Search

Abstract: A large number of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been investigated and reported over the last decade. Various templates have been successfully exploited and used, leading to significant advances in separation, adsorption, catalysis, sensing, and drug delivery. Among all the templates, small molecules have dominated in the synthesis of MIPs. In contrast, progress made in imprinting macromolecules has been slow, mainly due to the challenges presented by the size, structure and conformational fragility of biological macromolecules. In this review, we focus on discussing some key issues involved in the imprinting of macromolecules from recent publications. The similarity and difference between imprinting small molecules and macromolecules are highlighted. Other aspects relating to polymer design and function are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this work, the first example of a hierarchically structured hollow silica system is reported without any chemical modification to the enzyme involved in the process. The leaching of the physically adsorbed enzyme is substantially restrained in comparison to pure hollow silica supports. The hierarchical architecture is composed of the ordered hollow silica spheres with a shell-in-shell structure. This rationally integrated architecture, which serves as the host for glucose oxidase immobilization, displays many significant advantages, including increases in mechanical stability, enzyme loading, and bioactivity, and a decrease in enzyme leaching compared to existing pure hollow silica matrices. This facilitates further multifarious applications for enhanced enzyme immobilization, biosensors, and biocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A 20-mer single-stranded oligodeoxyribonucleotide (ssODNs) was covalently probed onto the nanocomposite electrode, made up of an indium-tin oxide (ITO) glass surface coated with chitosan (CHIT), which is bonded with carboxyl functionalized thiol capped gold nanoparticles (gold-mercaptopropionic acid, Au-MPA NPs). The prepared CHIT/Au-MPA/ITO and the ssODNs/CHIT/Au-MPA/ITO electrodes were characterized with FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). TEM micrograph of the composite electrode showed that Au-MPA NPs had the diameter ranging from 4 to 16nm. The ssODNs/CHIT/Au-MPA/ITO electrode showed a linear increase in the amperometric current with an increasing concentration of the single-stranded target complementary ODNs (cODNs) within the range of 0.03–325fM. The ssODNs/CHIT/Au-MPA/ITO electrode exhibited a sensitivity of 0.572μA/fM with a response time of 12s. The ssODNs/CHIT/Au-MPA/ITO electrode had a shelf life of ∼182 days, when stored at 4°C. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The siloxane microspheres with core-shell structure (PMMA/PMPS) (MMA, methyl methacrylate; MPS, 3-methacryloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane) have been prepared by dispersion polymerization as described in our previous work. In this paper, the developed poly(MMA-MPS) microspheres, as a carrier, are used to investigate the adsorption behavior of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on them. The Langmuir and Freundlich models have been applied to describe the adsorption behavior. The experimental results indicated that the presence of PMPS evidently increases the adsorption rate and the amount of protein, and it also influences the interaction of BSA molecules. The adsorption of BSA on the poly(MMA-MPS) microspheres seems to be sensitive to pH and ionic strength. The fittings curves from Langmuir and Freundlich models showed that the adsorption was actually more complicated than ideal situation because one or more interactions were involved in the process. For understanding the electronic contribution, the Zeta potential was used to measure the reactive system before and after protein adsorption. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Exploring inorganic flower-like nanosheets is of increasing interest not only for fundamental research, but also for development of devices due to their good chemical stability, versatility, and high surface-to-volume ratio. In this work, flower-like TiO2 nanosheets (FTN) are successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. Notably, a series of single-factor experiments are carried out to drive multiple functional components in order to integrate into a single flower-like nanostructure perfectly. In addition, these experimental results further reveal that alcohol/glycerol molar ratio acts in a vital role for preparing optimal flower-like morphology and structure of TiO2. Furthermore, the photodegradation pathways and mechanism of Levofloxacin (LVOF) by FTN are shown according to photodegradation intermediates of LVOF, trapping experiments, and ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) sensitizing effect. Therefore, the present work not only demonstrates the controlled synthesis of flower-like TiO2 nanosheets, but also provides a guide for constructing other inorganic flower-like nanosheets or TiO2-based photocatalysts with optimal morphology, structure and photocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring efficient adsorbents still remains an important challenge due to the poor efficiency of the reported adsorbents for the adsorption of antibiotics. Herein, we design and prepare a novel nanosheets-like hollow TiO 2 (NHT) adsorbent by using hollow TiO 2 as a precursor through alkaline hydrothermal treatment. Adsorption results show that NHT exhibits a high adsorption percentage (98.05%) within 20 min and a maximum adsorption uptake of 24.51 mg/g for Levofloxacin (LVOF) pollutant (10 mg/L, 50 mL), which is 17 times higher than that (1.4 mg/g) of pristine hollow TiO 2 (HT). Notably, NHT realizes >91% of the adsorption percentage for LVOF pollutant after the tenth run only through photo-regeneration without extra post-treatments, effectively overcoming the disadvantages of harsh regeneration procedures for most of the existed adsorbents. Adsorption data and the performance characterizations present deep insights into adsorption mechanism, which reveals that pore filling effect, hydrogen-bond interactions, and electrostatic attraction are the key parameters for the excellent adsorption of LVOF by NHT. Therefore, the present study can provide a promising direction for the fabrication of efficient adsorptive photocatalyst by using low-cost TiO 2 as a precursor. [Display omitted] • Novel nanosheets-like hollow TiO 2 (NHT) adsorbent was prepared via a facile alkaline hydrothermal treatment. • NHT adsorbent exhibited higher adsorption capacity of LVOF and faster adsorption kinetics than the present materials. • NHT manifested efficient adsorption of LVOF in ambient factors and real water matrices. • Exceptional levofloxacin adsorption/photo-regeneration cycles were realized by NHT adsorptive photocatalyst. • The efficient adsorption mechanism was ascribed to pore-filling effect, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing phase junction is an effective strategy to increase photocatalytic performance of titanium dioxide (TiO 2) because it can promote charge separation. However, both low surface area and unstable phase interface limit its further application. In this investigation, we introduce a structural