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The photothermocatalytic cellulose steam reforming strategy has provided a sustainable approach, directly converting the largest renewable carbon resource (biomass), into syngas (H2 and CO) which are clean and high‐value‐added energy carriers. However, this strategy for achieving high catalytic efficiency inevitably produces char, resulting in rapid deactivation and difficult recovery of catalysts, impeding industrial application. Herein, the Ni NPs (nanoparticles) loaded on θ‐phase Al2O3 (Ni/θ‐Al2O3) catalyst enable efficient conversion of char generated during photothermocatalytic cellulose steam reforming process, thereby exhibiting high production rates of syngas (H2 3776.3 and CO 2028.1 mmol gcatalyst−1$ \rm{g}_{catalyst}^{-1} $ h−1) and excellent durability (no deactivation after 4 cycles). Compared with a reference catalyst of Ni NPs loaded on amorphous SiO2 (Ni/am‐SiO2), this study finds that the elementary step of char conversion with H2O to syngas can be enhanced on Ni/θ‐Al2O3. With an emphasis on the mechanism, a different pathway is discovered that surface hydroxyl groups participating in the formation of HCO* intermediates, further dissociating to syngas, significantly facilitate the conversion of char. Additionally, on Ni/θ‐Al2O3, the photoactivation effect enhances catalytic activity, particularly promoting the conversion of H2O with char to syngas, thus preventing deactivation caused by encapsulation of char. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photothermocatalytic cellulose steam reforming strategy has provided a sustainable approach, directly converting the largest renewable carbon resource (biomass), into syngas (H2 and CO) which are clean and high‐value‐added energy carriers. However, this strategy for achieving high catalytic efficiency inevitably produces char, resulting in rapid deactivation and difficult recovery of catalysts, impeding industrial application. Herein, the Ni NPs (nanoparticles) loaded on θ‐phase Al2O3 (Ni/θ‐Al2O3) catalyst enable efficient conversion of char generated during photothermocatalytic cellulose steam reforming process, thereby exhibiting high production rates of syngas (H2 3776.3 and CO 2028.1 mmol gcatalyst−1$ \rm{g}_{catalyst}^{-1} $ h−1) and excellent durability (no deactivation after 4 cycles). Compared with a reference catalyst of Ni NPs loaded on amorphous SiO2 (Ni/am‐SiO2), this study finds that the elementary step of char conversion with H2O to syngas can be enhanced on Ni/θ‐Al2O3. With an emphasis on the mechanism, a different pathway is discovered that surface hydroxyl groups participating in the formation of HCO* intermediates, further dissociating to syngas, significantly facilitate the conversion of char. Additionally, on Ni/θ‐Al2O3, the photoactivation effect enhances catalytic activity, particularly promoting the conversion of H2O with char to syngas, thus preventing deactivation caused by encapsulation of char. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the synergetic effect of high photo-thermo transformation efficiency and improved charge separation, the Cs 3 Bi 2 Br 9 /MoS 2 S-scheme heterojunction exhibits excellent photothermocatalytic CO 2 reduction performance without any extra heat input. [Display omitted] Photothermocatalytic CO 2 reduction has been considered as a green and sustainable strategy for solar-to-fuel conversion, since it can utilize the solar energy to simultaneously provide heat input and produce photogenerated charge carriers. To this end, exploring photothermal catalysts with broad-band absorption, high photo-heat conversion and charge separation efficiency is highly desirable. In this work, an innovative Cs 3 Bi 2 Br 9 /MoS 2 (CBB/MoS 2) composite has been elaborately constructed to investigate the photothermocatalytic performance towards CO 2 reduction. In this composite, MoS 2 plays dual roles: with photoinduced self-heating effect, it can act as an extra heater to accelerate the catalytic reaction, and meanwhile serves as a cocatalyst to promote charge separation by forming S-scheme heterojunction with CBB. As expected, the developed CBB/MoS 2 composite delivered outstanding photothermocatalytic activity for CO 2 reduction without any extra heat input, with the CO production rate reaching 172.79 μmol g−1h−1. As confirmed by experimental tests and theoretical calculations, the superior photothermocatalytic CO 2 reduction performance of CBB/MoS 2 was attributed to the synergetic effect of high photo-thermo transformation efficiency and highly improved charge separation. The present work offers a potential strategy for developing highly-efficient photothermal catalysts used in artificial photosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high selectivity of C─C coupling reactions in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is often limited due to the difficulty in the regulation of transition metals acting as active sites to balance between C─C chain propagation and over hydrogenation. Herein, BCN‐supported CoFe alloy catalyst has been successfully constructed for promoting C─C chain propagation. When exposed to light irradiation, the CoFe‐BCN catalyst exhibits a higher CO conversion of 18.4% with the enhanced selectivity toward multi‐carbon (C2+) hydrocarbons that increases from 22.4% to 64.1%, and the reduced over hydrogenation to CH4 that decreases from 74.8% to 25.4% in contrast to Co‐BCN catalyst. Structural characterizations indicate that introducing Fe to create CoFe alloy can decrease the d‐band center of Co, which significantly promotes C─C coupling reactions but weakens hydrogenation in FTS process. The findings underscore the potential of modifying catalysts with metal atoms to optimize their electronic structure to regulate reaction pathways in CO hydrogenation for high‐value products formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The substitution of ethyl acetate for ammonia in NH3-SCR provides a novel strategy for the simultaneous removal of VOCs and NO. In this study, three distinct types of biochar were fabricated through pyrolysis at 700 °C. MnOx and TiO2 were sequentially loaded onto these biochar substrates via a hydrothermal process, yielding a family of biochar-based catalysts with optimized dosages. Upon exposure to xenon lamp irradiation at 240 °C, the biochar catalyst designated as 700-12-3GN, derived from Ginkgo shells, demonstrated the highest catalytic activity when contrasted with its counterparts prepared from moso bamboo and loofah. The conversion efficiencies for NO