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Correction for ‘Retracted Article: Monodisperse CuB23 nanoparticles grown on graphene as highly efficient catalysts for unactivated alkyl halide Heck coupling and levulinic acid hydrogenation’ by Shi Yan Fu et al., Catal. Sci. Technol., 2015, 5, 1638–1649, https://doi.org/10.1039/C4CY01331J.

Amorphous LiEuTiO4 nanovesicles were fabricated using in situ formed Eu nanoparticles as sacrificial templates. Samples fabricated with these nanovesicles exhibited a good rate performance together with a large reversible discharge capacity of 285.1 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 and 185.7 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1 and had an excellent cycle performance with a huge reversible discharge capacity of 282 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 0.1 A g−1. These advantageous characteristics are attributed its unique structure, which reduces the length of Li+/electron transportation and increases the interface between the electrolyte and the electrode. A solid-electrolyte boundary film was formed on the surface of the LiEuTiO4 anode during cycling. However, the rate and cyclic properties of the sample improved after adding vinylene carbonate. Those results demonstrate that LiEuTiO4 nanovesicles can function as an ideal low operating voltage anode material in high-rate lithium ion batteries intended for electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles without a corresponding reduction in the battery voltage or energy density.

Correction for ‘Retracted Article: Mesoporous amorphous FeOF nanococoons for high-rate and long-life rechargeable sodium-ion batteries’ by Shi Yan Fu et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, 3, 16716–16727, https://doi.org/10.1039/C5TA04288G.

Mesoporous face-centered-cubic (fcc) In4Ni alloy nanorices (NRs) were successfully synthesized as superior catalysts for N2H4 dehydrogenation in aqueous solution via a facile solution plasma technique (SPT) in an ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIM][BF4]). This incorporation introduces basic sites for dehydrogenation. Also, the synthesis of In and Ni weakens the interactions among generated adspecies such as H2 and NHx and surface metal atoms. Alongside their unique NR structure, the as-prepared fcc-In4Ni alloy NRs exhibited superior performance for N2H4 dehydrogenation in aqueous solution. The activation energy of the fcc-In4Ni alloy NRs was 38.9 ± 1.0 kJ mol(-1). The NRs were also found to be stable for catalytic N2H4 dehydrogenation in aqueous solution, providing an average TOF value of 82.0 (mol of H2 (mol of active In4Ni min)(-1)) over 30 h reaction. These fcc-In4Ni alloy NRs have demonstrated exceptional performance, which indicates that the construction of hydrogen-producing systems from N2H4, capable of matching the performance of NaBH4 and NH3BH3 hydrogen-producing systems for fuel-cell applications, is a promising possibility.

Li9V3(P2O7)3(PO4)2 nanotubes were prepared on large scale by a simple molten salt route without the use of a surfactant as a template and the nanotubes exhibited excellent cycling stability in addition to enhanced rate capability as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

Retraction of ‘Mesoporous multiwalled carbon nanotubes as supports for monodispersed iron–boron catalysts: improved hydrogen generation from hydrous hydrazine decomposition’ by Dong Ge Tong et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013, 1, 358–366.

Retraction of ‘Honeycomb-like Co–B amorphous alloy catalysts assembled by a solution plasma process show enhanced catalytic hydrolysis activity for hydrogen generation’ by Dong Ge Tong et al., RSC Adv., 2012, 2, 2369–2376.

Heck-type coupling of inactivated alkyl halides and alkenes, catalyzed by amorphous CuB23 alloy short nanotubes, has been developed. Such couplings occur on the surfaces of nanotubes via a single-electron oxidative reaction. The results indicate that CuB23 nanotubes are efficient catalysts to replace Pd and Ni complexes for such Heck-type coupling.

