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The photothermal catalysis has attracted much attention as a new catalytic method. Utilization of self-generated heat instead of external heating source is an ideal approach for improving the performance of catalysts. Herein, a novel urchin-like hollow TiO2 photothermal nano-catalyst with spatially separated Pt and RuO2 dual cocatalysts combine with carbon layer (denoted as RuO2/TiO2/Pt/C) is reported for catalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation. The photothermal catalytic performance of the as-prepared catalysts was evaluated in relation to structural characterizations and the thermal effect of the carbon layer. The sandwich nanostructure of carbon layer, Pt NPs and TiO2 layer effectively support and protect Pt NPs from agglomeration and deactivation of Pt active sites. The hot electrons generated from carbon layer can participate in the photocatalytic reaction. Furthermore, the enhanced visible light absorption performance of TiO2 is explained by narrowing the band gap due to a small amount of doping carbon and reducing the penetration-loss of light via constructing the hollow structure. As a result, the synergy between the spatially separated Pt/RuO2 NPs and the thermal effect with carbon layer greatly improve the catalytic performance of the TiO2-based catalyst for hydrogen production under visible light irradiation.

A new amphiphilic polymer was synthesized by allowing polyethylenimine to react with benzyl bromide, and it was used as an emulsifier for the viscosity reduction of Shengli extra heavy crude oil. T...

Prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders that affect many mammalian species. Mammalian prion proteins (PrPs) can misfold into many different aggregates. However, only a small subpopulation of these structures is infectious. One of the major unresolved questions in prion research is identifying which specific structural features of these misfolded protein aggregates are important for prion infectivity in vivo. Previously, two types of proteinase K–resistant, self-propagating aggregates were generated from the recombinant mouse prion protein in the presence of identical cofactors. Although these two aggregates appear biochemically very similar, they have dramatically different biological properties, with one of them being highly infectious and the other one lacking any infectivity. Here, we used several MS-based structural methods, including hydrogen–deuterium exchange and hydroxyl radical footprinting, to gain insight into the nature of structural differences between these two PrP aggregate types. Our experiments revealed a number of specific differences in the structure of infectious and noninfectious aggregates, both at the level of the polypeptide backbone and quaternary packing arrangement. In particular, we observed that a high degree of order and stability of β-sheet structure within the entire region between residues ∼89 and 227 is a primary attribute of infectious PrP aggregates examined in this study. By contrast, noninfectious PrP aggregates are characterized by markedly less ordered structure up to residue ∼167. The structural constraints reported here should facilitate development of experimentally based high-resolution structural models of infectiosus mammalian prions.

On the basis of density functional theory calculations and experimental results, we propose a spin-flip effect in a novel single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancy (SETOV; Vo ) and Fe co-doped TiO2 photocatalyst which improves significantly the propylene photo-oxidation under visible light illumination through the two spin channels photo-absorption and one spin channel recombination congestion. The presence of SETOV can make strongly localized Fe 3d states within the band gap get more delocalized, which not only increases the carrier mobility but also has an effect on restraining carrier recombination, thus resulting in the remarkably improved photocatalytic activity. Here the proposed photocatalytic process referring to spin-flip effect might afford a way for us about how to design a material owning the expected photoactivity in terms of spin selection rules about interband transition, opening the way to ground breaking applications in energy conversion.

Neutral oxygen vacancies (Ovʼs) in semiconductor oxides give rise to excess electrons that have the potential to affect the binding of adsorbates to the surface through surface-to-adsorbate charge transfer, and, as a result, to alter the overpotential (OP) of reactions on oxygen-deficient materials compared to stoichiometric materials. We report a systematic computational investigation of the effects of Ovʼs on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotential for β-Ga2O3, a d10 semiconductor that has been shown to exhibit high activity for water splitting. We investigated 18 β-Ga2O3 surfaces/slabs, with and without Ovʼs and observed a clear dependence of OER activity on Ovʼs. A general finding emerged that the excess electrons associated with Ovʼs are found to participate in charge transfer to OER intermediates, making their bonds to the surface more ionic and stronger, depending on the amount of charge transfer. The OER reaction step free energies are significantly affected and the ensuing overpotential...

Oil-soluble catalysts could be of special significance for reducing the viscosity of heavy crude oil, because of their good dispersion in crude oil and high catalytic efficiency toward aquathermolysis. Ferric oleate was synthesized and applied as catalyst in the aquathermolysis reaction of Shengli heavy oil. It was found that ferric oleate was more efficient for heavy oil cracking than Co and Ni oleates. Besides, it was superior to oleic acid and inorganic ferric nitrate and achieved the highest viscosity reduction rate of up to 86.1%. In addition, the changes in the components of Shengli heavy oil before and after aquathermolysis were investigated by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Results indicated that ferric oleate contributed to a significant increase in the content of light components and decrease in the content of resin, N and S. The as-prepared ferric oleate showed good activity for reducing the viscosity and improving the quality of the heavy crude oil, showing promising application potential in aquathermolysis of heavy crude oil.

Constructing a 0D/2D heterojunction is an important way to ameliorate the charge separation for achieving efficient solar hydrogen production. In this study, zero-dimensional (0D) AgIn5S8 nanoparticles/two-dimensional (2D) layered ZnIn2S4 0D/2D heterojunction composite was designed and prepared via a facile two-step hydrothermal process. Anchoring the AgIn5S8 nanoparticles on the 2D layered ZnIn2S4 can shorten the charge-migration distance, provide abundant active sites and extend the visible-light absorption. Benefiting from those favorable properties, the AgIn5S8/ZnIn2S4 0D/2D heterojunction composite exhibits the highest H2 evolution rate of 949.9 μmol g−1 h−1 under visible light irradiation (λ > 420) when the weight ratio of AgIn5S8 to ZnIn2S4 is 30%, which is about 3.6 and 17.6 times higher than pure ZnIn2S4 and AgIn5S8, respectively. Photoluminescence (PL) and photocurrent response results indicate that the improved charge separation efficiency is a critical reason for the enhanced H2 evolution activity. This study suggests that constructing a 0D/2D heterojunction can provide an efficient way to improve the photocatalytic performance of semiconductor photocatalysts for solar hydrogen production.