regulation strategy to prepare anatase/rutile TiO 2 (A/R–TiO 2) hollow photocatalyst through in-situ growth of rutile TiO 2 on anatase TiO 2 hollow microspheres byheat treatment. The as-synthesized A/R–TiO 2 photocatalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The results reveal that the A/R–TiO 2 hollow photocatalyst significantly promotes efficient charge separation due to the intimate contact of two phases within a single hollow sphere. Notably, A/R–TiO 2 exhibits more efficient than commercial TiO 2 (P25) towards the photodegradation of various pesticide pollutants, which suggests that such a structural design can be an effective method for rationally constructing TiO 2 -based photocatalyst with advanced performance. [Display omitted] • A/R–TiO 2 hollow photocatalyst was prepared through in-situ growth of rutile TiO 2 on anatase TiO 2. • A/R–TiO 2 exhibited more efficient than commercial TiO 2 (P25) in pesticides degradation. • The combination of heterophase homojunction and hollow structure was the key parameter in photocatalysis. • The A/R–TiO 2 heterophase homojunction suppresses the bulk recombination of photoinduced carriers. • The degradation pathways and charge transfer mechanism were detailed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Activated carbon modified TiO 2 /Bi 2 O 3 adsorbent was prepared by a one-pot hydrothermal method. • Low temperature calcination (280 °C) led to high surface area (188.49 m2/g) of TiO 2 /Bi 2 O 3 /AC. • The integrated adsorbent/photocatalyst system promoted high removal efficiency of organic pollutants. • The efficient adsorption and photo-regeneration mechanism of tetracyclines were detailed. Considerable endeavors have focused on tightly combining adsorption with photocatalysis in designing composite materials for environmental pollution treatment. Recent advances in coupling titanium dioxide/bismuth trioxide (TiO 2 /Bi 2 O 3) with activated carbon (AC) show significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance but face critical limitations including low adsorption capacity and multi-step synthesis. In this work, we introduce a one-pot synthesis of activated carbon modified TiO 2 /Bi 2 O 3 composite materials (TiO 2 /Bi 2 O 3 /AC). Thanks to the integrated adsorbent/photocatalyst system, TiO 2 /Bi 2 O 3 /AC shows a drastically enhanced removal efficiency for sulfamethazine (>81%), far beyond the corresponding value of the reported AC/TiO 2 /Bi 2 O 3 adsorbent (<40%). Notably, the removal rates of other typical pollutants including tetracyclines, methyl orange, and rhodamine B are as high as >98%. Furthermore, TiO 2 /Bi 2 O 3 /AC obtains >80% of its adsorption rate for the fifth cycle after simple photo-regeneration without any other post-treatments. Kinetic analysis and photoelectric characterization are carried out to provide insight into adsorption mechanism. Therefore, this work demonstrates a considerable potential to design and construct other multifunctional adsorbents with advanced performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable efforts have focused on pursuing the efficient removal of antibiotic contaminants by combining adsorbents with photocatalysts. However, the reported adsorbents/photocatalysts still suffer from critical drawbacks including low adsorption rate, low mineralization rate, and complicated preparation procedures, greatly restricting their practical application. In this work, we report a facile method to develop porous TiO 2 /BiOI adsorbent through a one-pot hydrothermal process and subsequently low-temperature calcination (280 °C). Adsorption experiment shows that porous TiO 2 /BiOI realizes almost complete removal (99.4%) of tetracyclines, far beyond the values of BiOI (20.2%) and TiO 2 (71.1%). Notably, one-pot synthesis promotes the mass production of TiO 2 /BiOI without obvious loss in adsorption capacity. More importantly, TiO 2 /BiOI adsorbent can be simply regenerated by complete photodegradation of the adsorbed tetracyclines on TiO 2 /BiOI, and regains above 98% of its adsorption capacity for 10 cycles, successfully overcoming the limitations of environment-unfriendly regeneration conditions, low adsorption capacity, and poor recyclability for most of the reported adsorbents/photocatalysts. Additionally, adsorption mechanism is deduced to be mainly electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and pore filling according to adsorption performance. Therefore, the design concept we present here provides a new perspective for the development of reactive adsorbents with excellent removal efficiency and recyclability through a facile one-pot synthesis. [Display omitted] • TiO 2 /BiOI reactive adsorbent was prepared by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. • TiO 2 /BiOI showed excellent removal (>99%) of tetracycline from aqueous solution. • One-pot strategy realized the mass production of TiO 2 /BiOI without obvious loss in adsorption capacity. • TiO 2 /BiOI exhibited superior recyclability (>98%) up to 10 cycles of photo-regeneration and re-adsorption. • Key removal mechanism of tetracyclines was detailed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to promote the solar conversion efficiency of photoelectrochemical water splitting still remains a big challenge. In this work, we design a new 3D inverse opal ZnO/ZnS (IO–ZnO/ZnS) heterojunction by coupling polystyrene-templating with in-situ sulfidation. Thanks to 3D inverse opal structure and Z-scheme mechanism, the IO-ZnO/ZnS photocatalyst shows excellent photocurrent density (0.12 mA cm−2) and H 2 evolution rate (101.40 μmol/g/h) without any sacrificial agent, which is among the comparable values with the reported ZnO–ZnS based photocatalysts. Clearly, its unique interconnected pore structures offer abundant photocatalytic active sites and improved light utilization due to multiple light reflections. And, Z-scheme heterojunction facilitates the effective electron-hole separation, greatly driving hydrogen evolution. Notably, the thickness (1–7.5 μm) of IO-ZnO/ZnS is easy to be controlled by simply tailoring the initial concentration of polystyrene template, obtaining the optimally photocatalytic performance of IO-ZnO/ZnS. Therefore, this design concept can be expanded to construct other composite photoanode materials for energy storage and conversion application. [Display omitted] • 3D Inverse Opal ZnO/ZnS heterojunction was prepared by combining polystyrene-templating with in-situ sulfidation process. • The thickness of IO-ZnO/ZnS was easy to be controlled by tailoring the initial concentration of polystyrene template. • IO-ZnO/ZnS showed excellent photocurrent density and H 2 evolution rate without sacrificial agent. • The photocatalytic mechanism of efficient hydrogen evolution was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Linglong ball, a Chinese handicraft, has a hierarchically structured hollow architecture. On page 2162 Shunsheng Cao, Yi Ge, Anthony P. F. Turner, and co‐workers report a high‐efficiency enzyme‐immobilization formulation based on the synthesized hierarchically structured hollow silica host. This shows significant advantages over existing pure hollow silica matrices, thus facilitating further multifarious applications for enhanced enzyme immobilization, biosensing, and bio‐catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The core/shell