Superhydrophobic Photochromic TiO/BiWO Materials Promote Photocatalytic CO Reduction under Visible Light Irradiation.

Photocatalytic CO reduction to renewable fuels presents a promising strategy to mitigate greenhouse effects, yet challenges persist in achieving high efficiency due to CO's thermodynamic stability and competitive HO adsorption. Herein, we develop a superhydrophobic photochromic TiO/BiWo (TBW-2O) nanocomposite that synergistically enhances visible-light-driven CO reduction. Dynamic charge management via reversible W↔W transitions not only suppresses charge recombination but also facilitates electron transfer for CO activation, as evidenced by in situ XPS and EPR.

CdS/BaTiO Heterojunction Composite for Complete Visible Piezophotocatalytic NO Oxidation in Self-Cleaning and Air Purification.

NO causes air pollution and promotes PM and O formation. However, the widespread presence of trace NO in air is difficult to remove using traditional technologies. This study developed a novel visible piezophotocatalyst composed of BaTiO (BTO) and CdS, which exhibited high piezophotocatalytic activity for NO oxidation under wind blowing and sunlight irradiation, about 1.

Edge-Dislocated WO Photocathode Toward Efficient Photo-Assisted Li-O Batteries.

The operation of rechargeable Li-O batteries critically depends on the highly reversible formation and decomposition of LiO at the cathode. However, the intrinsic insulating nature of LiO fundamentally restricts reaction kinetics, posing a core challenge to practical applications. Here, it is demonstrate that the insulating properties of LiO can be effectively improved by photoexcitation, attributed to the generation of photo-induced charge carriers.

Enhanced Hydrogen Adsorption on InO(111) via Oxygen Vacancy Engineering.

The emergence of InO as an efficient catalyst for selective hydrogenation has attracted significant attention. However, the mechanism of hydrogen (H) dissociation on InO remains experimentally elusive. In this work, we show that the interaction of H with InO is strongly influenced by the presence of oxygen vacancies.

Breaking the Scaling Relationship in Water Oxidation Enabled by the Electron Buffering Effect of the Fullerene Network.

The scaling relationship among reaction intermediates with strongly correlated adsorption energy in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) severely restricts the energy-conversion efficiency of water electrolysis. For the conventional adsorbate evolution mechanism, breaking the scaling relationship remains challenging, as it is difficult to modulate the adsorption of multiple intermediates on a specific active site simultaneously. Herein, we utilize the electron buffering effect of a two-dimensional fullerene network (CNET) to dynamically tune the electronic structure of the iridium (Ir) active site with the change of adsorbed intermediates, which can tailor the adsorption strength of intermediates from multistep reactions and break the adsorption-energy scaling relationships among *OOH, *O, and *OH.

Fullerene Network-Buffered Platinum Nanoparticles Toward Efficient and Stable Electrochemical Ammonia Oxidation Reaction for Hydrogen Production.

Green ammonia is a promising hydrogen carrier due to its well-established production, storage, and transportation infrastructure. Moreover, hydrogen production via electrochemical ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR) requires a significantly lower theoretical potential than water electrolysis. However, the sluggish kinetics and poor stability of AOR hinder the industrial application of ammonia electrolysis.

Photo-Self-Fenton Reaction Mediated by Silver Single Atom and Cluster Photocatalysts for Highly Selective Generation of Singlet Oxygen Toward Efficient Organic Wastewater Treatment.

The persistent organic pollutants in wastewater have caused a heavy threat to ecosystems and humans, but selective removal of these pollutants still faces challenges due to low efficiency, extra addition of oxidation agents, and many highly toxic intermediate products. Herein, we report an efficient, fast kinetic conversion via a photo-self-Fenton-like system of *OOH intermediate-involved oxidation pathway with a high selection generation of singlet oxygen (O) from the novel in situ HO heterolytic activation route for the first time. The single-atom and cluster-doped zinc oxide (Ag-Ag/ZnO) was successfully synthesized to achieve the 100% degradation yield and 80% total of carbon (TOC) of the p-chlorophenol (4-CP) as the typical pollutant under solar-light irradiation and exhibit long-term activity in a self-designed photo-Filter reactor for 4-CP degradation.