An oxygen-vacancy-rich Z-scheme g-C3N4/Pd/TiO2 ternary nanocomposite was fabricated using nanotubular titanic acid as precursors via a simple photo-deposition of Pd nanoparticles and calcination process. The prepared nanocomposites were investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, respectively. For g-C3N4/TiO2 binary nanocomposites, at the optimal content of g-C3N4 (2%), the apparent photocatalytic activity of 2%g-C3N4/TiO2 was 9 times higher than that of pure TiO2 under visible-light illumination. After deposition of Pd (1 wt%) at the contact interface between g-C3N4 and TiO2, the 2%g-C3N4/Pd/TiO2 ternary nanocomposites demonstrated the highest visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity for the degradation of gaseous propylene, which was 16- and 2-fold higher activities than pure TiO2 and 2%g-C3N4/TiO2, respectively. The mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic performance of the g-C3N4/Pd/TiO2 photo-catalyst is proposed to be based on the efficient separation of photo-generated electron-hole pairs through Z-scheme system, in which uniform dispersity of Pd nanoparticles at contact interface between g-C3N4 and TiO2 and oxygen vacancies promote charge separation.

All-solid-state Z-scheme BCN–TiO2 binary heterostructures with a surface oxygen vacancy layer as the contact interface are fabricated by NaBH4 reduction and ball milling. The effect of the surface oxygen vacancy layer of BCN–TiO2 binary heterostructures on the charge carrier transfer and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution was thoroughly investigated. UV-vis diffuse reflection spectra results reveal that the surface oxygen vacancy can extend the light absorption from the UV to the visible-light region for BCN–TiO2 binary heterostructures. The steady-state/time-resolved photoluminescence spectra exhibit an increased charge carrier lifetime, improved charge carrier separation efficiency and strengthened direct Z-scheme charge transfer process for BCN–TiO2−x heterostructures. As expected, the BCN–TiO2−x heterostructures exhibited a higher visible-light photocatalytic efficiency, about 7 and 11 times higher than that of the pure TiO2 and BCN samples. Namely, the photocatalytic activity of hydrogen evolution can be greatly promoted by constructing the surface oxygen vacancy layer. This work provides a new pathway to construct an efficient contact layer for the direct Z-scheme system to improve the charge carrier separation and transfer and thereby improve the photocatalytic activity.

We report first principles and mesoscale kinetic simulations of intrinsic electron and hole transport in stoichiometric monoclinic BiVO4 (BVO). A main finding is that hole transport is bimodal: there are fast hole hops within VO4 tetrahedra that are not ‘transport-efficient’ and slower hole hops across VO4 tetrahedra that are ‘transport-efficient’. This bimodality in hole transport may explain the slow transport/high recombination characteristics of BVO. In this work, polaron hops were described via the two-state Marcus/Holstein model of VV–VIV and OI–OII interchanges for electron and hole polarons respectively. The relevant parameters in the theory were obtained using the density functional theory DFT+U method. Hopping activation energies were combined with Einstein diffusion theory to yield mobility as well as with kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) modeling. All unique nearest neighbor electron and hole hopping processes were characterized. For V-to-V hops of electron polarons, we obtained activation energies of ∼0.37 eV that compare well with the experimental activation energy of ∼0.30 eV for drift mobility. Electron polarons remain localized on single sites along the hopping pathways before hopping via tunneling, suggestive of small non-adiabatic coupling and a diabatic character consistent with V-to-V electron transfer through space (no bridge linkers). These simulations yield a small electron transport anisotropy, with transport in the (a,b) plane being faster than along the c direction by a factor of ∼2. For hole polarons our calculations support the character of small polarons localized on O atoms as well. Some nearest neighbor hole hops have a diabatic character, while other nearest neighbor hops are adiabatic and phonon-assisted with an Arrhenius thermal dependence. Hops through O–V–O bridges and through space have low activation barriers (∼0.17 eV and ∼0.25 eV) while hops through O–Bi–O bridges have higher activation barriers (∼0.37 eV and higher). The mobility is gated by the slower transport across VO4 tetrahedra through O–Bi–O bridges owing to the underlying BVO lattice network. Hole mobility is determined to be about one order of magnitude larger than electron mobility consistent with THz spectroscopy measurements. This work sets the foundation to address facet selectivity of charge carriers in shape and size-tailored crystals.

The surface and bulk oxygen vacancy have a prominent effect on the photocatalytic performance of TiO 2 . In this study, TiO 2 possessing different types and concentration of oxygen vacancies were prepared by annealing nanotube titanic acid (NTA) at various temperatures in air or vacuum atmosphere. TiO 2 with the unitary bulk single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancies (SETOVs) formed when NTA were calcined in air. Whereas, TiO 2 with both bulk and surface oxygen vacancies were obtained when NTA were annealed in vacuum. The series of TiO 2 with different oxygen vacancies were systematically characterized by TEM, XRD, PL, XPS, ESR, and TGA. The PL and ESR analysis verified that surface oxygen vacancies and more bulk oxygen vacancies could form in vacuum atmosphere. Surface oxygen vacancies can trap electron and hinder the recombination of photo-generated charges, while bulk SETOVs act as the recombination center. The surface or bulk oxygen vacancies attributed different roles on the photo-absorbance and activity, leading that the sample of NTA-A400 displayed higher hydrogen evolution rate under UV light, whereas NTA-V400 displayed higher hydrogen evolution rate under visible light because bulk SETOVs can improve visible light absorption because sub-band formed by bulk SETOVs prompted the secondary transition of electron excited.

Molybdenum-doped akaganeite nano-rods were prepared by one step facile synthesis. The formation of akaganeite depends on the molar ratio of hexaammonium molybdate to ferric chloride hexahydrate. The nano-rods have an average particle size of ca. 30 nm and disperse uniformly. As a catalyst, the nano-rods can effectively increase the viscosity reduction rate of Shengli Oilfield extra heavy crude oil (175000 mPa s at 50 °C), especially combined with tetralin (a hydrogen donor). The results of SARA analysis, elemental analysis, and 1H NMR spectra indicate that the increase of light component caused by the denitrification and desulfuration of the catalyst plus tetralin as well as the loosening of heavy component molecules can be responsible for the viscosity reduction of the heavy oil.