A novel solution plasma process was developed to assemble honeycomb-like Co–B amorphous alloy catalysts with 253.33 m2 g−1 specific surface area using triethanolamine (TEA) as a soft template. The sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. During catalytic hydrolysis of hydrous hydrazine (H2NNH2) for hydrogen generation, the hydrolysis activity and hydrogen selectivity of the honeycomb-like Co–B is superior to Rh nanoparticles and Co–B nanospheres. Meanwhile, the sample also exhibits excellent catalytic performance in the catalytic hydrolysis of ammonia borane (NH3BH3) and sodium borohydride (NaBH4) for hydrogen generation, respectively. The H2 generation rate of 28.9, 105.8, and 262.8 L h−1 g−1catalyst for the hydrolysis reactions of H2NNH2, NH3BH3 and NaBH4, respectively, can be achieved. Meanwhile, the honeycomb-like Co–B is found to be a highly stable catalyst as it provides 18360, 54000, and 93727 total turnovers in the hydrolytic dehydrogenations of H2NNH2, NH3BH3 and NaBH4, respectively, after being tested for 30 h. The enhanced catalytic performance for the honeycomb-like Co–B catalyst is attributed to the high specific surface area and the enhanced intrinsic activity resulting from its unique honeycomb-like structure.

Retraction of ‘Novel mesoporous amorphous B–N–O–H nanofoam as an electrode for capacitive dye removal from water’ by Ming Ming Chen et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017, 5, 21400–21413.

Retraction of ‘Monodisperse Ni3Fe single-crystalline nanospheres as a highly efficient catalyst for the complete conversion of hydrous hydrazine to hydrogen at room temperature’ by Dong Ge Tong et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013, 1, 6425–6432.

Retraction of ‘One-pot synthesis of O-doped BN nanosheets as a capacitive deionization electrode for efficient removal of heavy metal ions from water’ by Ming Ming Chen et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017, 5, 17029–17039.

Retraction of ‘Monodisperse CuB23 nanoparticles grown on graphene as highly efficient catalysts for unactivated alkyl halide Heck coupling and levulinic acid hydrogenation’ by Shi Yan Fu et al., Catal. Sci. Technol., 2015, 5, 1638–1649.

Retraction of ‘Synthesis of octahedral, truncated octahedral, and cubic Rh2Ni nanocrystals and their structure–activity relationship for the decomposition of hydrazine in aqueous solution to hydrogen’ by Chun Li et al., Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 7043–7055.

Retraction of ‘Mesoporous amorphous FeOF nanococoons for high-rate and long-life rechargeable sodium-ion batteries’ by Shi Yan Fu et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, 3, 16716–16727.

Retraction of ‘Preparation of face-centered-cubic indium nanocubes and their superior dehydrogenation activity towards aqueous hydrazine with the assistance of light’ by Fang Luo et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016, 4, 17665–17672.

Retraction of ‘Black mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanoleaves: a high capacity and high rate anode for aqueous Al-ion batteries’ by Ying Juan He et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014, 2, 1721–1731.

Retraction of ‘Hollow amorphous NaFePO4 nanospheres as a high-capacity and high-rate cathode for sodium-ion batteries’ by Chun Li et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, 3, 8265–8271.

Copper oxide (CuO) vegetable sponges with mesoporous structure were successfully prepared from pine tree needles cellulose as templates. The sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen absorption–desorption. In the performance test, the obtained CuO vegetable sponges showed great antibacterial activities, as good as penicillin and kanamycin, especially towards Streptococcus faecalis. They also displayed active photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B molecules in aqueous solution. Electrochemical data demonstrated that the CuO vegetable sponges were capable of delivering a specific capacitance of 440 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 and offered good specific capacitance retention of 95.1% after 1,000 continuous charge–discharge cycles even at 5 A g−1.