Asymmetric Triple-Atom Sites Combined with Oxygen Vacancy for Selective Photocatalytic Conversion of CO to Propionic Acid.

Photocatalytic CO reduction to multicarbon products is an emerging approach for achieving carbon neutrality; however, the design of active sites that effectively promote multistep C-C coupling remains a challenge. Here, we propose a straightforward defect engineering approach to construct asymmetric triple-atom sites (Cu-Cu-W) on CuWO with oxygen vacancies (OVs) (named CWO-OVs). The optimized CWO-OVs achieve a photochemical synthesis rate of propionic acid (CHO, PA) of 86.

Plasmonic Cu-supported amorphous RuP for efficient photothermal CO hydrogenation to CO.

The hydrogenation of carbon dioxide into profitable chemicals is a viable path toward achieving the objective of carbon neutrality. However, the typical approach for hydrogenation of CO heavily relies on thermally driven catalysis at high temperatures, which is not aligned with the goals of carbon neutrality. Thus, there is a critical need to explore new catalytic methods for the high-efficiency conversion of CO.

Hydrogen Peroxide Heterolytic Cleavage Induced Gas Phase Photo-Fenton Oxidation of Nitric Oxide.

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 byproducts. Herein, we report an efficient *OOH intermediate-involved NO oxidation route with high NO selectivity via a gas phase photo-Fenton system.

Mesoporous amorphous non-noble metals as versatile substrates for high loading and uniform dispersion of Pt-group single atoms.

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.

Calcium Single Atom Confined in Nitrogen-Doped Carbon-Coupled Polyvinylidene Fluoride Membrane for High-Performance Piezocatalysis.

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.

Direct Observation of Z-Scheme Route in CuS/ZnCdS Heteronanoplates for Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

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 CuS/ZnCdS heterostructured nanoplates (CuS/ZnCdS HNPs) as a high photocatalytic system are reported. The cost-effective, hierarchical structures are easily prepared using the CuS NPs as the seed by the epitaxial growth of the ZnCdS nanocrystals (NCs).

Tuning the selectivity of the CO hydrogenation reaction using boron-doped cobalt-based catalysts.

Direct CO hydrogenation to value-added chemicals is a promising path toward realizing the "carbon-neutral" goal. However, controlling the selectivity of CO hydrogenation toward desired products (, CO and CH) using non-precious metal-based catalysts is important but challenging. It is imperative to explore catalysts with high activity and stability.

Tailored Exfoliation of Polymeric Carbon Nitride for Photocatalytic HO Production and CH Valorization Mediated by O Activation.

The exfoliation of bulk CN (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 CN (fl-CN) with tailored thickness down to bi-layer. This strategy only involves hydrothermal treatment of BCN in diluted HNO aqueous solution, followed by pyrolysis at various temperatures.

Photo-self-Fenton Reaction Mediated by Atomically Dispersed Ag-Co Photocatalysts toward Efficient Degradation of Organic Pollutants.

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.

Photocatalytic Free Radical-Controlled Synthesis of High-Performance Single-Atom Catalysts.

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.

FeO/TiO/reduced graphene oxide-driven recycled visible-photocatalytic Fenton reactions to mineralize organic pollutants in a wide pH range.

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 FeO/TiO/reduced graphene oxide (FTG) nanocomposite synthesized by a facile solvothermal method.

Infrared Light-Induced Anomalous Defect-Mediated Plasmonic Hot Electron Transfer for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

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.

Nanoarchitectonics of Metallene Materials for Electrocatalysis.

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.

Correction: Selective CO reduction to HCOOH on a Pt/InO/g-CN multifunctional visible-photocatalyst.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D0RA03959D.].

Hydroxyl Radical-Mediated Efficient Photoelectrocatalytic NO Oxidation with Simultaneous Nitrate Storage Using A Flow Photoanode Reactor.

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 -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 under a low bias voltage (0.

A curtain purification system based on a rabbit fur-based rotating triboelectric nanogenerator for efficient photocatalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds.

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 simultaneously.