The effect of the concentration ratio of bulk single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancies/surface oxygen vacancies on the photocatalytic hydrogen production of TiO2 was investigated. A series of TiO2 materials with a tunable concentration ratio of bulk and surface oxygen vacancies were prepared through a NaBH4 solid-state reduction method. The results of HRTEM, XPS, ESR, PL and UV-vis DRS verify that surface oxygen vacancies can form on the surface of TiO2 and the concentrations of bulk single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancies and surface oxygen vacancies increase with the increase of the reduction degree. Combining the evaluation of photocatalytic hydrogen production with the analysis of positron annihilation lifetime spectra, it is proved that the concentration ratio of bulk single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancies/surface oxygen vacancies plays the key role in the photocatalytic hydrogen production of TiO2, and the optimal ratio of bulk single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancies/surface oxygen vacancies leads to the best photoactivity.

A zero-dimensional (0D)/two-dimensional (2D) heterojunction has an excellent advantage of boosting the photo-generated carrier separation and obtaining enhanced photocatalytic activities. Here, a ZnIn2S4 nanoparticle/MoS2-RGO nanosheet 0D/2D heterojunction was prepared by a rapid and low temperature hydrothermal method. TEM characterization results reveal that ZnIn2S4 nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed on the surface of MoS2-RGO nanosheets, which can provide abundant active sites and shorten the charge-migration distance, while the MoS2-RGO nanosheet acts as a support to avoid the aggregation of 0D ZnIn2S4 nanoparticles and also serves as a low-cost cocatalyst for effective hydrogen evolution. Through optimizing the MoS2-RGO composition and content, the highest hydrogen evolution rate of 425.1 μmol g−1 h−1 was obtained over the ZnIn2S4/MoS2-RGO 0D/2D heterojunction photocatalyst under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm), which is about 34.6 times higher than that of pure ZnIn2S4. Efficient charge separation can be attributed to the significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance, which originates from the favorable properties of the ZnIn2S4/MoS2-RGO 0D/2D heterojunction. This study provides an effective method to improve the photocatalytic performance of the ZnIn2S4 photocatalyst based on the 0D/2D heterojunction.

The sandwich-like Z-scheme g-C3N4/reduced graphene oxide@TiO2 (CN/RGO@T) composite with enhanced photocatalytic performance was successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method followed by a calcination process. It is interesting to note that TiO2 completely enclosed by RGO is presented in a nanoscroll morphology. Photocatalytic performance of the composite was evaluated in the propylene degradation. The results revealed that by introducing RGO as an interfacial mediator, Z-scheme g-C3N4-TiO2 nanocomposites could remarkably speed up the interfacial charge transmission and improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. Especially, 20%CN/RGO@T composite showed the highest visible light activity up to 21.9% for propylene oxidation. A lower photogenerated electron-hole recombination rate and higher carrier separation efficiency of the ternary complex 20%CN/RGO@T were confirmed by electron spin resonance, photoluminescence spectrum, and photocurrent-time characterization. This is due to the fact that strong π-π interaction between g-C3N4 and RGO leads to a carrier transmission channel between N-O and C-O-C bonds of g-C3N4 and RGO. This newly formed Z-scheme composite is having a possibility to be explored as a versatile photocatalyst to conduct various type photoreactions.

In this paper, rivet-like iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized via a one-pot hydrothermal method for the first time. SEM and TEM results demonstrated that the as-prepared rivet-like nanoparticle consisted of two parts, a head part with an average size of 50 nm, and a tail one with a diameter of 20–40 nm and a length of ca. 100 nm. XRD result revealed that this nanoparticle had a dominant hematite phase and minor goethite phase. The rivet-like iron oxide nanoparticles exhibited higher catalytic activity for the upgrading of Shengli-oilfield extra heavy crude oil than the cubical α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the absence of hydrogen donors. In particular, owing to the site-rich surface of the catalyst, the viscosity of the Shengli extra heavy oil decreased from 244520 mPa∙s to 152000 mPa∙s (at 50 °C) in the presence of the 400 °C-treated nanoparticles after the reaction at 200 °C for 24 h. Higher exposure of (1 0 4) facet could possibly also account for the higher catalytic activity.

Z-scheme heterostructure of nitrogen-vacancy rich g-C3N4 nanoparticles (VN-CN) confined in oxygen-vacancy rich TiO2 nanotube arrays (VO-TiO2) were fabricated to enhance CO2 photoreduction under visible light irradiation. Dual vacancies mediated VN-CN/VO-TiO2 heterostructure exhibits excellent photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance, and the CO and CH4 evolution rate are about 1.5 times and 3 times higher than that of pristine CN/TiO2, respectively. Possible reasons for the improvement of photocatalytic activity are as follows: (1) the adsorption and activation capacity of CO2 on the surface of CN/TiO2 are obviously improved due to the construction of nitrogen and oxygen dual vacancies; (2) the construction of dual vacancies are beneficial for enhancing the visible light absorption, promoting separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers due to intimate contact interface between VN-CN and VO-TiO2; (3) Z-scheme heterostructure could boost oxidation ability of VN-CN/VO-TiO2 and promote the production of more hydroxyl radical, which can react with CO2− to form HCO3−, leading to a new pathway to CO2 photoreduction compared to pristine CN/TiO2.

BCN-TiO 2 nanocomposites are obtained by a simple calcination method using a hexagonal boron carbon nitride (BCN) semiconductor and nanotubular titanic acid (NTA) as precursors. The BCN-TiO 2 nanocomposites are characterized systematically by XRD, TEM, XPS, DRS, ESR, BET, I-t and PL techniques. Compared with the novel TiO 2 or single BCN sample, the BCN-TiO 2 nanocomposites prepared by a calcination method show the highest photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production under visible-light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of BCN-TiO 2 nanocomposites is optimized by changing the amount of BCN. Characterization results confirm that a large amount of single electron oxygen vacancies can be formed when NTA was calcined at the higher temperature, which is beneficial to the enhancement of visible light absorption and the transfer of photogenerated carriers due to the formation of ohmic contact at the interface between BCN and novel TiO 2 . Therefore, the visible light photocatalytic activity for H 2 production of BCN-TiO 2 nanocomposites has been improved significantly by the formation of BCN-TiO 2 Z-scheme photocatalyst, which results in efficient space separation of photo-induced charge carriers.