and ethyl acetate (EA) peaked at 73.66% and 62.09%, respectively, at a catalyst loading of 300 mg. The characterization results indicate that the 700-12-3GN catalyst exhibits superior activity, which can be attributed to the higher concentration of Mn4+ and Ti4+ species, along with its superior redox properties and suitable elemental distribution. Notably, the 700-12-3GN catalyst has the smallest specific surface area but the largest pore volume and average BJH pore size, indicating that the specific surface area is not the predominant factor affecting catalyst performance. Instead, pore volume and average BJH pore diameter appear to be the more influential parameters. This research provides a reference and prospect for the resource utilization of biochar and the development of photothermal co-catalytic ethyl acetate and NO at low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-driven CO2-to-fuel conversion assisted by another major greenhouse gas CH4 is promising to concurrently tackle energy shortage and global warming problems. However, current techniques still suffer from drawbacks of low efficiency, poor stability, and low selectivity. Here, a novel nanocomposite composed of interconnected Ni/MgAlOx nanoflakes grown on SiO2 particles with excellent spatial confinement of active sites is proposed for direct solar-driven CO2-to-fuel conversion. An ultrahigh light-to-fuel efficiency up to 35.7%, high production rates of H2 (136.6 mmol min−1g−1) and CO (148.2 mmol min−1g−1), excellent selectivity (H2/CO ratio of 0.92), and good stability are reported simultaneously. These outstanding performances are attributed to strong metal-support interactions, improved CO2 absorption and activation, and decreased apparent activation energy under direct light illumination. MgAlOx@SiO2 support helps to lower the activation energy of CH* oxidation to CHO* and improve the dissociation of CH4 to CH3* as confirmed by DFT calculations. Moreover, the lattice oxygen of MgAlOx participates in the reaction and contributes to the removal of carbon deposition. This work provides promising routes for the conversion of greenhouse gasses into industrially valuable syngas with high efficiency, high selectivity, and benign sustainability.

Solar-driven CO2-to-fuel conversion assisted by another major greenhouse gas CH4 is promising to concurrently tackle energy shortage and global warming problems. However, current techniques still suffer from drawbacks of low efficiency, poor stability, and low selectivity. Here, a novel nanocomposite composed of interconnected Ni/MgAlOx nanoflakes grown on SiO2 particles with excellent spatial confinement of active sites is proposed for direct solar-driven CO2-to-fuel conversion. An ultrahigh light-to-fuel efficiency up to 35.7%, high production rates of H2 (136.6 mmol min-1 g-1) and CO (148.2 mmol min-1 g-1), excellent selectivity (H2/CO ratio of 0.92), and good stability are reported simultaneously. These outstanding performances are attributed to strong metalsupport interactions, improved CO2 absorption and activation, and decreased apparent activation energy under direct light illumination. MgAlOx @SiO2 support helps to lower the activation energy of CH* oxidation to CHO* and improve the dissociation of CH4 to CH3 * as confirmed by DFT calculations. Moreover, the lattice oxygen of MgAlOx participates in the reaction and contributes to the removal of carbon deposition. This work provides promising routes for the conversion of greenhouse gasses into industrially valuable syngas with high efficiency, high selectivity, and benign sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there are many promising works in the field of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS), it is still a huge challenge to achieve the rational design of FTS catalysts for excellent selectivity toward light olefins with a high olefins/paraffins ratio (o/p ratio). Herein, a hydrophobic core–shell Fe‐based FTS catalyst is developed by calcination and hydrophobic modification of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)‐decorated Prussian blue (PB, Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3) precursor. The hydrophobic modification is achieved by using trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) as the hydrophobic agent. Under light irradiation and near ambient pressure (0.18 MPa), compared with the catalyst without the hydrophobic surface to mainly convert CO to valueless CO2, the optimal catalyst delivers excellent selectivity of 48.0% for value‐added light olefins (C2–4=) with a high o/p ratio of 10.1 but low selectivity for CO2 at a CO conversion of 22.6%. The excellent FTS performance can be attributed to that the hydrophobic surface of the catalyst regulates the chemical reaction pathway, which promotes the CO hydrogenation but suppresses the conversion of CO to CO2. The study demonstrates that a rationally designed functional surface of a catalyst can govern the reaction pathway along value‐added solar‐to‐chemicals conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The substitution of ethyl acetate for ammonia in NH3-SCR provides a novel strategy for the simultaneous removal of VOCs and NO. In this study, three distinct types of biochar were fabricated through pyrolysis at 700 °C. MnOx and TiO2 were sequentially loaded onto these biochar substrates via a hydrothermal process, yielding a family of biochar-based catalysts with optimized dosages. Upon exposure to xenon lamp irradiation at 240 °C, the biochar catalyst designated as 700-12-3GN, derived from Ginkgo shells, demonstrated the highest catalytic activity when contrasted with its counterparts prepared from moso bamboo and loofah. The conversion efficiencies for NO and ethyl acetate (EA) peaked at 73.66% and 62.09%, respectively, at a catalyst loading of 300 mg. The characterization results indicate that the 700-12-3GN catalyst exhibits superior activity, which can be attributed to the higher concentration of Mn4+ and Ti4+ species, along with its superior redox properties and suitable elemental distribution. Notably, the 700-12-3GN catalyst has the smallest specific surface area but the largest pore volume and average BJH pore size, indicating that the specific surface area is not the predominant factor affecting catalyst performance. Instead, pore volume and average BJH pore diameter appear to be the more influential parameters. This research provides a reference and prospect for the resource utilization of biochar and the development of photothermal co-catalytic ethyl acetate and NO at low cost.

