On-Demand Fabrication of Transferable and Repairable Nanoneedle Arrays for Multisurface Applications via the Breath-Figure Method.

This study proposes a novel strategy for fabricating transferable and repairable nanoneedle arrays (NNAs) using the breath-figure (BF) method, which enables the reproducible construction of high-aspect-ratio nanostructures on various substrates, including rigid, flexible, and curved surfaces. The fabricated nanoneedles exhibit excellent mechanical stability and can be selectively repaired by retransferring the BF membrane to the damaged areas. Hydrophilic modification imparts excellent underwater antibubble and superoleophobic properties to the NNAs, with oil droplet contact angles of >170° and 96.

Parallel Regulation of Charge Dynamics on Bipolar Ferroelectric Surfaces Breaks the Limits for Water Splitting Efficiency.

Ferroelectric materials, known for their non-inversion symmetry, show promise as photocatalysts due to their unique asymmetric charge separation, which separates hydrogen and oxygen evolution sites. However, the strong depolarized field induces a relaxed surface structure, which in turn directly leads to slow hole charge transfer dynamics, hindering their efficiency in water splitting. In this study, a fundamental breakthrough in dramatically enhancing the overall water-splitting activity is presented, through the synergistically regulating of the surface behaviors of photogenerated carriers, resulting in nearly perfect parallel dynamics and balanced amounts.

Zeolite Encapsulation to Enhance Interfacial Gas Availability for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Production.

The photocatalytic oxidation of water with gaseous oxygen is environmentally benign for the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (HO), but it is currently constrained by the inadequate supply of gaseous oxygen at the catalyst surface in a solid-liquid-gas triple-phase reaction system. Herein, we address this challenge by employing the zeolite encapsulated catalysts that efficiently enrich gaseous oxygen and accelerate the HO synthesis in aqueous conditions. We focus on the classical titania photocatalyst, encapsulating it within siliceous MFI zeolite crystals.

The Ferroelectric Effects of Rhombohedral and Tetragonal BiFeO in Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

The phase of BiFeO (BFO) as well as its domain configuration can be tuned by strain engineering. Phase change may greatly influence the properties of the polarization field and hence charge separation. However, the photoelectrochemical properties of different BFO phases have rarely been addressed.

Distribution, occurrence, and leachability of typical heavy metals in coal gasification slag.

Coal gasification slag (CGS) contains variable amounts of heavy metals, which can negatively impact the environment. The mineral composition, element distribution, occurrence, and leaching characteristics of heavy metals in coal gasification coarse slag (CGCS) and coal gasification fine slag (CGFS) are studied to explain the leaching behavior of heavy metals in CGS. The movable components of heavy metals in CGFS (0.

Recent advances in transmission electron microscopy techniques for heterogeneous catalysis.

The process of heterogeneous catalytic reaction under working conditions has long been considered a "black box", which is mainly because of the difficulties in directly characterizing the structural changes of catalysts at the atomic level during catalytic reactions. The development of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques offers opportunities for introducing a realistic chemical reaction environment in TEM, making it possible to uncover the mystery of catalytic reactions. In this article, we present a comprehensive overview of the application of TEM techniques in heterogeneous catalysis, highlighting its utility for observing gas-solid and liquid-solid reactions during thermal catalysis, electrocatalysis, and photocatalysis.

Boosting Photocatalytic Water Oxidation on Photocatalysts with Ferroelectric Single Domains.

Ferroelectric materials are considered as promising photocatalysts due to their efficient charge separation via a polarization-induced built-in electric field. However, the polydomain structures hinder spatial charge separation and transfer due to the cancellation of polarization vectors in the domains. In this work, taking BiFeO (BFO) as a prototype, single-domain BFO nanosheets with visible-light absorption are prepared, as evident by piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM), spatially resolved surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SRSPS), and photodeposition experiments.

Determination of Crystallographic Orientation and Exposed Facets of Titanium Oxide Nanocrystals.

Titanium dioxide (TiO ) nanocrystals have attracted great attention in heterogeneous photocatalysis and photoelectricity fields for decades. However, contradicting conclusions on the crystallographic orientation and exposed facets of TiO nanocrystals frequently appear in the literature. Herein, using anatase TiO nanocrystals with highly exposed {001} facets as a model, the misleading conclusions that exist on anatase nanocrystals are clarified.

Tuning the Anisotropic Facet of Lead Chromate Photocatalysts to Promote Spatial Charge Separation.

A crucial issue in artificial photosynthesis is how to modulate the behaviors of photogenerated charges of semiconductor photocatalysts. Here, using lead chromate (PbCrO ) as an example, we conducted the morphology tailoring from parallelepiped (p-PbCrO ) to truncated decahedron (t-PbCrO ) and elongated rhombic (r-PbCrO ), resulting in exposed anisotropic facets. The spatial separation of photogenerated charges closely correlates to the anisotropic facets of crystals, which can only be realized for t-PbCrO and r-PbCrO .

Enhancement of Plasmon-Induced Photoelectrocatalytic Water Oxidation over Au/TiO with Lithium Intercalation.

Plasmon-induced chemical reaction is an emerging field but its development faces huge challenges because of low quantum efficiency. Herein, we report that the solar energy conversion efficiency of Au/TiO in plasmon-induced water oxidation is greatly enhanced by intercalating Li into TiO . An incident photon-to-current efficiency as high as 2.

Crystal facet modulation of BiWO microplates for spatial charge separation and inhibiting reverse reaction.

We experimentally demonstrated that spatial charge separation can take place between the {010} and {001} facets of BiWO microplates. Further assembly of the reduction and oxidation cocatalysts leads to a remarkable enhancement of photocatalytic water oxidation activity in the presence of Fe ions while the reverse oxidation of Fe to Fe ions is totally inhibited. The origin of the driving force is theoretically proven to be the difference in surface work function between the co-exposed facets, which shows a feasible strategy for developing efficient photocatalysts for solar energy conversion.

A high value utilization process for coal gasification slag: Preparation of high modulus sodium silicate by mechano-chemical synergistic activation.

Coal gasification coarse slag (CGCS) is solid waste generated during coal gasification. The mainly treatment method of CGCS is storage and landfill, which causes severe environmental pollution and waste of land resources. Sodium silicate can be synthesized using CGCS after impurities are removed for the high content of amorphous silica.