Exploiting an efficient and noble-metal-free cocatalyst is highly desired for photocatalytic H2 evolution from water. Here, we synthesized the MoS2-RGO/ZnO composite photocatalysts via a facile two-step solvothermal process. Through optimizing of the MoS2 and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) cocatalyst component proportion, the 0.75 wt%5G95 M/ZnO composite photocatalyst shows the highest H2 production rate of 288.4 μmol g−1 h−1 when the amount of MoS2-RGO is 0.75 wt% and the weight ratio of RGO to MoS2 is 5:95, which is about 14.1 times higher than the pure ZnO. More importantly, the ternary MoS2-RGO/ZnO composite photocatalyst exhibits much higher H2 evolution activity than the Pt loaded ZnO under the same condition. The significant improvement in the H2 evolution activity is ascribed to the positive synergetic effect between MoS2 and RGO, which acts as a hydrogen evolution cocatalyst and a robust electron transport pathway, respectively. This study suggests that MoS2-RGO can serves as an efficient and noble-metal-free cocatalyst to improve the H2 production performance of ZnO by suppressing the electron-hole pairs recombination.

Developing an efficient dye-sensitized photocatalyst for photocatalytic H2 evolution from water is highly desired. In this study, a novel ternary g-C3N4/Pt/GO composite was synthesized via a facile liquid-phase sonochemical approach. Pt nanoparticles were firstly deposited on the surfaces and/or interlayer of g-C3N4 by chemical reduction, and then, GO was penetrated through ultrasonic treatment. This preparation method is facilitated to prohibit the agglomeration of g-C3N4 and GO because of their π–π stacking interaction and enhance electrons transport and the adsorption of dye molecules. The Eosin Y-sensitized ternary g-C3N4/Pt/GO composite shows the highest H2 production rate of 3.82 mmol·g−1·h−1 under the optimization conditions, which about 2.1 times and 7.7 times higher than the Eosin Y-sensitized binary g-C3N4/Pt and GO/Pt photocatalysts, respectively. The improved charge separation efficiency is the main reason for the enhancement in H2 evolution activity. The apparent quantum efficiency of hydrogen evolution for the Eosin Y-sensitized ternary g-C3N4/Pt/GO composite is up to 9.7% at 420 nm. Moreover, the sensitized g-C3N4/Pt/GO composite shows stable photocatalytic activity for H2 evolution under visible light irradiation. The effect of pH, g-C3N4/GO weight ratios, Pt loading amounts, dye concentrations, and different type dyes on the H2 evolution activity was also investigated in detail.

Z-scheme g-C3N4-TiO2 heterojunctions containing g-C3N4 nanosheets with different thickness were prepared by sintering the mixture of g-C3N4 and nanotube titanic acid (denoted as NTA) at different temperatures in air. As-prepared Z-scheme g-C3N4-TiO2 heterojunctions were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible light diffuse reflectance spectrometry, electron spin resonance, and photoluminescence spectrometry. Findings indicate that the annealing temperature has crucial effects on the visible-light photocatalytic activity (λ ≥ 420 nm) of the as-prepared Z-scheme g-C3N4-TiO2 heterojunctions. The Ti3+ and porous g-C3N4 nanosheets formed upon the calcination at 600 °C as well as the low concentration of bulk single-electron trapped oxygen vacancy are favorable to the transport of the photoexcited charge carriers. This, in association with the Z-scheme system, contributes to improving the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4-TiO2 photocatalysts. As a result, g-C3N4-TiO2 photocatalyst prepared at 600 °C exhibits good photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of propylene and hydrogen generation by water-splitting under visible light irradiation.

Four kinds of nanosilica-supported metallic and metatitanic acid nanocatalysts were synthesised as potential phase transfer catalysts for enhancing heavy oil recovery via a liquid-reduction method. The catalysts were carried by water and transferred into oil phase, and the catalytic performance of catalysts for the aquathermolysis reaction and viscosity reduction of the extra-heavy oil recovered at Shengli Oilfield (Dongying, China) was investigated. At a mass fraction of 1%, an aquathermolysis reaction temperature of 150°C and an aquathermolysis time of 36 h, the as-synthesised silica/zero valence iron and nickel (denoted as SiO2/Fe/Ni) catalyst was able to reduce the apparent viscosity of the two kinds of heavy oils by 79.3 and 77.6%, showing promising application in the industrial production of heavy crude oil.

Oxygen vacancies play an important role in many photocatalytic reaction, and have attracted enormous attention from the scientists and engineers. The surface or bulk oxygen vacancies have a different function in the photo-reaction process. Herein, three different TiO2 nanoparticles possessing surface oxygen vacancies (SO) and/or bulk single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancy (SETOV) were fabricated by dehydration or reduction of different titania precursors. The three kinds of TiO2 nanoparticles were characterized systematically by XRD, TEM, Raman, XPS, ESR, TG, UV–vis DRS, and PL techniques. The photocatalytic reduction results of CO2 indicated that both the bulk SETOVs and surface oxygen vacancies contributed to the enhancement of the light absorption, while the surface vacancies facilitated to the separation of the photo-generated charge carriers, and on the contrast, the bulk SETOVs acted as the recombination center. The co-existence of the surface and bulk oxygen vacancies exhibited a synergistic effect to improve the photoreduction efficiency of CO2 to CH4. Through adjusting the ratio of the surface and bulk oxygen vacancies and analyzing the positron lifetime and relative intensity by positron annihilation, the photoreduction efficiency of CO2 improved with the increase of the ratio of surface oxygen vacancies to bulk SETOVs.