Solar‐driven CO2 hydrogenation into multi‐carbon products is a highly desirable, but challenging reaction. The bottleneck of this reaction lies in the C−C coupling of C1 intermediates. Herein, we construct the C−C coupling centre for C1 intermediates via the in situ formation of Co0−Coδ+ interface double sites on MgAl2O4 (Co−CoOx/MAO). Our experimental and theoretical prediction results confirmed the effective adsorption and activation of CO2 by the Co0 site to produce C1 intermediates, while the introduction of the electron‐deficient state of Coδ+ can effectively reduce the energy barrier of the key CHCH* intermediates. Consequently, Co−CoOx/MAO exhibited a high C2–4 hydrocarbons production rate of 1303 μmol g−1 h−1; the total organic carbon selectivity of C2–4 hydrocarbons is 62.5 % under light irradiation with a high ratio (≈11) of olefin to paraffin. This study provides a new approach toward the design of photocatalysts used for CO2 conversion into C2+ products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe-based catalysts are commonly applied in the process of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) to olefins, with Hägg iron carbide (Fe 5 C 2 ) recognized as the primary active phase. However, iron carbonyls, the raw materials for wet chemical synthesis of Fe 5 C 2 , are expensive and toxic, which limits large-scale preparation. Here, a cost-effective and versatile method is proposed for the synthesis of Fe 5 C 2 nanoparticles (NPs) with nanosized zero-valent iron (abbreviated as NZVI, prepared by reducing iron salts or ball-milling iron powder) instead of iron carbonyls, achieving a cost reduction of 76.8%. Experimental characterizations revealed that NZVI obtained from the reduction of iron salts can catalyze the cracking of octadecylamine to form a carbonized atmosphere, thus realizing the phase transition of Fe into Fe 5 C 2 . The optimized Fe 5 C 2 catalyst is employed in the photothermocatalytic FTS process, achieving a light olefins selectivity of 54.2% in hydrocarbons, with a CO conversion of 24.3%. Furthermore, it is proved that the particle size and surface oxide state of NZVI can impact the synthesis of Fe 5 C 2 . This study demonstrates a cost-effective method for the large-scale preparation of the Fe 5 C 2 catalyst., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Development of robust catalysts and process for hydrogen production via sunlight induced water splitting is highly desirable in the current context of carbon neutralization. Herein, multifunctional indium zinc sulphide (or ZnIn 2 S 4) supported Pt nanoparticles (NP) is facilely developed for photocatalytic and photothermocatalytic H 2 O splitting reaction under full spectrum light illumination. The infrared photothermal effect and plasmon thermal effect during the reaction induce the temperature rise up to ~ 45 °C on the Pt/ZnIn 2 S 4 surface, create a photothermal catalysis environment without external heat, and accelerate the photogenerated charges transfer, separation, and redox reactions. Photothermal synergistic catalytic hydrogen production with a H 2 evolution rate of 19.4 mmol/g/h is obtained over 1 wt.% Pt/ZnIn 2 S 4 , which is more than twice higher than the conventional photocatalytic process. Such a work provides an important implication into the development of multifunctional photothermal catalysts for the green hydrogen production from water and solar energy. [Display omitted] • Multifunctional Pt/ZnIn 2 S 4 is developed for photothermocatalytic H 2 O splitting. • The infrared photothermal and plasmon thermal effect lead a photothermal condition. • Photothermal synergistic catalytic H 2 production is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A Cs 3 Bi 2 Br 9 /Bi 2 S 3 hybrid catalyst is constructed by electrostatic self-assembly. • Bi 2 S 3 serves as a photothermal material to elevate the temperature of catalyst. • An S-scheme heterojunction is constructed between Cs 3 Bi 2 Br 9 QDs and Bi 2 S 3 nanorods. • Cs 3 Bi 2 Br 9 /Bi 2 S 3 delivers remarkable photothermal CO 2 conversion rate without any extra heat input. Photothermocatalytic CO 2 reduction, which harnesses the solar power to not only supply heat input but also generate charge carriers, represents an attractive and sustainable approach for solar-to-fuel conversion. Herein, an innovative Cs 3 Bi 2 Br 9 /Bi 2 S 3 (CBB/Bi 2 S 3) hybrid catalyst was elaborately designed by an electrostatic-driven self-assembling approach, which can achieve the effect of "kill two birds with one stone". On the one hand, Bi 2 S 3 functions as a photothermal material owing to its photoinduced self-heating effect, which elevates the temperature of the catalyst for accelerating the catalytic reaction. On the other hand, Bi 2 S 3 synchronously boosts charge separation by forming an S-scheme heterojunction with CBB, as revealed by first-principle simulation and a series of experimental techniques. Remarkably, the developed CBB/Bi 2 S 3 hybrid affords an impressive CO production rate (R CO = 153.82 μmol g−1h−1) without any extra heat input. The present study can provide some enlightening guidance for developing high-performance photothermal catalysts for efficient CO 2 conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is very essential to improve the activity and selectivity of photothermocatalysis (PTC) by tailoring the microstructures of photothermocatalytic materials. Herein, we exploit a facet‐heterojunction strategy to fabricate photothermocatalysts, by which CdS−Au‐{001}BiOCl{110}‐MnOx is constructed by respectively depositing CdS−Au on the {001} facets and MnOx on {110} facets of BiOCl nanosheets. This material exhibits excellent activity for toluene oxidation and near 100 % selectivity from toluene to carbon dioxide under full‐spectrum sunlight irradiation. The conversion rate of toluene under PTC condition is significantly enhanced by 47.5, 1.8 and 1.7 times compared with that of sole PC, TC and the sum of TC and PC. There is a synergistic effect between photocatalysis and thermocatalysis, in which the S‐scheme photocatalyst CdS−Au‐{001}BiOCl produces high‐energy active species to activate