particles consisting of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) core and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) shell via 3-(methacryloxypropyl)-trimethoxysilane (MPS) as the medium to link the core and shell were prepared in our present study by successive seeding polymerization under kinetically controlled conditions and were characterized by FT-IR, particle size analyzer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The picture of optical microscope showed the clear form of PDMS-0 and PDMS-40 (the content of PDMS in the particles), which approached to monodispersed distribution. Compared with the PMMA microspheres, PDMS-40 presented an evident core/shell structure through the observation of TEM. Additionally, the study of XPS revealed that PDMS could be grafted onto the surface of PMMA particles and the atomic ratio of C/Si on the surface of PDMS-40 was very close to the ratio of C/Si in the molecule of PDMS. The surface properties of the films produced from the core/shell microspheres also were investigated by contact angle method, contrast with the homopolymer of PMMA, the core/shell particles were more effective to form hydrophobic surface and the water repellency on the surface would be better than that of PMMA. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The core/shell particles consisting of polystyrene core and 3-(methacryloxypropyl)-trimethoxysilane (MPS) shell were prepared in the present study by successive seeding polymerization under kinetically controlled conditions and were characterized by particle size analyser, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The TEM image indicated that the particles containing organic siloxane presented an evident core/shell structure. Additionally, the study of XPS also revealed that MPS could be grafted onto the surface of polystyrene microspheres and the atomic ratio of C/Si on the surface of the core/shell particles (MPS-40) was very close to the ratio of C/Si in the molecule of MPS. The surface properties of the films produced from the core/shell particles were also investigated by the static contact angle method. Compared with the homopolymer of PS, the core/shell particles were more effective to create hydrophobic surface, so, the introduction of MPS was capable of obvious increase in water repellency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Photocatalytic organic conversion is a crucial process in the hydrogenation of nitroarenes, but harsh reaction conditions such as long reaction time, high hydrogen pressure, and organic medium still need to be considerably overcome under visible-light irradiation. Here, we have constructed a transition metal oxide photocatalyst by embedding low-cost Cu2O with strong visible-light absorption into hierarchically hollow SiO2 sphere (SiO2-Cu2O@SiO2) that can suppress the escape of photogenerated atomic hydrogen and promote the contact probability between hydrogen atom and nitroarene molecules due to confinement effect. Remarkably, the SiO2-Cu2O@SiO2 photocatalyst can exhibit efficient chemoselectivity toward the hydrogenation of various nitroarenes in an aqueous system at ambient conditions, successfully working out the requirement of strict hydrogenation conditions, especially for organic medium over almost all of the reported photocatalysts. Notably, quantitative aniline can be produced for the visible-light catalytic reduction of nitroarenes, suggesting a considerable potential for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO2 has been widely used as a photocatalyst and an electrode material toward the photodegradation of organic pollutants and electrochemical applications, respectively. However, the properties of TiO2 are not enough up to meet practical needs because of its intrinsic disadvantages such as a wide bandgap and low conductivity. Incorporation of carbon into the TiO2 lattice is a promising tool to overcome these limitations because carbon has metal-like conductivity, high separation efficiency of photogenerated electron/hole pairs, and strong visible-light absorption. This review would describe and discuss a variety of strategies to develop carbon-doped TiO2 with enhanced photoelectrochemical performances in environmental, energy, and catalytic fields. Emphasis is given to highlight current techniques and recent progress in C-doped TiO2-based materials. Meanwhile, how to tackle the challenges we are currently facing is also discussed. This understanding will allow the process to continue to evolve and provide facile and feasible techniques for the design and development of carbon-doped TiO2 materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The first example of the confined visible-light driven catalyst was reported. • Ag/Ag 2 O confined in the nanospace of double-shelled hollow silica were successfully synthesized. • The as-synthesized photocatalyst exhibited superior activity, selectivity, and recyclability than other catalysts. • Molecular dynamics simulation was used to build a model system for the hydrogenation of nitroarenes. Although photocatalysis has attracted tremendous research interest, there still remains critical challenges (e.g., low visible-light quantum efficiency, organic media, etc.), especially for selective hydrogenation of nitroarenes. Herein, we design and synthesize the first confined photocatalyst by introducing the nanospace of double-shelled hollow silica sphere as a photocatalytic nanoreactor to promote the hydrogenation reaction with the fast reaction kinetics. This photocatalyst exhibits excellent activity, selectivity, and recyclability. Especially, superior selectivity (>99%) is achieved when used for the hydrogenation of nitroarenes under visible-light irradiation in pure water medium. Both experimental and theoretical simulation results indicate that the Ag/Ag 2 O structure and confined nanospace of the photocatalyst greatly increase the contact probability between photogenerated atomic hydrogen and nitroarenes. Additionally, corresponding anilines are obtained almost quantitatively towards the hydrogenation of nitroarenes in pure water medium at room temperature. Therefore, this work provides a rational design concept of highly efficient visible-light photocatalyst for green chemistry industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although TiO2 is widely used as a promising electrode material for supercapacitors, its potential application suffers from a critical limitation due to its poor electrical conductivity and low rate capability. Here, we report a cost-effective hydrothermal strategy to design and construct a novel 'single-crystal-like' C-doped TiO2 electrode material. The as-synthesized electrode material combines the advantages of TiO2, 'single-crystal-like' features and carbon doping, considerably improving the electrical conductivity of TiO2. The electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the C-doped TiO2 material presents an excellent specific capacitance (449.8 F g−1 at 1 A g−1), which approaches six times more than the value (77.3 F g−1 at 1 A g−1) of P25 electrodes, and far beyond the value of many previously reported TiO2 electrodes. Therefore, this work explores a new method to design high performance electrochemical TiO2 electrode materials by incorporating other dopants into the TiO2 