Ni0@graphene nanocomposites were prepared via a solvothermal method and used as the catalysts for the viscosity reduction of extra heavy crude oil. Higher graphene content in Ni0@graphene nanocomposite has an adverse effect on its catalytic activity. The addition of tetralin and higher reaction temperature can obviously promote the catalytic activity. The catalyst accompanied by hydrogen donor can attain a viscosity reduction rate of 84.3% after the catalytic reaction under 280°C for 24 h and reduce the viscosity of crude oil from 174,219 to 27,352 mPa s (measured at 50°C).

Anatase TiO2 nanocrystals exposed with {001} facets were fabricated by solvothermal strategy in HF-C4H9OH mixed solution, using titanic acid nanobelts (TAN) as a precursor. The shape of TAN is a long flat plane with a high aspect ratio, and F− is easily adsorbed on the surface of the nanobelts, inducing a higher exposure of {001} facet of TiO2 nanoparticles during the structure reorganization. The exposed percentage of {001} facets could vary from 40 to 77% by adjusting the amount of HF. The as-prepared samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope. The photocatalytic measurement showed that TiO2 nanocrystals with 77% {001} facets exhibited much superior photocatalytic activity for photodegradation of methyl orange, methylene blue, and rhodamine B. And what’s more, the mineralization rate of methyl orange was as high as 96% within 60 min. The photocatalytic enhancement is due to a large amount of the high energetic {001} facets exposing, the special truncated octahedral morphology and a stronger ability for dyes adsorption.

Direct contact Z-scheme g-C 3 N 4 -TiO 2 nanocomposites without an electron mediator are prepared via simple annealing the mixture of bulk g-C 3 N 4 and nanotube titanic acid (NTA) in air at 600 °C for 2 h. In the process of annealing, the bulk g-C 3 N 4 transformed to ultra-thin g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets, and NTA converted to a novel anatase TiO 2 , then the two components formed a close interaction. The XPS result reveals that some amount of nitrogen is doped into this novel-TiO 2 , and g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets exist in the composites. The results of XRD, TEM and TG indicate that the thickness of g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets is very thin. The ESR spectrum shows the existence of Ti 3+ and single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancy in the 30%g-C 3 N 4 -TiO 2 composites. In photocatalytic activity test, the 30%g-C 3 N 4 -TiO 2 nanocomposites showed an excellent photo-oxidation activity of propylene under visible light irradiation (λ≥ 420 nm), and the removal efficiency of propylene reached as high as 56.6%, and the activity kept nearly 82% after four consecutive recycles. Photoluminescence (PL) result using terephthalic acid (TA) as a probe molecule indicated that the g-C 3 N 4 -TiO 2 nanocomposites displayed a Z-sheme photocatalytic reaction system and this should be the main reason for the high photocatalytic activity. A possible photocatalytic mechanism was proposed on the basis of PL result and transient photocurrent-time curves.

Shape-dependent ultrafine anatase TiO 2 nanocrystals coexposed with (001) and (101) facets are synthesized in isopropanol by the simple solvothermal strategy. Nanotube titanic acid (NTA) was used as the Ti precursor, and hydrofluoric acid was the shape-control reagent. The nanotubular structure of NTA facilitated HF to adsorb on/into NTA, and made the shape-controlled process to be more economical and easier. The ratio of (001) facets of the obtained decahedral TiO 2 nanocrystals can be adjusted from 5 to 51%, and the mean diameter of nanoparticles is about 10–30 nm. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscope, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectrum, N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy. The truncated octahedral bipyramid TiO 2 nanocrystals with 51% (001) and 49% (101) facets exposing showed the highest photoactivity for CO 2 reduction to CH 4 . This remarkable photocatalytic efficiency is attributed to the surface heterojunction between (001) and (101) crystal facets, the small size and large surface area of the truncated octahedral bipyramid TiO 2 nanocrystals.

Specific interactions between scaffold protein SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains protein 3 (Shank3) and synapse-associated protein 90/postsynaptic density-95&ndash, associated protein (SAPAP) are essential for excitatory synapse development and plasticity. In a bunch of human neurological diseases, mutations on Shank3 or SAPAP are detected. To investigate the dynamical and thermodynamic properties of the specific binding between the N-terminal extended PDZ (Post-synaptic density-95/Discs large/Zonaoccludens-1) domain (N-PDZ) of Shank3 and the extended PDZ binding motif (E-PBM) of SAPAP, molecular dynamics simulation approaches were used to study the complex of N-PDZ with wild type and mutated E-PBM peptides. To compare with the experimental data, 974QTRL977 and 966IEIYI970 of E-PBM peptide were mutated to prolines to obtain the M4P and M5P system, respectively. Conformational analysis shows that the canonical PDZ domain is stable while the &beta, N extension presents high flexibility in all systems, especially for M5P. The high flexibility of &beta, N extension seems to set up a barrier for the non-specific binding in this area and provide the basis for specific molecular recognition between Shank3 and SAPAP. The wild type E-PBM tightly binds to N-PDZ during the simulation while loss of binding is observed in different segments of the mutated E-PBM peptides. Energy decomposition and hydrogen bonds analysis show that M4P mutations only disrupt the interactions with canonical PDZ domain, but the interactions with &beta, N1&prime, remain. In M5P system, although the interactions with &beta, are abolished, the binding between peptide and the canonical PDZ domain is not affected. The results indicate that the interactions in the two-binding site, the canonical PDZ domain and the &beta, extension, contribute to the binding between E-PBM and N-PDZ independently. The binding free energies calculated by MM/GBSA (Molecular Mechanics/Generalized Born Surface Area) are in agreement with the experimental binding affinities. Most of the residues on E-PBM contribute considerably favorable energies to the binding except A963 and D964 in the N-terminal. The study provides information to understand the molecular basis of specific binding between Shank3 and SAPAP, as well as clues for design of peptide inhibitors.

A theoretical model considering the dynamic change of surface charge accumulation in transient and steady states is proposed. The surface charge accumulation under transient and steady states are simulated using three model spacers with different volume conductivities. The results show that on the convex surface of a spacer, when the volume conductivity is lower than 2 × 10−18 S/m, the hetero-polarity charge accumulated on the spacer surface is dominant, while the homo-polarity charge accumulated on the surface is dominant when the conductivity is higher than 6 × 10−17 S/m. The surface charge density is non-uniformly distributed, and the time duration of the transient process of the surface charge density at different positions on the spacer surface is different, due to the distribution of electric field lines. It is hopefully that the content of this paper can provide reference for the mechanism study of gas-volume interface charge transport and the preparation of HVDC spacers.