The synthesis process of LiCoO2 prepared by l-apple acid (l-HOOCCH(OH)CH2COOH) assisted sol–gel method is studied by using Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, simultaneous thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, and elemental analysis. The results show that lithium and cobalt ions are trapped homogeneously on an atomic scale throughout the precursor. Lithium carbonate and Co3O4 are intermediate products during heat treatment of the precursor. Moreover, the kinetics for formation of LiCoO2 by l-apple acid assisted sol–gel method is faster than the case of the conventional solid-state reaction between lithium carbonate and Co3O4. In comparison with the solid-state reaction, the sol–gel method significantly shortens the required reaction time for synthesizing LiCoO2, and also reduces the particle size. In the electrochemical test, it is found that the specific discharge/charge capacities as well as the coulomb efficiency substantially increase with increasing the calcination temperature. It is considered that LiCoO2 with a good-layered structure facilitates the insertion and de-insertion of lithium ions in aqueous electrolyte. As a result, the combination of the sol–gel method with proper calcination processes is highly successful in producing LiCoO2 powders with large specific capacity and good cycle performance in aqueous lithium-ion battery.

Magnetically recyclable Co–B hollow nanospindles have been prepared by using poly(styrene-co-methacrylic acid) nanospindles as scarified templates for the first time. The effect of the weight ratio of poly(styrene-co-methacrylic acid) to Co(OAc)2 on the structure of Co–B hollow nanospindles is not significant. In the hydrolysis of ammonia borane to release H2, the activity of Co–B hollow nanospindles was much higher than that of regular Co–B prepared without templates. Their catalytic performance is comparable to that of the reported Pt black concerning hydrogen yield. The favorable activity is attributed to the large specific surface area and hollow structure. In addition, Co–B hollow nanospindles have good reusability in the application due to their unique magnetic properties.

Amorphous Co-B alloy catalyst with mesoporous structure was firstly prepared via reduction of cobalt acetate by potassium borohydride in the presence of an organic template hexadecyl–trimethyl–ammonium bromide. The as-prepared mesoporous Co-B was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron micrograph (SEM), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurement, N2 adsorption–desorption, CO temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and magnetic performance test. Investigations demonstrated that such mesoporous structure has a pronounced influence on the magnetic properties of Co-B alloy and the enhanced magnetic performance enables the as-prepared mesoporous Co-B to be recycled by magnetic method in the liquid-phase cinnamaldehyde (CMA) hydrogenation. During the hydrogenation, the as-prepared mesoporous Co-B exhibited higher cinnamaldehyde conversion and cinnamyl alcohol (CMO) selectivity than the regular Co-B obtained without using organic template, which is attributed to the larger specific surface area and the stronger affinity to C O. After 11 cycles, the conversion of cinnamaldehyde over the mesoporous Co-B was 85.2%, which is higher than that of the fresh regular Co-B. The good cycle performance is attributed to its preserved mesoporous structure in spite of the collapse of some mesopores during cycling. In addition, the increase of selectivity for cinnamyl alcohol after several cycles is attributed to the growth of particle size.

The amorphous Co–B particles were prepared from cobalt nitrate and potassium borohydride. Ethanol-thermal treatment has been used to promote the crystallinity of Co–B particles. Both the amorphous and crystallized Co–B particles were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron micrograph (SEM), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), specific surface area (SBET), CO temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and magnetic performance test. After crystallization, the synergistic effect between Co and B, the structure stability, and the magnetic property of Co–B enhanced while the activation energy in cinnamaldehyde (CMA) hydrogenation decreased. Furthermore, the conversion of cinnamaldehyde (CMA) increased from 5% to 57%. The hydrogenation of the C C bond in cinnamaldehyde (CMA) is favored for the amorphous Co–B particles while the hydrogenation of the C O bond is preferred for the crystallized Co–B particles. After 13 cycles, the crystallized Co–B particles remain higher cinnamaldehyde (CMA) conversion and cinnamyl alcohol (CMO) selectivity, which is attributed to their good structure stability and the novel magnetic method for recycle; while the cycle performance of amorphous Co–B particles is poor due to their instable structure.