lattice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient removal of tetracycline (TC) under visible-light irradiation over TiO 2 -based photocatalysts remains a challenge based on the fact that the reported photocatalytic systems still suffer from weak visible-light absorption and/or inefficient charge separation. Herein, we constructed {101} and {001} facets co-exposed TiO 2 hollow sphere (001-HT) via a gentle NaF treatment, in which the hollow mesoporous feature can trap incident light for a long time to improve photons efficiently. Meanwhile, the as-formed facet heterojunction significantly facilitates the charge separation. As a result, the 001-HT exhibits a high removal rate (~90.1%) of TC under visible-light irradiation, beyond the values of many reported TiO 2 -based photocatalysts. Most importantly, we further expound the ligand-to-metal charge transfer mechanism towards TiO 2 -assisted degradation of TC under visible-light irradiation, which effectively clarifies the confusion about the origin of pure TiO 2 visible-light activity towards TC degradation because both TiO 2 and TC do not exhibit any visible-light catalytic activity. Therefore, this work provides a new insight in revealing the mechanism of visible-light-mediated TC degradation over pure TiO 2 photocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Ag NPs confined in shell-in-shell hollow TiO 2 photocatalyst was constructed. • The photocatalyst exhibited a complete degradation of tetracycline. • The excellent recyclability even after acid treatment was obtained. • TC degradation mechanism and pathway was proposed. • This work opened a new pathway for exploring other photocatalysts with two shells. Abstract The complete degradation of tetracycline still is a challenge for TiO 2 -based photocatalysts under simulated solar light irradiation. To tackle this challenge, we devise Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) confined in shell-in-shell hollow TiO 2 photocatalyst (HTAT). This strategy mainly involves the construction of CPS@TiO 2 core-shell composites, the form of TiO 2 inner shell, AgNPs loading by photo-deposition, the assembly of TiO 2 outer shell, and phase transition of anatase TiO 2 by calcination at 450℃. All characterizations including TEM, STEM Mapping, BET, and XPS confirm the unique structure of the as-synthesized HTAT photocatalyst. As expected, the complete degradation of tetracycline (TC and TCH) can be realized by using HTAT photocatalyst under simulated solar light irradiation because its TiO 2 two shells simultaneously take part in the photodegrading reaction of TC or TCH. The transformation intermediates and degradation pathway were analyzed by LC/MS. Our work effectively overcomes the disadvantages of many previously reported TiO 2 -based photocatalysts for the incomplete degradation of tetracycline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupling morphology modification with heterojunction is an effective strategy to promote the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 -based photocatalysts for wastewater treatment. In this work, we devise a novel flower-like TiO 2 /Bi 2 O 3 (FTB) photocatalyst through the deposition of Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles on the surface of flower-like TiO 2 (FT). Various characterization techniques reveal the successful construction of p-n heterojunction at the interfaces of flower-like TiO 2 and Bi 2 O 3 , which promotes efficient charge separation. Benefiting from the narrow bandgap of Bi 2 O 3 and flower-like microstructure, the photocurrent of FTB is about 1.67 times higher than that of FT, leading to higher photo-degradation rate (92.7%) of levofloxacin than that (∼80%) of FT photocatalyst. More important, FTB presents a good anti-interference capability for environmental factors including solution pH, ionic strength, and water matrix. Additionally, the photocatalytic performance and microstructure of FTB photocatalyst remain unchanged before and after five cycles, suggesting a good cyclability. Therefore, this work offers a new insight in constructing TiO 2 -based photocatalysts with advanced performance for efficient removal of antibiotics. [Display omitted] • Flower-like TiO 2 /Bi 2 O 3 was prepared via hydrothermal synthesis and photo-deposition. • Flower-like structure and p-n heterojunction promoted fast charge separation and transfer. • The introduction of flower-like structure strengthened the levofloxacin degradation. • The efficient degradation pathway and mechanism of LVOF were detailed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new protocol for constructing sandwich-like SiO 2 -Ag@TiO 2 hollow spheres (SAT) is introduced, in which SiO 2 acts as an efficient support for the Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) immobilization, while TiO 2 maintains its hierarchical structure and prevents the aggregation of Ag NPs during the photocatalytic reaction. As a photocatalytic agent, the inner and outer surfaces of TiO 2 can be fully occupied by pollutants molecules because of its unique structure, which faster boosts the photo-generated electrons to transfer the substrates, leading to an enhanced photocatalytic performance. Compared with Ag NPs deposited on the surface of SiO 2 @TiO 2 (STA), the as-synthesized SAT exhibits a markedly enhanced visible-light and UV light activity than STA for degrading tetracycline and traditional dyes. The excellent photocatalytic performances are ascribed to the enhanced transport paths of photo-generated electrons, reduced recombination probability of e − /h + pairs, and decreased threat of oxidation and corrosion. Especially, the SAT still maintains its photocatalytic efficiency after five consecutive runs even though the sample is recovered under visible-light irradiation, far beyond the reusability of STA under the same conditions. Therefore, the outstanding photocatalytic activity and excellent recyclability make SAT more potential to purify aquatic contaminants and to meet the demands of future environmental issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CdS has attracted great attention in optoelectronic devices due to its various band gaps and tunable morphologies. Most of the previously reported works were focused on one-dimensional nanostructured CdS-based photodetectors owing to their relatively fast photosensitivity, high photoresponse ratio, and low photoresponse time. However, the poor repeatability, low absolute photocurrents, and deficiency for large-scale production greatly limit their further applications. Moreover, the studies on the photoelectric properties of the CdS nanofilms are considerably limited and the optoelectronic performance of CdS still needs improvement. Herein, we report the CdS nanospheres with adjustable spherical diameters synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The reaction times, the reactants mole ratios and the amount of water can significantly influence the sizes of the CdS nanospheres. The monolayer CdS thin films on various substrates were successfully fabricated via an oil-water interfacial self-assembly strategy. Besides, the monolayer CdS thin films on Si/SiO 2 substrates have been tested as nanodevice for white-light photodetectors, which show high stability and multi-wavelength selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ongoing research activities are