Iron(II) phthalocyanine (FePc) is immobilized on graphene sheets to form a graphene(G)/iron(II) phthalocyanine hybrid (G/FePc) by the π–π stacking method. The resultant hybrids are characterized by UV–vis absorption spectra, FTIR, Raman spectra, BET, TEM, SEM and XRD. The result suggests that the interaction between graphene and FePc follows a donor-acceptor mode and the loading of FePc on graphene sheets not only facilitates the dispersion of FePc on graphene but also promotes the exfoliation of the graphene sheets. These samples are tested for photocatalytic degradation of phenol under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm). And the photocatalytic activity of graphene, which is not presented when graphene individually acts on phenol, is greatly enhanced because of the π–π stacking interaction when FePc loaded on graphene. The G/FePc hybrid containing 25 wt.% FePc (G/FePc-0.25) exhibits the best photoactivity among the different loading content of FePc, whose degradation rate for phenol achieves 77.1% in the presence of H2O2 under visible light irradiation for 3 h.

The controlled modification of the inner and outer surfaces of hollow nanostructures with dual cocatalysts possessing redox ability is a key factor for improving the charge carrier separation efficiency and surface catalytic reaction efficiency of a catalyst. Herein, a novel hollow urchin-like TiO2 nanomaterial with Pt loaded on the inner surface and RuO2 on the outer surface is reported. The Pt acts as the electron capture centre and is responsible for the reduction reaction, whereas the RuO2 acts as the hole-trapping centre for the oxidation reaction. Compared to nanospheres, the urchin-like structures have a larger specific surface area. Moreover, the as-prepared TiO2 contained numerous single-electron oxygen vacancies (Vo·). The synergy between the highly dispersed catalytic material and spatially separated dual cocatalysts, characterised by hollow structures, a large specific surface area, and oxygen vacancies, greatly increased the activity of the catalyst. When Pt (0.5 wt%) is loaded on the inner surface of the nanomaterials, the hydrogen evolution rate is as high as 2045.1 μmolg−1h−1; moreover, it further improves to 3904.0 μmolg−1h−1 when RuO2 is loaded on the outer shell.

Constructing two-dimensional (2D) heterostructure is an effective method to obtain highly efficient photocatalysts. In this work, 2D/2D TiO2/g-C3N4 heterostructures were constructed via in-situ growth of TiO2 nanosheets on the surface of g-C3N4 nanosheets by a facile hydrothermal co-assembly technique. The increased dispersion is favorable to expose more vacancies, which is beneficial to the enhancement of visible light absorption. This unique 2D/2D heterostructure exhibits ultrathin thickness and larger interfacial contact area, which results in shorter migration distance of photo-generated carriers to the surface and faster participation in photocatalytic water splitting. As expected, the optimized TiO2/g-C3N4 nanocomposites showed a higher photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance under visible light irradiation than that of pristine g-C3N4 and TiO2 nanosheets. The improved performance can be attributed to the ultrathin nanosheet structure, the intimate interfacial contact and the presence of surface oxygen vacancies. More appealingly, this environment-friendly 2D/2D TiO2/g-C3N4 nanohybrid would attract more attention in water splitting.

Surface charge accumulation on insulator is one of the main restrictive factors of DC gas insulated pipeline transmission line (DC-GIL). The current research on the accumulation and dissipating mechanism of surface charge has the following deficiencies on the solid side. Firstly, the volume conductivity of insulators are usually taken as a fixed value, so the comprehensive effect of electric field intensity and temperature on this parameter is not taken full consideration. Secondly, the calculation models of current density and surface charge density on the solid side ignore the effects of dielectric relaxation, which also affects the calculation of surface charge density. So in this paper, the mathematical model of solid conductivity based on electric field and temperature has been studied, and the model of volume current density and charge density has been reestablished in combination with dielectric relaxation. When the solid side is dominant, the temperature, electric field and dielectric relaxation characteristics of surface charge accumulation and dissipation are simulated and analyzed. The results indicate that the steady state value of surface charge density increases exponentially with the increase of the initial value of electric field and temperature, and the charge saturation time also increased. The increase of the electric field intensity change rate leads to an exponential decrease of the steady state value of surface charge density and the saturation time. The saturation time increases by 3% and the steady state value of surface charge density increases by 0.9% in the influence of dielectric relaxation. Considering only the charge dissipation of the solid side, the higher the temperature, the more favorable for the dissipation of the surface charge. Moreover, the dissipation rate increases exponentially with temperature. The effect of field strength on charge dissipation depends on the initial charge density. Dielectric relaxation slows the dissipation rate by 28%.

A zero-dimensional (0D)/two-dimensional (2D) heterojunction has an excellent advantage of boosting the photo-generated carrier separation and obtaining enhanced photocatalytic activities. Here, a ZnIn2S4 nanoparticle/MoS2-RGO nanosheet 0D/2D heterojunction was prepared by a rapid and low temperature hydrothermal method. TEM characterization results reveal that ZnIn2S4 nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed on the surface of MoS2-RGO nanosheets, which can provide abundant active sites and shorten the charge-migration distance, while the MoS2-RGO nanosheet acts as a support to avoid the aggregation of 0D ZnIn2S4 nanoparticles and also serves as a low-cost cocatalyst for effective hydrogen evolution. Through optimizing the MoS2-RGO composition and content, the highest hydrogen evolution rate of 425.1 μmol g-1 h-1 was obtained over the ZnIn2S4/MoS2-RGO 0D/2D heterojunction photocatalyst under visible light irradiation (λ420 nm), which is about 34.6 times higher than that of pure ZnIn2S4. Efficient charge separation can be attributed to the significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance, which originates from the favorable properties of the ZnIn2S4/MoS2-RGO 0D/2D heterojunction. This study provides an effective method to improve the photocatalytic performance of the ZnIn2S4 photocatalyst based on the 0D/2D heterojunction.