toluene and accelerate the cycle conversion of lattice oxygen and oxygen vacancy in MnOx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Via various hydrothermal synthetic conditions, controllable synthesis various morphologies of MnO x -TiO 2 catalysts for simultaneous removal toluene and NO with free-ammonia under the photothermocatalysis system based on UV light irradiation. The morphologies obtained included 3D hierarchical sheet structure (C sample), 3D hierarchical sheet stacked MnO x -TiO 2 microspheres (P sample), and 3D hierarchical sticks stacked MnO x -TiO 2 microspheres (N sample). Compared with other samples, N sample exhibited the excellent catalytic activity for the toluene and NO, with the conversion rates of toluene and NO achieved 72% and 91% at 240 °C, respectively. Using a variety of characterization and analysis methods, it was confirmed that the morphology of the catalysts would affect its catalytic performance by affecting the specific surface area, surface-adsorbed oxygen species, oxygen vacancies, the high-valence atomic species and reducibility. This was the reason why the N sample could show remarkable performance. Moreover, this work demonstrated a new strategy for simultaneously removing toluene and NO with free-ammonia under the photothermocatalysis system based on UV light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excess depletion of carbon‐rich fossil fuels and agroforest biomass resources has aggravated the energy crisis and environmental pollution, causing increased CO2 emissions. Accordingly, the goal of “peak CO2 emissions and carbon neutrality” is proposed to alleviate global warming. CO2‐to‐fuel conversion is considered as a preferable move for reducing the atmospheric CO2 concentration and further upgrading to chemical feedstocks. However, the highly efficient CO2 conversion remains challenging due to the thermodynamic limits and kinetic barriers, which require high energy input through conventional thermocatalysis. Inspired by “artificial photosynthesis,” photocatalytic CO2 transformation has received tremendous attention and makes remarkable progress over the past decades, although it is still far from practical application. Recently, the integrated photothermocatalysis has emerged as an intelligent strategy to utilize solar energy to induce local heating and energetic hot carriers, which synergistically promote CO2‐to‐fuel conversion. The key to the success of CO2 upgradation is catalysts’ development with improved activity, selectivity, and stability. This review highlights the recent advancements in materials designing for practical CO2 conversion through thermocatalysis, photocatalysis, and photothermocatalysis during the past five years, emphasizing the reaction pathways and mechanism on the CO bond activation and intermediates formation. Finally, the current challenges and future opportunities are described.

• Monolithic nickel foam catalyst grown in situ. • The temperature rises to 173° solely under visible light. • Synergistic oxidation of lattice oxygen and free radicals. • Detailed toluene photothermal degradation was explored. • Energy-efficient toluene elimination method. Recent research highlights the pressing need for innovative and practical oxidation degradation technologies for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this study, a monolithic catalyst was successfully developed by loading Pt-CeO 2 onto nickel foam (NF) matrix through hydrothermal and reduction methods. The photothermal catalytic performance was investigated at room temperature for varying Pt content, toluene concentration, light source type, and water content. Remarkably, the toluene removal efficiency and CO 2 selectivity stabilized at 98.8 % and 74.6 %, respectively, within less than 10 min of light activation. The d-d transition thermal effect of CeO 2 and plasma effect of Pt enhanced light-to-heat conversion and active free radical generation (•O 2 – and •OH) through light absorption, respectively. The NF matrix's excellent thermal conductivity ensured a rapid increase in catalyst temperature upon visible light irradiation, reaching 173 °C. The study demonstrated that both the Mars-van Krevelen (Mvk) oxidation process, driven by temperature increase from near-infrared (NIR) absorption, and the free radical oxidation process, induced by higher energy illumination, synergistically contributed to toluene decomposition and mineralization. The catalyst's morphology, physical and chemical properties, surface synergistic oxidation process involving gaseous oxygen and free radicals, and toluene degradation pathway were thoroughly analyzed. We believe that this coexistence of thermocatalytic and photocatalytic mechanisms in a monolithic catalyst driven by renewable solar energy holds significant potential for practical applications and warrants further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Comodifying TiO 2 with oxygen vacancy and CoO x barely enhances activity for CO 2 reduction by photocatalysis, but it efficiently works by photothermocatalysis. Highlights • Ordinary TiO 2-x /CoO x photocatalyst is excellent in photothermocatalytic reduction of CO 2. • The synergy of oxygen vacancy and CoO x promotes CO 2 reduction in photothermocatalysis. • Oxygen vacancy is beneficial for the ultra-dispersion CoO x. • CoO x cluster below 2 nm is more conducive to methane production. Abstract Solar photocatalytic production of fuels from CO 2 and H 2 O remains a challenging goal. Herein we report a strategy to co-modify TiO 2 with oxygen vacancies and CoO x nanoclusters for enhanced photothermocatalytic reduction of CO 2. The TiO 2-x /CoO x material exhibits prominently enhanced activity for the yield of CH 4 and CO under ultraviolet irradiation at elevated temperature of 393 K, which is 111.3- and 13.2-times greater yield of CH 4 and CO, respectively than the conventional photocatalytic process at 298 K, and 175.1- and 2.9-times greater yield of CH 4 and CO, respectively than the pristine TiO 2 under the same photothermocatalytic conditions. Control experiments over singly modified TiO 2 and doubly modified TiO 2 