targeted to explore high photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 -based photocatalysts for the degradation of environmental contaminants under UV and visible light irradiation. In this work, we devise a facile, cost-effective technique to in situ synthesize hierarchical SiO 2 @C-doped TiO 2 (SCT) hollow spheres for the first time. This strategy mainly contains the preparation of monodisperse cationic polystyrene spheres (CPS), sequential deposition of inner SiO 2 , the preparation of the sandwich-like CPS@SiO 2 @CPS particles, and formation of outer TiO 2 . After the one-step removal of CPS templates by calcination at 450 °C, hierarchical SiO 2 @C-doped TiO 2 hollow spheres are in situ prepared. The morphology, hierarchical structure, and properties of SCT photocatalyst were characterized by TEM. SEM, STEM Mapping, BET, XRD, UV–vis spectroscopy, and XPS. Results strongly confirm the carbon doping in the outer TiO 2 lattice of SCT hollow spheres. When the as-synthesized SCT hollow spheres were employed as a photocatalyst for the degradation of Rhodamine B under visible-light and ultraviolet irradiation, the SCT photocatalyst exhibits a higher photocatalytic activity than commercial P25, effectively overcoming the limitations of poorer UV activity for many previous reported TiO 2 -based photocatalysts due to doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating dopants into the TiO 2 single crystals lattice is a big challenge because single crystal has a high crystallinity and the nucleation and growth of TiO 2 single crystals is readily subjected to the interference of the dose of dopant precursors. Here, we propose an in situ synthetic strategy for the construct of carbon-doped TiO 2 single crystal nanorods using CPS/TiO 2 as the precursors of TiO 2 nanorods and carbon source via a facile hydrothermal route. This technique involves the preparation of cationic polystyrene spheres (CPS), sequential deposition of TiO 2 precursor, hydrothermal reaction, and the pyrolysis of CPS in a N 2 atmosphere at 450 °C. The morphology and structure of as-prepared C-TiO 2 single crystal nanorods were characterized by TEM, SEM, STEM Mapping, XRD, UV–vis spectroscopy, and XPS. All results confirm the carbon doping in the as-prepared TiO 2 single crystal nanorods. As a result of unique microstructure, the resulting TiO 2 exhibits remarkably visible-light photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of organic pollutants including methylene blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB) and p -nitrophenol (PNP). Therefore, the current study provides a new insight for incorporating dopants into the TiO 2 single crystals lattice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifting the ultra-violet of titania to visible light driven photocatalysis can be realized by coupling with metallic or non-metallic elements. However, time-consuming multi-step process and significant loss of UV photocatalytic activity of such TiO 2 -based photocatalysts severely hinder their practical applications. In this work, we explore the idea of creating a practical method for the preparation of Fe 2 O 3 decorated TiO 2 (TiO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 ) photocatalyst with controlled visible-light photoactivity. This method only involves the calcination of the mixture (commercial P25 powders and magnetic Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles) prepared by a mechanical process. The morphology and properties of TiO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 composites were characterized by Transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, UV–vis spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results confirm the fusion of TiO 2 and Fe 2 O 3 , which promotes photo-generated electrons/holes migration and separation. Because of the strong synergistic effect, the as-synthesized TiO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 composites manifest an enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity. Especially, the TiO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 photocatalyst is very easy to be constructed via an one-step protocol that efficiently overcomes the time-consuming multi-step processes used in existed strategies for the preparation of Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 photocatalysts, providing a new insight into the practical application of TiO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 visible light photocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining heterojunction with advanced structures is a promising tool to enhance the photoelectrochemical performance of semiconductor photocatalysts for environmental remediation. Herein, a novel multi-heterojunction TiO 2 @Bi 2 O 3 (MHTB) hollow photocatalyst is successfully constructed by loading Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles on the surface of inner TiO 2 and outside of TiO 2 shell. Photoelectrochemical characterizations show that the formation of multiple heterojunctions at the TiO 2 @Bi 2 O 3 interfaces facilitates faster separation and transfer of photoinduced charge carriers than that of conventionally reported p-n heterojunction photocatalysts. Because of the separated two layers of Bi 2 O 3 and unique hollow structure, the photocatalytic performance of MHTB is significantly improved, leading to excellent photo-degradation rate constant (k = 0.0165 min−1) for the degradation of levofloxacin, which approaches 1.5-fold and 2.6-fold increase than that of TiO 2 @Bi 2 O 3 @TiO 2 (n-p-n heterojunction) and TiO 2 @Bi 2 O 3 (n-p heterojunction), respectively. Notably, the MHTB photocatalyst exhibits an excellent anti-interference capability for the interference of environmental factors. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity, crystal structure, and bonding energy of MHTB photocatalyst remain unchanged after being used several times, indicating an excellent stability. Therefore, this finding opens a new door to develop highly active photocatalysts with multiple heterojunctions for efficient pollutant removal and environmental remediation. [Display omitted] • Multi-heterojunction TiO 2 @Bi 2 O 3 photocatalyst (MHTB) was prepared for the first time. • MHTB drove the efficient degradation (>98%) and mineralization (92.6%) of levofloxacin under visible light. • Multi-heterojunction and hollow structure contributed to the degradation of levofloxacin. • The degradation pathway and mechanism of levofloxacin was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic reduction of nitroarenes and unsaturated aldehydes to corresponding hydrogenated products is an environment-friendly technology to prepare industrially important intermediates. however, high chemoselectivity still remains a big challenge when a nitroarene or unsaturated aldehyde molecule with two or more reducible groups. Herein, we construct a novel confined catalyst by encapsulating Ag NPs into the nanospace of hierarchical hollow silica (SiO 2 -Ag@void@SiO 2), enabling the excellent chemoselective hydrogenation (>99%) of 2-nitrochlorobenzene and cinnamyl aldehyde into corresponding amino groups (-NH 2) and hydroxyl groups (-OH) without hydrogenating other functional groups (-Cl and C C). The unique hydrogenation performance is identified to be associated with the confinement effect and highly