Noble metal Pt nanoparticles have been considered as the most effective co-catalyst to improve the photocatalytic hydrogen production activity of TiO2. In this study, the effect of the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles on the photoactivity of TiO2 nanotubes was investigated. Compared with the samples that the co-catalyst of Pt nanoparticles agglomerated or freely dispersed, the sample with the uniformly dispersion of Pt nanoparticles showed a higher performance for photocatalytic hydrogen production. The photocatalysts were characterized systematically by TEM, BET, UV-Vis, XPS, and PL techniques, and the relationship between the structure and the photoactivity was investigated in detail. The results demonstrated that the dispersion status of Pt nanoparticles had a crucial effect on the photocatalytic activity.

An economic and effective Pt-based alloy cocatalyst has attracted considerable attention due to their excellent catalytic activity and reducing Pt usage. In this study, PtNi alloy cocatalyst was successfully decorated on the g-C3N4/GO hybrid photocatalyst via a facile chemical reduction method. The Eosin Y-sensitized g-C3N4/PtNi/GO-0.5% composite photocatalyst yields about 1.54 and 1178 times higher hydrogen evolution rate than the Eosin Y-sensitized g-C3N4/Pt/GO-0.5% and g-C3N4/Ni/GO-0.5% samples, respectively. Mechanism of enhanced performance for the g-C3N4/PtNi/GO composite was also investigated by different characterization, such as photoluminescence, transient photocurrent response, and TEM. These results indicated that enhanced charge separation efficiency and more reactive sites are responsible for the improved hydrogen evolution performance due to the positive synergetic effect between Pt and Ni. This study suggests that PtNi alloy can be used as an economic and effective cocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction. Graphical abstractA significant enhancement of photocatalytic H2 evolution is realized over the Eosin Y-sensitized g-C3N4/PtNi/GO composite with PtNi alloy as an efficient cocatalyst.

An economic and effective Pt-based alloy cocatalyst has attracted considerable attention due to their excellent catalytic activity and reducing Pt usage. In this study, PtNi alloy cocatalyst was successfully decorated on the g-C3N4/GO hybrid photocatalyst via a facile chemical reduction method. The Eosin Y-sensitized g-C3N4/PtNi/GO-0.5% composite photocatalyst yields about 1.54 and 1178 times higher hydrogen evolution rate than the Eosin Y-sensitized g-C3N4/Pt/GO-0.5% and g-C3N4/Ni/GO-0.5% samples, respectively. Mechanism of enhanced performance for the g-C3N4/PtNi/GO composite was also investigated by different characterization, such as photoluminescence, transient photocurrent response, and TEM. These results indicated that enhanced charge separation efficiency and more reactive sites are responsible for the improved hydrogen evolution performance due to the positive synergetic effect between Pt and Ni. This study suggests that PtNi alloy can be used as an economic and effective cocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction. Graphical abstractA significant enhancement of photocatalytic H2 evolution is realized over the Eosin Y-sensitized g-C3N4/PtNi/GO composite with PtNi alloy as an efficient cocatalyst.

Fe0/graphene nanocomposites were prepared via a thermal polymerization method and used as a catalyst to reduce the viscosity of heavy crude oil. The nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms and thermal analysis. Their performance on the aquathermolysis of heavy crude oil was assessed in an autoclave. Under the reaction conditions of 200°C and 24 h, the viscosity of the oil was remarkably reduced when the catalysts were added.

Nanotubular titanic acid (denoted as NTA) was calcined in air to generate TiO2 containing a large amount of single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancy (abridged as SETOV and denoted as V0 ). Resultant V0 self-modified (or self-doped) TiO2 (denoted as V0 –TiO2), visible light responsive but photocatalytically inactive under visible-light irradiation, was grafted with Fe(III) nanoclusters via an impregnation method to afford Fe(III)–V0 –TiO2 possessing visible-light phtocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic performance of as-prepared Fe(III)–V0 –TiO2 photocatalysts was evaluated and compared with that of N-doped TiO2, and the experimental results were further discussed based on density functional theory calculations. Results reveal that grafting Fe(III) leads to nearly no changes in the crystalline structure as well as morphology and grain size of V0 –TiO2 but results in good visible-light photocatalytic performance for the photodegradation of gaseous propylene under visible-light irradiation. This is because the grafted Fe(III) nanoclusters act as efficient electron trapping centers to significantly enhance the electron transfer from oxygen vacancy state and the conduction band of TiO2 to the adsorbed oxygen, thereby inducing the rapid separation of the photogenerated electrons and holes. Besides, the photocatalytic activity of Fe(III)–V0 –TiO2 photocatalysts is dependent on the dosage of grafted Fe(III), and it is critical to maintain a good matching between the energy level of V0 and surface-grafted Fe(III) cocatalyst so as to facilitate fast and efficient charge transfer. Thanks to the good availability, low cost, and nontoxicity, Fe as the cocatalyst could find promising applications in the development of high-performance photocatalysts.

Carbon-modified TiO2 (CT) nanoparticles were prepared via a two-step method of heat treatment without the resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) polymer. As-prepared CT nanoparticles were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis/DRS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, thermal analysis (TA), electron spin resonance (ESR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The visible light photocatalytic activities were evaluated on the basis of the degradation of methyl orange (MO). The synergistic effect of single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancies (SETOVs) and the carbon species on the visible light photocatalytic activities of the CT nanoparticles were discussed. It was found that the crystalline phase, the morphology, and particle size of the CT nanoparticles depended on the second heat-treatment temperature instead of the first heat-treatment temperature. The visible light photocatalytic activities were attributed to the synergistic effect of SETOVs and the carbon species, and also depended on the specific surface area of the photocatalysts.