by different preparation history, together with high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), electron spin resonance (ESR), and transient photovoltage measurements reveal the synergistic effect of oxygen vacancies and surface-grafted CoO x on the photothermocatalytic reduction of CO 2 to CH 4 , i.e. oxygen vacancies at TiO 2 surface facilitate the adsorption and reduction of CO 2 and the dispersion of CoO x nanoclusters, whereas surface-grafted CoO x clusters facilitate the hole trapping and the oxidation of H 2 O. Thereby the coexistence of oxygen vacancies and CoO x nanoclusters at TiO 2 surface promote the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, and remarkably enhance the eight-electron reduction of CO 2 to CH 4 under photothermocatalytic conditions. This study shows the great potential of photo-thermal synergy on CO 2 reduction and provides a promising means to design photothermocatalysts for solar photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 to fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract PtCu alloy leads to enhanced charge separation, and a dynamic balance of Cu1+,2+/Cu0 can be achieved under photothermocatalytic condition. The synergism of photothermocatalysis mainly comes from the acceleration of the Mars–van Krevelen redox cycle by photocatalysis and the enhancement of coke resistance by thermocatalysis. Highlights • PtCu/CeO 2 exhibits effective photothermocatalytic mineralization of n-pentane. • PtCu promotes charge separation and reactive oxygen generation. • Dynamic balance of Cu1+,2+/Cu0 leads to high performance stability. • Photocatalysis accelerates the Mars–van Krevelen redox cycle. • Thermocatalysis enhances coke resistance. Abstract The major challenges facing catalysts for mineralization of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) include poor photocatalytic efficiency, high cost of thermocatalytic oxidation, and low stability. Here, a highly active and stable PtCu/CeO 2 ordered porous nanostructure catalyst was synthesized and efficiently applied in the instant mineralization of paraffinic VOCs under photothermocatalytic conditions. Optical and morphological characterization shows that low loadings of PtCu alloy clusters on CeO 2 surfaces lead to enhanced light harvesting, improved charge separation, and increased capacity for reactive oxygen generation and then promote a dynamic balance of Cu1+,2+/Cu0 with high photothermocatalytic stability. Reaction kinetics calculations and carbon deposits investigation reveal that photothermocatalytic synergism mainly comes from the acceleration of the Mars–van Krevelen redox cycle by photocatalysis and the enhancement of coke resistance by thermocatalysis. The strategy here would provide insight into the design of highly effective catalysts, as well as in-depth understanding of the synergic mechanism of photothermocatalytic mineralization of refractory VOCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Activation of surface lattice oxygen could be achieved by structure optimization. • More active surface lattice oxygen is exposed on Co 3 O 4 (1 1 2) planes. • Active surface lattice oxygen promotes the ring-open process in toluene oxidation. Co 3 O 4 catalysts with active surface lattice oxygen were constructed via a simple solvothermal method by adopting isopropyl alcohol (IPA) or tert -butyl alcohol (TBA) as solvent. The obtained Co 3 O 4 -IPA and Co 3 O 4 -TBA exhibit flower-like structures with (1 1 2) planes exposed on the surface. Due to abundant unsaturated Co3+ sites existing on the (1 1 2) plane, the content and activity of surface lattice oxygen on Co 3 O 4 -IPA and Co 3 O 4 -TBA are much higher than that on Co 3 O 4 -MA and Co 3 O 4 -EA, which prepared with methyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol as a solvent. The robust surface lattice oxygen on Co 3 O 4 -IPA and Co 3 O 4 -TBA facilitates the ring-opening process during photothermocatalytic oxidation of toluene, significantly promoting the catalytic performance. In the static atmosphere, about 98% of toluene conversion and 80% of CO 2 yield can be achieved on Co 3 O 4 -IPA and Co 3 O 4 -TBA under full-spectrum light irradiation of 325 mW/cm2, much higher than 89% and 73% of conversion, 50% and 26% of CO 2 yield on Co 3 O 4 -EA and Co 3 O 4 -MA, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photothermocatalysis is a synergetic process with the participation of both thermal and light energies, and ceria is a promising candidate as photothermocatalysts for VOCs combustion. Nevertheless, how its exposed facets affect the photothermocatalytic activity remains dubious, since suitable facet control strategies are scarce. Herein, we exploit a "MoO 4 2– inducing" method to modulate the exposed facets of CeO 2 nanorods from (111) to (100) facet, and the effect of exposed facets on toluene combustion is systematically investigated. As compared to CeO 2 nanorods with only the (111) facet, CeO 2 nanorods with the (100) and (111) facets have more reducible Ce4+ and edge/corner defect-derived Ce3+ with stronger ability to capture O 2 , thereby leading to the higher thermocatalytic activity for toluene combustion; The Ce–O bonds at the (100) facet are more easily photoactivated, which is responsible for the more significant activity enhancement upon participation of both thermal and light energies. Additionally, in situ FTIR analysis shows that photothermocatalytic toluene combustion over ceria probably follows the process: toluene→ benzyl alcohol → benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, aliphatic aldehyde/acid→ anhydride → carbonate →CO 2 and H 2 O. The work supplies new insight into correlation between ceria exposed facets and photothermocatalytic activity. • The exposed facets of CeO 2 nanorods were successfully modulated from {111} to {001} facets by MoO 4 2- inducing. • The (100) facet is more easily photoactivated due to the presence of edge and corner defects. • Photothermocatalytic toluene oxidation process was explored by in situ FTIR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABO 3 -type perovskites (A = La, Ce, Sm; B = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) were systematically fabricated via a facile soft-templated sol-gel with post-calcination method through a complexation-carbonation-oxidation process, which were successfully applied in the visible-light-driven photothermocatalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for the first time. Preliminary characterization results revealed the lower impact to the oxidative performance and visible-light-absorption properties of ANiO 3 than LaBO 3 , while the latter ones should present more attractive promotion of catalytic performance toward VOC degradation. Subsequently catalytic degradation of VOCs using gaseous styrene as model compound confirmed that all LaBO 3 -type perovskites possessed both high visible-light-driven photocatalytic and temperature-induced thermocatalytic activities. Meanwhile, synergetic effect between photocatalysis and thermocatalysis activities of different position B substituted LaBO 3 resulted in different enhancement of their photothermocatalytic activities, where the highest synergistic factor (3.53) was obtained for LaMnO 3 at 140 °C. Besides, the synergetic effect could also effectively preserve the activity of the perovskite catalysts (eg. LaMnO 3 ) that almost the same removal efficiency (ca. 96.6% within 40 min) was obtained to styrene (initial concentration of 40 ppmv) after five continuous cycling tests. The highly and stably photothermocatalytic activity of these perovskites were attributed to the coefficient effect of the small crystal size and narrower bandgap as well as high visible light absorption and reducibility. This work could provide an efficient and practical way to utilize the total energy of sun for the remediation of atmospheric environment pollutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photoreduction of CO2 is attractive for the production of renewable fuels and the mitigation of global warming. Herein, we report an efficient method for CO2 reduction over elemental boron catalysts in the presence of only water and light irradiation through a photothermocatalytic process. Owing to its high solar-light absorption and effective photothermal conversion, the illuminated boron catalyst experiences remarkable self-heating. This process favors CO2 activation and also induces localized boron hydrolysis to in situ produce H2 as an active proton source and electron donor for CO2 reduction as well as boron oxides as promoters of CO2 adsorption. These synergistic effects, in combination with the unique catalytic properties of boron, are proposed to account for the efficiency of the CO2 reduction. This study highlights the promise of photothermocatalytic strategies for CO2 conversion and also opens new avenues towards the development of related solar-energy utilization schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-driven CO 2 hydrogenation into multi-carbon products is a highly desirable, but challenging reaction. The bottleneck of this reaction lies in the C-C coupling of C 1 intermediates. Herein, we construct the C-C coupling centre for C 1 intermediates via the in situ formation of Co 0 -Co δ+ interface double sites on MgAl 2 O 4 (Co-CoO x /MAO). Our experimental and theoretical prediction results confirmed the effective adsorption and activation of CO 2 by the Co 0 site to produce C 1 intermediates, while the introduction of the electron-deficient state of Co δ+ can effectively reduce the energy barrier of the key CHCH* intermediates. Consequently, Co-CoO x /MAO exhibited a high C 2-4 hydrocarbons production rate of 1303 μmol g -1  h -1 ; the total organic carbon selectivity of C 2-4 hydrocarbons is 62.5 % under light irradiation with a high ratio (≈11) of olefin to paraffin. This study provides a new approach toward the design of photocatalysts used for CO 2 conversion into C 2+ products., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

[Display omitted] • Hollow-sphere structure of MnO x -TiO 2 catalysts were obtained. • Ethyl acetate and NO simultaneously abatement at low temperature. • TiO 2 @MnO x shown best catalytic performance. • Photothermal synergistic catalytic mechanism were analyzed. In this work, a series of self-assembled nanosticks into hollow-sphere structure of TiO 2 -MnO x (H1 sample), TiO 2 @MnO x (H2 sample) and MnO x @TiO 2 (H3 sample) catalysts were successfully established. These samples were used to investigate the resistance to SO 2 and H 2 O, key reaction steps, and the possible catalytic mechanisms for the photothermocatalytic removal of ethyl acetate and NO with free-ammonia at low temperature. Among all the samples, sample H2 exhibited the best catalytic activity, which exhibited 70% NO conversion and 56% ethyl acetate degradation at 240 ℃ under SO 2 and H 2 O. The catalyst was resistant to SO 2 and H 2 O and potentially benefited from the hollow structure's protection of active components. Moreover, the sample H2 loaded first with manganese and then with titanium, was favorable for the oxidation of ethyl acetate into small-molecule intermediates, thereby improving NO conversion. This indicated that the partial oxidation of ethyl acetate as the reductant for NO conversion was a key step of the simultaneous degradation of VOCs and NO. In addition, organic by-products of ethyl acetate and NO degradation, such as ethane and ethanol, were found. Finally, the theoretical results of Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations revealed that ethyl acetate was more easily converted into CH 3 CH 2 · and CH 3 COO · groups in our system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Construction of the surface hybrid reflector enhances the photothermal capability. • The Bi-Ag NPs with effective hybrid structure improve photocatalytic activity. • Excellent morphology of the Bi-Ag NPs exhibits an advantage in capturing bacteria. • The Bi-Ag NPs expand the plasma resonance center and light absorption. • The Bi-Ag NPs perform encouraged photo-active disinfection strategy. Environmental pollution caused by bacterial infection poses a serious threat to human society. The emergence of high-performance