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BiOCl photocatalysis shows great promise for molecular oxygen activation and NO oxidation, but its selective transformation of NO to immobilized nitrate without toxic NO2 emission is still a great challenge, because of uncontrollable reaction intermediates and pathways. In this study, we demonstrate that the introduction of triangle Cl−Ag1−Cl sites on a Cl‐terminated, (001) facet‐exposed BiOCl can selectively promote one‐electron activation of reactant molecular oxygen to intermediate superoxide radicals (⋅O2−), and also shift the adsorption configuration of product NO3− from the weak monodentate binding mode to a strong bidentate mode to avoid unfavorable photolysis. By simultaneously tuning intermediates and products, the Cl−Ag1−Cl‐landen BiOCl achieved >90 % NO conversion to favorable NO3− of high selectivity (>97 %) in 10 min under visible light, with the undesired NO2 concentration below 20 ppb. Both the activity and the selectivity of Cl−Ag1−Cl sites surpass those of BiOCl surface sites (38 % NO conversion, 67 % NO3− selectivity) or control O−Ag1−O sites on a benchmark photocatalyst P25 (67 % NO conversion and 87 % NO3− selectivity). This study develops new single‐atom sites for the performance enhancement of semiconductor photocatalysts, and also provides a facile pathway to manipulate the reactive oxygen species production for efficient pollutant removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) spinel has been found to produce C2−C4 hydrocarbons in a single‐step, ambient‐pressure, photocatalytic hydrogenation of CO2 with a rate of 1.1 mmol g−1 h−1, selectivity of 29.8 % and conversion yield of 12.9 %. On stream the CoFe2O4 reconstructs to a CoFe−CoFe2O4 alloy‐spinel nanocomposite which facilitates the light‐assisted transformation of CO2 to CO and hydrogenation of the CO to C2−C4 hydrocarbons. Promising results obtained from a laboratory demonstrator bode well for the development of a solar hydrocarbon pilot refinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urea, an agricultural fertilizer, nourishes humanity. The century‐old Bosch–Meiser process provides the world's urea. It is multi‐step, consumes enormous amounts of non‐renewable energy, and has a large CO2 footprint. Thus, developing an eco‐friendly synthesis for urea is a priority. Herein we report a single‐step Pd/LTA‐3A catalyzed synthesis of urea from CO2 and NH3 under ambient conditions powered solely by solar energy. Pd nanoparticles serve the dual function of catalyzing the dissociation of NH3 and providing the photothermal driving force for urea formation, while the absorption capacity of LTA‐3A removes by‐product H2O to shift the equilibrium towards urea production. The solar urea conversion rate from NH3 and CO2 is 87 μmol g−1 h−1. This advance represents a first step towards the use of solar energy in urea production. It provides insights into green fertilizer production, and inspires the vision of sustainable, modular plants for distributed production of urea on farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Removal of non‐biodegradable heavy metals has been the top priority in wastewater treatment and the development of green technologies remains a significant challenge. We demonstrate that phosphorylated nanoscale zero‐valent iron (nZVI) is promising for removal of heavy metals (NiII, CuII, CrVI, HgII) via a boosted Kirkendall effect. Phosphorylation confines tensile hoop stress on the nZVI particles and "breaks" the structurally dense spherical nZVI to produce numerous radial nanocracks. Exemplified by NiII removal, the radial nanocracks favor the facile inward diffusion of NiII and the rapid outward transport of electrons and ferrous ions through the oxide shell for surface (NiII/electron) and boundary (NiII/Fe0) galvanic exchange. Accompanied by a pronounced hollowing phenomenon, phosphorylated nZVI can instantly reduce and immobilize NiII throughout the oxide shell with a high capacity (258 mg Ni g−1 Fe). For real electroplating factory wastewater treatment, this novel nZVI performs simultaneous NiII and CuII removal, producing effluent of stable quality that meets local discharge regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) spinel has been found to produce C2−C4 hydrocarbons in a single‐step, ambient‐pressure, photocatalytic hydrogenation of CO2 with a rate of 1.1 mmol g−1 h−1, selectivity of 29.8 % and conversion yield of 12.9 %. On stream the CoFe2O4 reconstructs to a CoFe−CoFe2O4 alloy‐spinel nanocomposite which facilitates the light‐assisted transformation of CO2 to CO and hydrogenation of the CO to C2−C4 hydrocarbons. Promising results obtained from a laboratory demonstrator bode well for the development of a solar hydrocarbon pilot refinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]