Carbon nanotube/TiO 2 composites were synthesized by hydrothermal method using titanic acid nanotubes as the TiO 2 precursor. The crystalline structures, morphologies, light absorption properties, specific surface areas of the prepared powders were investigated with XRD, TEM, UV–Vis absorption spectra and N 2 adsorption–desorption. The photocatalytic activities of the composites were evaluated by monitoring the degradation rate of methylene blue (MB) under the visible light irradiation. The mechanism of the improved photocatalytic activity of the photocatalyst was discussed. It was found that all of the composites upon 24 h of hydrothermal reaction show the diffraction peaks indexed to anatase TiO 2 and the critical reaction time for anatase TiO 2 nanoparticles to form is 3 h. The visible light photocatalytic activities of the catalysts in this experiment were affected by a combination of BET specific surface area, MWCNT content and hydrothermal reaction time.

Catalyst is crucially important to reduce the viscosity of heavy oil during the catalytic aquathermolysis. SO4 2−-modified ZrO2-based nanoparticle catalyst is a commonly used catalyst. But less acid sites and poor hydrothermal stability limited further improving its catalytic performance and practical application. In this study, the Zr-doped silicalite zeolite catalysts with large surface area were prepared as a support matrix, and SO4 2−-modified Zr-doped silicalite zeolite (denoted as SO4 2−/Zr-silicalite-1 zeolite) was used as a solid superacid catalyst to crack the heavy oil. A reference catalyst of SO4 2−/Zr-SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) was also prepared, which has the same composition with the SO4 2−/Zr-silicalite-1 zeolite catalyst. Compared with the SO4 2−/Zr-SiO2 NP catalyst, the amount of acid sites for the SO4 2−/Zr-silicalite-1 zeolite catalyst is significantly increased and the viscosity reduction efficiency is also enhanced by 40%. More importantly, the SO4 2−/Zr-silicalite-1 zeolite catalyst exhibits a high hydrothermal stability. After catalytic aquathermolysis, the quality of the heavy oil was also ameliorated. The heavy resins and asphaltenes reduced, while the light saturated and aromatic hydrocarbon increased. The results suggest metal element-doped silicalite zeolite catalyst is a potential useful way to solving the less acid sites and poor hydrothermal stability for the SO4 2−-modified nanoparticle catalyst.

A facile development of highly efficient MgO/TiO 2 nanotubes network (MgO/TNTs) films is described. These MgO/TNTs films have a unique one-dimensional (1D) network nanotubular structure, and the different contents of MgO existed as amorphous thin layers located on the surfaces of TiO 2 nanotubes. They exhibited excellent photoreduction efficiency of CO 2 to methane compared with the bare TiO 2 film. MgO plays a critical role in CO 2 methanation, because it has the strong adsorption ability of CO 2 and initiates the reaction by binding a CO 2 molecule, forming a magnesium carbonate species on the surface. For further improve the photocatalytic activity, Pt nanoparticles were loaded on MgO/TNTs films by the photo-reduction method. It was found that the loading of Pt notably improved the transformation efficiency of CO 2 to methane, and the highest evolution rate of methane reached 100.22 ppm/h cm 2 . The fast electron-transfer rate in MgO/TNTs film and the efficient electron–hole separation by the Pt nanoparticals were the main reasons for the enhancement of the photoreduction activity. The synergy effect of Pt nanoparticles and MgO in the nanocomposites played an important role in CO 2 photoreduction.

A facile development of highly efficient MgO/TiO 2 nanotubes network (MgO/TNTs) films is described. These MgO/TNTs films have a unique one-dimensional (1D) network nanotubular structure, and the different contents of MgO existed as amorphous thin layers located on the surfaces of TiO 2 nanotubes. They exhibited excellent photoreduction efficiency of CO 2 to methane compared with the bare TiO 2 film. MgO plays a critical role in CO 2 methanation, because it has the strong adsorption ability of CO 2 and initiates the reaction by binding a CO 2 molecule, forming a magnesium carbonate species on the surface. For further improve the photocatalytic activity, Pt nanoparticles were loaded on MgO/TNTs films by the photo-reduction method. It was found that the loading of Pt notably improved the transformation efficiency of CO 2 to methane, and the highest evolution rate of methane reached 100.22 ppm/h cm 2 . The fast electron-transfer rate in MgO/TNTs film and the efficient electron–hole separation by the Pt nanoparticals were the main reasons for the enhancement of the photoreduction activity. The synergy effect of Pt nanoparticles and MgO in the nanocomposites played an important role in CO 2 photoreduction.

Bi-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared by a hydrothermal method using nanotube titanic acid as the Ti precursor. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Methyl orange (MO) was used as a model contaminant to evaluate the visible light photocatalytic activity of the Bi-doped TiO2 samples. We found that the Bi ions did not incorporate into the TiO2 lattice but instead existed in the form of BiOCl. The obtained BiOCl-composited TiO2 samples exhibited remarkable photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation for the photodegradation of MO. The sample obtained when the Bi/Ti molar ratio was 1% and the hydrothermal treatment temperature was 130 °C (BTO-130-1) showed the highest photocatalytic activity. Moreover, a possible mechanism was proposed and the enhanced photocatalytic activity was discussed. The as-prepared catalyst also showed high photocatalytic activity for the photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol.

Chitosan-poly(vinyl alcohol)/bentonite (CTS-PVA/BT) nanocomposites with high adsorption selectivity for Hg(II) ions were synthesized by introducing BT into the CTS-PVA polymer matrix. The structure and morphology of the nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, FTIR and SEM, etc. The BT content has great influence on microstructure of the nanocomposites. BT is in the exfoliated state in the polymer matrix when the BT content is less than 7%. Whereas some of BT tends to be intercalated by CTS and an intercalate-exfoliated nanostructure is formed as the BT content is beyond 7%. Some of BT particles disperse as tactoids in the polymeric matrix and a flocculated-intercalated nanostructure is formed with further increasing the BT content. The nanocomposites possess a mesoporous structure with a narrow size distribution and BT can effectively enhance the thermal stability. The nanocomposites have high adsorption capacity and selectivity for Hg(II) ions. The adsorption capacities for Hg(II) ions with a BT content of 0%, 10%, 30% and 50% are 460.18, 455.12, 392.19 and 360.73. mg/g, respectively, which are much higher than that for Cu(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions. Interestingly, BT can improve the adsorption selectivity of the nanocomposites for Hg(II) ions. In addition, the nanocomposites can effectively remove Hg(II) of different mercuric salts with various initial concentrations and pH.