to address the issue. Herein, we craft MoSe2 with hierarchical hollow structures via a facile bubble-assisted solvothermal method. The temperature-related variations of the hollow interiors are studied, which can be presented as solid, yolk-shell, and hollow spheres, respectively. Under the simultaneous action of the distinctive hollow structures and interconnections among the nanosheets, more intimate contacts between MoSe2 and electrolyte can be achieved, thereby leading to superior electrochemical properties. Consequently, the MoSe2 hollow nanospheres prepared under optimum conditions exhibit optimal electrochemical activities, which hold an initial specific capacity of 1287 mA h g-1 and maintain great capacity even after 100 cycles as anode for Li-ion battery. Moreover, the Tafel slope of 58.9 mV dec-1 for hydrogen evolution reaction is also attained.

Splitting CO2 into CO and O2 via a two-step thermochemical cycle by utilizing concentrated solar energy is a promising option for CO2 reduction. Herein, to enhance the solar to fuel energy conversion efficiency, IrOx as a catalyst is used to increase the fuel production rate of the LaFeO3-based two-step thermochemical CO2-splitting reaction. Compared with LaFeO3, 0.6 atom % IrOx as a catalyst that loaded on LaFeO3 can almost double the maximal CO release rate and increase the maximal O2 evolution rate 0.5 times; when a small amount of IrOx (2.5 atom %) is doped into the structure of LaFeO3 through a solution combustion method, the initial CO generation rate can be increased by 5-fold. This work demonstrates that the catalytic function is still necessary in the two-step thermochemical CO2-splitting reaction even at high temperatures.