antibacterial agents needs to be continuedly explored. Herein, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) silver-loaded hybrid photothermal-catalyst Bi-Ag nanoparticles (Bi-Ag NPs) were designed to solve the bacterial problems. The Bi-Ag NPs can effectively utilize their advantages to maximize the use of light energy. Meanwhile, the localized surface plasmon resonance and hybrid structure can be employed as a thermal reflector that not only relieves effectively the recombination of photonic electrons to promote photothermocatalytic activity but also the photothermal conversion efficiency was expanded to nearly 1.5 times compared to the single Bi NPs. Interestingly, the hybrid Bi-Ag NPs exhibit greatly fascinating ability in the bacterial capture, which is more conducive to the elimination of bacteria owing to the strong photoactivation effect at a high contact interface between bacteria and the Bi-Ag NPs. The synthesized Bi-Ag NPs performed the photothermal-catalytic antibacterial and purification, and further provided an inspired insight for the investigation of photothermal-catalytic nanomaterials in environmental fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reported herein is a study of oxygen vacancies (OVs) provoking the complete mineralization of toluene with Na-doped Co 3 O 4 as a photothermal catalyst. Doping Na+ into Co 3 O 4 leads to distortion and charge disequilibrium in the Co 3 O 4 lattice, which generates abundant OVs. OVs work as specific centers to convert the absorbed O 2 molecules to the active oxygen species O-. Abundant O- radicals boost the outermost decomposition of toluene. Comparing the optimal Na-doped Co 3 O 4 (3%Na-Co 3 O 4) with the pristine Co 3 O 4 , despite almost the same removal efficiency (100%) on them, the 3%Na-Co 3 O 4 significantly outperforms Co 3 O 4 concerning the CO 2 yield in the photothermocatalytic oxidation of toluene under full-spectrum light irradiation (425 mW/cm2; equilibrium temperature of 218 °C). A mineralization degree of 89.8% is achieved on 3%Na-Co 3 O 4 , which is 7-fold higher than that over Co 3 O 4. The OVs also help render the high sustainability of 3%Na-Co 3 O 4, which maintains its outstanding performance even after 10 successive runs. [Display omitted] • Abundant oxygen vacancies are generated after Na+ doping into Co 3 O 4. • Oxygen vacancies facilitate the adsorption and activation of O 2 to O- species. • O- radicals boost the outright decomposition of toluene to CO 2 and H 2 O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A facet-heterojunction-based strategy was first used to fabricate photothermocatalyst. • Au@CdS and MnO x was respectively anchored on the {0 1 0} and {1 1 0} facets of BiVO 4 crystals. • CdS-Au-{0 1 0}BiVO 4 {1 1 0}-MnO x shows excellent sunlight-driven activity for toluene degradation. • There is a synergetic effect between photocatalysis and thermocatalysis in toluene degradation. • h+, •OH and •O 2 – activate toluene and accelerate the cycle of lattice oxygen in MnO x. For the first time, we exploited a facet-heterojunction strategy to fabricate photothermocatalytic materials, by which CdS-Au-{0 1 0}BiVO 4 {1 1 0}-MnO x was constructed by selectively depositing CdS-Au on {0 1 0} facets and MnO x on {1 1 0} facets of BiVO 4 crystals. The photothermocatalytic performances of the synthesized catalysts were evaluated by using toluene oxidation as a probe reaction. Amongst of all the catalysts, CdS-Au-{0 1 0}BiVO 4 {1 1 0}-MnO x displayed the highest activity for toluene oxidation and near 100% selectivity from toluene to CO 2 under full-spectrum sunlight irradiation. The photothermocatalytic mechnism of CdS-Au-{0 1 0}BiVO 4 {1 1 0}-MnO x was explored by the means of ESR, 18O 2 isotope labeling experiment, FTIR, and GC–MS. There is a synergistic effect between the photocatalysis and thermocatalysis for toluene degradation, i.e., the active species produced by Z-scheme photocatalyst CdS-Au-{0 1 0}BiVO 4 (h+, •O 2 − and •OH) not only activate toluene but also accelerate the cycle conversion of lattice oxygen and oxygen vacancy in MnO x. This work provides a reference for designing highly efficient photothermocatalytic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar light-driven catalysis provides a viable approach for solar-to-chemical energy conversion, but it is difficult to maximize the conversion efficiency of solar energy through individual photocatalysis or photothermocatalysis. Herein, we construct a light-induced photo- and thermal-synergistic catalysis based on an adjacent Co and Cu nanoparticles co-loading on SrTiO 3 nanoparticles. Under the irradiation of concentrated solar light, the SrTiO 3 support is excited by ultraviolet light to induce photocatalytic effect to generate photocarriers; meanwhile, the localized surface plasma resonance-active Cu nanoparticles mainly absorb the visible-infrared light to produce hot electrons which are either quenched to generate heat or transported to active sites; finally, the active-phase Co nanoparticles converge the electrons and heat to drive CO hydrogenation into C2–C4 hydrocarbons. This study demonstrates that a rationally-designed catalyst can effectively convert solar energy to photocarriers/hot electrons and heat, and importantly, can couple them to regulate reaction pathways towards the production of value-added chemicals. [Display omitted] • The adjacent Co and Cu nanoparticles co-loading on SrTiO 3 nanoparticles were successfully constructed. • The optimal 1.5Cu-2Co/STO catalyst exhibited excellent C2–C4 hydrocarbons selectivity of 53.4% for CO conversion. • Solar light-induced injection of hot electrons and photocarriers for enhanced photothermocatalysis were verified. • A rationally-designed catalyst can couple photocarriers/hot electrons and heat to regulate reaction pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photothermocatalysis is usually the photoinduced thermal effect to drive the catalytic reaction assisted by high-oxidizing radials from photocatalysis. Herein, a carbon nitride-induced urchin-like catalyst Co 3 O 4 -CoO-CN (abbreviated as CoO x -CN) with abundant