dispersed Ag NPs because hydrogenation reaction takes place within the confined silver nanospace. Therefore, our study provides a guide to construct highly active catalysts for chemoselective catalysis. [Display omitted] • A novel confined catalysts by embedding silver into the nanospace of hierarchical hollow silica was prepared. • The confined catalyst exhibited excellent chemo-selectivity (>99%) of 2-NCB and CA at room temperature. • the confined nanospace promoted the excellent hydrogenation performance than the reported metal-supported catalysts. • This work provides a guide to construct highly active catalysts for chemo-selective catalysis of organic conversions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable efforts have been paid to develop electrochemical capacitors with energy storage capability in order to meet the demands of multifunctional electronics. Here we report a facile method to fabricate C-doped porous anatase TiO 2 . This technique involves the preparation of monodisperse cationic polystyrene nanoparticles (CPN), following sequential deposition of tetrabutylorthotitanate (TBT), and directly carbonizing of CPN. Interestingly, during the process of carbonizing CPN, a phase transition of TiO 2 will be happened and whist C-doped porous anatase TiO 2 is in situ formed. When this porous C-doped TiO 2 is used as electrode material to prepare electrochemical capacitor, it manifests a higher capacitance than the commercial P25, effectively broadening it potential for many practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduced the first example of tri-modified TiO 2 (Ag-C/N-TiO 2 ) photocatalyst. This method involved preparation of CPS, deposition of TiO 2 precursor, the carbonization of CPS, the immobilization and reduction of Ag + . As a result of unique microstructure, Ag-C/N-TiO 2 exhibits a higher photocatalytic activity than the P25, carbon-doped TiO 2 , silver-modified TiO 2 and co-modified TiO 2 because of its synergistic effect, significantly broadening unexplored area of TiO 2 modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) has been proved to be a leading semiconductor material to removal of environmental pollutants. However, it suffers from low photocatalytic efficiency under visible-light irradiation and narrow light response range because of its intrinsic large band gap. One of the most significant scientific and commercial progresses to date has been the development of visible light active TiO 2 by incorporation of additional components in the TiO 2 structure. In this review, a variety of strategies to improve the photocatalytic efficiency and shift the photocatalysis to visible light range are discussed. The materials are covered in the review including TiO 2 /SiO 2 , TiO 2 /carbon nanotube, TiO 2 -graphene/grapheme oxide, non-metal and/or metal doped TiO 2 . Emphasis is given to highlight current techniques and recent progress in enhancing photocatalytic efficiency of TiO 2 -based materials, which drives the rising of some key strategies involved in the ongoing challenges and potential new directions of TiO 2 photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistent efforts have been paid to shift the ultraviolet of titania to visible-light-driven photocatalysis. In this work, we explored a facile, cost-effective method to in situ create C-doped hollow TiO 2 spheres. This method involved the preparation of monodisperse cationic polystyrene spheres (CPS), sequential deposition of TiO 2 precursor via template-directed self-assembly, and the removal of CPS template by calcination at 450 °C. The structure and properties of hollow TiO 2 catalysts were characterized by N 2 desorption–adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results confirmed the carbon doping in the as-prepared hollow TiO 2 lattice. When C-doped hollow TiO 2 spheres were used as photocatalysts for the degradation of Rhodamine B under visible-light irradiation, the as-synthesized hollow anatase exhibited a superior photocatalytic activity than the commercial P25 and many TiO 2 -based photocatalysts reported in literature, significantly broadening its potential for many practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hollow silica spheres with round mesoporous shells were synthesized by core–shell template method, using monodispersed cationic polystyrene particles as core, and TEOS (tetraethoxysilane) as the silica source to form shell. After calcination at 550°C, uniform spheres with a thin shell of silica and hollow interior structures. Transmission electron microscopy results showed that the size of the spheres is about 700nm in diameter with narrow distribution. In addition, the spheres have a high surface area of 183m2/g. The spheres were subsequently used as silver-loading substrates and the silver loaded spheres were tested in antimicrobial study against gram negative bacteria Eschrichia coli in vitro. The hollow silica–Ag spheres proved significantly higher antibacterial efficacy against E. coli as compared to that of the common silica–Ag particles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Silica-based porous materials are popular adsorbents and have achieved marked success. However, one of the main challenges is surface functionalization for obtaining better removal performances. Therefore, in this paper we developed a hollow silica adsorbent with a well-defined morphology via a sodium silicate route. Compared with the conventional silica-based porous adsorbents prepared by the modified Stöber method, the synthesized hollow silica support exhibits many advantages such as low-cost silica source, and using only industrial commodities as starting materials and water as solvent. Excitedly, the resulting matrix can be used as a powerful separation tool to deal with environmental pollution because it is easy to separate from wastewater simply by centrifugation without any modification. The experimental results of absorption and separation on the neutral red indicate that low-cost hollow silica supports can evidently increase dye loading and decrease the rate of dye desorbed in comparison to conventional hollow silica adsorbents obtained via the Stöber method. We exhibit the first example of constructing high ordered macroporous silica adsorbent by using a low-cost silica source. This silica-based macroporous material can be useful as a powerful separation tool to deal with environmental pollution because it is easy to separate simply by centrifugation without any modification. Interestingly, the absorption and separation for neutral red show that it can increase absorbent amount of dye and decrease the rate of dye desorbed in comparison to conventional hollow silica obtained via the Stöber method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of hollow silica spheres via the sodium silicate route presents many advantages such as a low-cost silica source, and an environmentally friendly reaction system. Unfortunately, it is extremely hard to prepare the well-defined hollow silica spheres by using sodium silicate as the silica source owing to its rapid, disordered precipitation under the acid catalysis. As a result, we, in this paper, report a facile, economic, one-pot pathway for preparation of the ordered hollow silica spheres by employing a sodium silicate precursor. In this approach, the cationic polystyrene (CPS) templates can be first prepared via emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization by using the cationic monomer vinylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride, then, the silica shells were attached on the surfaces of CPS particles via electrostatic interaction, finally CPS particles were in situ dissolved and removed by adding toluene to create ordered hollow silica spheres. Some modern techniques and instruments, including the transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller theory were employed to monitor and characterize the resulting hollow silica spheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as organic treatment agent, phenylmethylsilicone/organic montmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposites were prepared by in-situ intercalative polymerization. The internal structure and morphology of the nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Mechanical properties, high temperature resistance and barrier performance for gas and water were also studied. The results show that molecules of silicone chains insert into the layer of montmorillonite (MMT), and the interlayer distance of MMT is expanded effectively after polymerization of phenylmethylsilicone prepolymer and methyl methacrylate, even forming exfoliated nanocomposites. The silicone/OMMT nanocomposite containing 8wt% OMMT has better high temperature resistance and barrier properties with low thermal weight loss of 25% at 750°C. The nanocomposite, containing 6wt% OMMT, has better mechanical performance with tension strength of 6.264MPa, which is five times more than that of pure silicone. When the nanocomposite contains 4wt% OMMT, the compression strength is 11.503MPa, which is four times bigger than that of pure silicone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A novel hypercrosslinked polymeric adsorbent of LM-6 was prepared by post-crosslinking reaction with 2-naphthol. Bromoethane was used as crosslinking reagent to substitute poisonous organic compound of chloromethyl methylether. Selective adsorption on LM-6 in mixture solution which consisting of 2-naphthol and naphthalene shows that the adsorption of 2-naphthol and naphthalene in aqueous solution are mainly pushed by physical interaction. The adsorption of 2-naphthol is also partly pushed by chemical interaction. The adsorptive enthalpy illuminates that there exists hydrogen-bonding between 2-naphthol and LM-6. Owning to hydrogen-bonding, the adsorption capacity of 2-naphthol on LM-6 is markedly higher than that of naphthalene. In aqueous solution, the adsorption process contains two steps: desorption of water first and then adsorption of solute. Dynamic analysis shows that adsorption capacity of 2-naphthol is higher than that of naphthalene. The adsorption rate is mainly affected by the diffusion of liquid membrane, the diffusion inside particulate or coordinated effect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • The p-n heterojunction Bi 2 O 3 /Ti3+-TiO 2 photocatalyst was reported by a facile method. • The Bi 2 O 3 /Ti3+-TiO 2 enabled the complete removal (100%) of tetracyclines under visible light. • The effect of environmental factors on the photodegradation of tetracyclines was detailed. • The mechanism on photodegradation was analyzed through LC–MS spectrum. The search for a highly active visible-light photocatalyst toward the complete degradation of antibiotic residuals remains a challenging task due to the fast emergence of antibiotic resistance. To address the problem, we explore a novel p-n heterojunction visible-light photocatalyst by coupling a p-type Bi 2 O 3 with an n-type Ti3+ self-doped TiO 2 porous material. The as-synthesized photocatalyst exhibits a narrowed bandgap (~2.89 eV) and enhanced visible-light absorption, leading to the complete degradation (100%) of antibiotics under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm) and excellent recyclability (98%) because of the synergistic effect of Ti3+ self-doping and p-n heterojunction. The results effectively work out the challenging task of the incomplete removal of tetracyclines over almost all of the reported visible-light photocatalysts. Additionally, the effects of antibiotics mixture, pH value, inorganic ions, water matrix, and outdoor light on the degradation of tetracyclines were also detailed. Especially, the transformation pathways and degradation mechanism of tetracycline were revealed in depth via trapping experiments and photoelectrochemical characterizations. Therefore, this work provides a new insight in exploring excellent photocatalysts to realize the complete removal of other refractory organic pollutants under visible light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, poly(acrylate-g-siloxane) with novel comb-like structure was designed and prepared so as to create a strongly hydrophobic polymer surface. In order to achieve this goal, a series of organic-siloxane oligomers with different chain lengths and a double bond were firstly synthesized through the catalytic reforming and hydrosilylation reaction. Then, poly(acrylate-g-siloxane) was prepared by the copolymerization of the resulting oligomers with acrylate via emulsion polymerization. The as-synthesized oligomers were characterized by 1H NMR and UV spectrometry, and the morphologies and surface chemical compositions of the dried membrane were investigated by FT-IR, XPS, as well as AFM. XPS analysis result shows that the chemical composition of the membrane''s surface was rich in polysiloxane segments, which could be responsible for an increase of surface water repellency (the contact angle could reach 115° at a lower content of polysiloxane). A further investigation suggest that the side chain length of siloxane in the poly(acrylate-g-siloxane) was the dominant factor in influencing the hydrophobicity of the membrane’ surface. When the siloxane chain length reaches to eight, the membrane''s surface could exhibit the strongest hydrophobicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Constructing a low-cost and efficient catalyst is of high importance toward the hydrogenation of nitroarenes. In this work, we design an Ag/Cu bimetallic catalyst by supporting Ag/Cu nanoparticles on the surface of hollow SiO 2 sphere (HS–Ag/Cu), in which SiO 2 acts as a support to disperse silver and copper nanoparticles due to its hydrophilic surface and chemical inertness, making it easier to decrease the aggregation of metal nanoparticles. Notably, the hollow/porous structure of SiO 2 considerably drives the diffusion of reactants/products by decreasing diffusion limitation, leading to an enhanced catalytic activity toward the hydrogenation of nitroarenes than monometallic catalyst. Furthermore, corresponding aniline is almost quantitatively produced, indicating a significantly practical potential. Demonstrating the efficient hydrogenation mechanism of nitroarenes for bimetallic HS-Ag/Cu catalyst in the presence of sodium borohydride, which can be ascribed to the synergistic effect of bimetal and hollow/porous support. [Display omitted] • Bimetallic Ag/Cu supported hollow SiO 2 sphere was prepared. • The HS-Ag/Cu exhibited an enhanced catalytic activity than monometallic counterparts. • Corresponding aniline is almost quantitatively produced toward the hydrogenation of nitroarene. • This work represents