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Excessive price and scarcity of Pt species make it very necessary to enhance the atom utilization and catalytic efficiency of Pt catalysts for implementing their industrial practicality. Here, natural cotton is adopted as the precursor to in-situ support well-dispersed and uniform-sized Ni nanoparticles, which then work as nanoislands to effectively deposit single-atom Pt via the galvanic replacement reaction. On the resulting fibrous carbon matrix, the monocrystalline Ni particles are verified to tightly anchor isolated Pt atoms to form the alloyed PtNi nanoparticles. In the 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction to 4-aminophenol (4-AP), the catalytic activity of the bimetallic PtNi/C catalyst with the low Pt loading (0.81%) maximally reaches 25 times as high as the primary Ni/C product. Simulated calculations demonstrate that the single-atom Pt centers on PtNi nanoparticles rapidly capture and split H 2 molecules, while Ni atoms strongly adsorb 4-NP molecule to activate the -NO 2 group. Therefore, the trapped H atom could easily attack the -NO 2 and reduce 4-NP. Cotton is utilized to in-situ prepare well-dispersed and uniform-sized PtNi/C bimetallic catalysts with the superior activity in the 4-nitrophenol reduction. [Display omitted] • Natural cotton has been utilized for fabricating the Ni/C catalyst. • Ni nanoparticles work as nanoislands to deposit single-Atom Pt, forming PtNi nanoparticles. • The PtNi/C catalyst exhibits a great catalytic performance for reduction of 4-NP. • Catalytic mechanism of the PtNi/C bimetallic catalyst has been explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of abundant oxygen-based groups, natural cotton is adopted as the precursor to in situ fabricate a three-dimensional (3D) Bi 2 O 3 -supported carbon fiber aerogel (Bi 2 O 3 /CF). The calcination temperature plays an important role in the crystal composition of Bi species and the specific surface area of the aerogel. When the calcination temperature is 800 °C, the Bi 2 O 3 /CF product exhibits the highest tetracycline (TC) removal efficiency, including large adsorbability and superior photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, its 3D porous network architecture provides a multidimensional open framework for the free mobility of solution and rapid diffusion of reactants and products. In the flowing system, the 3D Bi 2 O 3 /CF aerogel can implement the continuous and stable elimination of pollutants for a long time, and it does not require any separation operation. Consequently, the 3D Bi 2 O 3 /CF aerogel is expected as a promising functional material to massively remove organic pollutants from industrial wastewater. Cotton is utilized to in-situ synthesize the 3D Bi 2 O 3 -supported carbon fiber aerogel to continuously remove tetracycline in a flowing system. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]