a new direction for constructing bimetallic catalysts by combining low-cost metal and porous support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The simultaneous evolution of H 2 and O 2 is obtained by Pt/ZnS-ZnO. • All-solid-state Z-scheme is successfully introduced into the Pt/ZnS-ZnO. • The photocatalytic reaction mechanism of the Pt/ZnS-ZnO is widely explored. The simultaneous production of the hydrogen and oxygen for photocatalytic water splitting still remains a critical challenge because O 2 release from semiconductor catalysts is an extremely difficult. Herein, we design and synthesize a novel ZnS-ZnO heterostructure sheets by combining solid-state Z-scheme for photocatalytic O 2 and H 2 evolution. Electron spin resonance result confirms that a solid-state Z-scheme is successfully introduced into the ZnS-ZnO heterostructure. Thanks to the rapid separation and migration of photoinduced electron/hole according to the Z-scheme mechanism, ZnS-ZnO heterostructure exhibits efficient H 2 evolution without using any sacrificial agent, far beyond the comparative values reported by currently ZnS/ZnO-based photocatalysts. Especially, the as-synthesized photocatalyst presents the ability of O 2 evolution for pure water splitting using Pt as cocatalyst, which is too difficult to be realized for previously reported ZnO/ZnS-based photocatalysts. Therefore, this work presents a new idea to design other semiconductor photocatalysts for simultaneous H 2 and O 2 evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce confinement effect to overcome disadvantages of directly immobilizing Fe 2 O 3 on the surface of TiO 2 by encapsulating Fe 2 O 3 in photocatalyst, which exhibits a higher photocatalytic activity. • Spatially confined Fe 2 O 3 in hierarchical SiO 2 @TiO 2 (SFT) photocatalyst was prepared. • A complete degradation of antibiotics was achieved under natural sunlight irradiation. • Transformation intermediates and pathways of antibiotics were presented. • This work provided a new insight for constructing other metal oxides confined photocatalysts. Although TiO 2 -based photocatalysts have achieved great successes for the degradation of organic pollutants, the complete removal of antibiotics is hard to be realized because of its unique macromolecular ring structure under solar-light irradiation. Herein, this work demonstrates the rational design of the hierarchical hollow SiO 2 -Fe 2 O 3 @TiO 2 (SFT) photocatalyst by introducing spatially confined Fe 2 O 3 as a modifier of TiO 2 , in which inner SiO 2 serves as a carrier to support and disperse Fe 2 O 3 in order to obtain small size of Fe 2 O 3 (2–6 nm), while outer TiO 2 acts as a bounding wall to protect Fe 2 O 3 from aggregation and abscission. The as-synthesized SFT photocatalyst not only can overcome easy corrosion, dissolution and deactivation of Fe 2 O 3 during the photoreaction process, but also can substantially enhance the adsorption of antibiotics because of its hierarchical hollow structure, facilitating the separation of electron-hole pairs and prolonging the trapping of incident light. Therefore, the SFT photocatalyst manifests the complete removal of antibiotics under simulated solar light irradiation. The intermediates of antibiotics were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and the possible degradation pathway was proposed accordingly. Besides, SFT photocatalyst exhibits an excellent recyclability due to confinement effect. Especially, the as-synthesized SFT also achieves the 100% degradation rate of antibiotics under natural sunlight irradiation, efficiently overcoming the incomplete removal of antibiotics for many previous TiO 2 -based photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unique molybdenum trioxide decorated nickel-cobalt oxide nanostructures (MoO 3 /NiCo 2 O 4 -NSs) and three-dimensional hierarchical structure α-FeOOH/rGO film were prepared via facile hydrothermal and annealing strategies. Owing to the merits of the large surface area, superior ionic conductivity, increased availability of active sites/interfaces, rich mixed valences of polymetallic oxide and the favorable structural stability, the as-prepared optimized battery-type MoO 3 /NiCo 2 O 4 -NSs electrode material presents an extraordinary specific capacity (1042 F g−1 at 1 A g−1), largely improved rate capability (93%, from 1 to 6 A g−1), and superior cycling performance, compared with the NiCo 2 O 4 –NCs, MoO 3 , and also exceeds some of the reported Ni-, Co-based electrodes. Underlying such great improvement, a MoO 3 /NiCo 2 O 4 -NSs//α-FeOOH/rGO asymmetric supercapacitor device with a large potential window was assembled, which delivered a high capacitance of 141 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, an excellent energy density of 50.2 Wh kg−1, and an amazing power density of 4.8 kW kg−1. The serially connected asymmetric supercapacitor can power commercial light-emitting diodes suggesting their potential application for electronic gadgets. The superior energy storage characteristics of the asymmetric supercapacitor are strongly attributed to the interconnected 3D nanoporous network architectures of the MoO 3 /NiCo 2 O 4 -NSs and the good compatibility with the α-FeOOH/rGO negative electrode. Unique MoO 3 /NiCo 2 O 4 -NSs and α-FeOOH/rGO film were successfully synthesized for supercapacitor applications. The optimized MoO 3 /NiCo 2 O 4 -NSs electrode presents a high specific capacity (1042 F/g at 1 A/g), improved rate performance (93%, from 1 A/g to 6 A/g), and superior cycling performance (110% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles). A MoO 3 /NiCo 2 O 4 -NSs//α-FeOOH/rGO asymmetric supercapacitor delivered an excellent energy density (50.2 Wh kg−1) and an amazing power density (4.8 kW kg−1). Image 1 • MoO 3 /NiCo 2 O 4 -NSs and α-FeOOH/rGO were prepared via a simple wet-chemical strategy. • MoO 3 /NiCo 2 O 4 -NSs show high surface area, fast ion transfer, and good structural stability. • MoO 3 /NiCo 2 O 4 -NSs presented enhanced specific capacity, rate, and cycling performance. • An ASC device exhibited a high capacity with a wide potential window. • MoO 3 /NiCo 2 O 4 -NSs//α-FeOOH/rGO delivered an ultrahigh energy density of 50.2 Wh kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although TiO2 or MnO2-based materials have been widely used for the degradation of phenolic compounds, complete mineralization is still a challenge, especially for TiO2-based materials. Here, we devise a hierarchically-structured TiO2/MnO2 (HTM) hollow sphere, in which hollow TiO2 acts as a skeleton for the deposition of MnO2 in order to prevent the aggregation of MnO2 nanoparticles and to maintain its hollow structure. During the oxidation reaction, the as-synthesized HTM can fully exert their respective advantages of the TiO2 and MnO2 species to realize the first stage of the rapid oxidation degradation of phenol and the second stage of the complete photo-mineralization of residual phenol and its intermediates, which efficiently overcomes the incomplete mineralization of phenolic compounds. The degradation mechanism and pathway of phenol are also proposed according to the analysis of Mass Spectrometry (MS). Therefore, this work provides a new insight for exploring hierarchically-structured materials with two or more species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]