peripheral branches is synthesized through the solvothermal reaction and calcination at different temperatures. An appropriate calcination temperature can remove partial CN structure and help to promote the light absorption, maintain the high specific surface area, and produce enough active oxygen species and active sites. CoO x -CN-300 exhibits the good catalytic activity with toluene conversion of 83.8% and CO 2 yield of 79.6% under the full spectrum irradiation, where photocatalysis plays an important role in igniting catalytic reaction and light-to-thermal conversion provides high temperature to fulfil intermediates mineralization. Furthermore, light irradiation can enhance the light-driven thermocatalytic performance of CoO x -CN-300 compared to conventional thermocatalytic activity by activating more lattice oxygen and inducing the formation of more oxygen vacancies to participate in the oxidation reaction. [Display omitted] • Urchin-like catalyst CoO x -CN is prepared by solvothermal and calcination method. • Calcination at 300 °C remains favorable CN structure in CoO x -CN-300. • CoO x -CN-300 owns better photothermocatalytic activity than thermocatalysis. • Light facilitates more lattice oxygen and oxygen vacancies in oxidation reaction. • Photocatalysis plays an important role in the ignition of catalytic reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pt supported on hierarchical ZnO porous nanosheets is prepared by the as-prepared hierarchical ZnO porous nanosheets dispersed in Pt(NO 3) 2 solution and then reduced by NaBH 4 solution. The crystal structure, morphology, Pt distribution, surface area, the valence state of elements, the light absorption of Pt/ZnO were characterized by XRD, TEM, SEM, EDX, BET, XPS, PL, and diffusive reflectance UV–Vis-IR absorption. The prepared Pt/ZnO exhibits UV-Vis-IR driven catalytic property even under the irradiation wavelength above 690 nm. The CO 2 production rate of Pt/ZnO for the initial 10 min is 49.69 times higher than that of ZnO for the benzene degradation under full solar light irradiation. Pt/ZnO also exhibits considerable thermocatalytic property with T 50 of 168 °C and T 90 of 197 °C. Impressively, the reaction temperature with full solar light irradiation could reduce 10 °C than that in dark with the same CO 2 production rate. The photothermocatalytic synergetic effect on Pt/ZnO originates from accelerated thermocatalysis via the active species generated from photocatalysis. That novel effect can significantly enhance the activity of benzene degradation. [Display omitted] • Pt/ZnO exhibits full solar light driven catalytic property even under the irradiation wavelength above 690 nm. • The CO2 production rate of Pt/ZnO is 49.69 times higher than that of ZnO. • Pt/ZnO exhibits considerable thermocatalytic property with T50 of 168 oC and T90 of 197 oC. • The reaction temperature with full solar light irradiation reduces 10 oC than that in dark. • The photothermocatalytic synergetic effect significantly increases the activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Transition metal ions, including Cu, Zn, Co, were interstitially doped in CsPbBr 3. • CH 4 production rate and selectivity of photothermal CO 2 reduction are improved. • The charge recombination in CsPbBr 3 was profoundly suppressed by the dopants. • Interstitial Cu dopants promote the CO 2 adsorption and activation on the CsPbBr 3. • The reaction mechanisms were investigated by in-situ DRIFTS and DFT calculations. Halide perovskites, enabled by their superior light harvesting ability and high carrier mobility, have emerged as promising catalysts for solar CO 2 reduction. However, the catalytic performance remains largely limited due to the challenge of efficient CO 2 activation on pristine perovskite surface. Herein, we elaborately doped the CsPbBr 3 with interstitial Cu ions to reveal the effect of dopants on the CO 2 activation for photothermal CO 2 reduction using H 2 O as the proton source. Initially, the interstitial Cu dopants would significantly suppress the charge carrier recombination in CsPbBr 3 , leaving more carriers to participate in the surface catalytic reactions. Meanwhile, the Cu dopants would modulate the surface sites for better adsorption and activation of CO 2 molecules and CO intermediates, as evidenced by the results of CO 2 and CO temperature-programed-desorption profiles. Furthermore, analysis of in-situ diffuse-reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectra (DRIFTS) and theoretical calculations indicates that the CO 2 reduction to CH 4 follows *COH pathway on Cu:CsPbBr 3 , but *CHO pathway on CsPbBr 3 , where the former is more thermodynamically favorable. It is then revealed that the Cu dopants would facilitate the CO 2 reduction by supplying more carriers, adsorbing more CO 2 molecules and catalyzing the CO 2 dissociation more easily. As a result, our Cu:CsPbBr 3 achieved an impressive activity of 14.72 μmol·g−1·h−1 for CH 4 production and a CH 4 selectivity of 96.9%, which are both higher than those of the pristine CsPbBr 3 (3.62 μmol·g−1·h−1 and 81.1%). Our work provides an insightful understanding of the roles of dopants in the CO 2 activation for photothermal catalytic CO 2 reduction on halide perovskite catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A photocarriers-enhanced CeO 2 /Cu 1.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 catalyst is applied on photothermocatalytic WGS reaction under light irradiation and H 2 -rich condition. Due to the injection of photocarries into active sites, apparent activation energy decreases by 61 %, resulting in the reaction temperature dropping to 225 °C. Notably, the catalyst delivered a 96.6 % of CO conversion in 30 min and the residual CO is 0.18 vol.%, which meets trade standard (< 1 vol.%). [Display omitted] • CeO 2 /Cu 1.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 showed high CO conversion (96.6 %) for photothermal catalytic WGS reaction under H 2 -rich atmosphere. • The non-noble-metal contained catalyst CeO 2 /Cu 1.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 trigged WGS reaction at a temperature as low as 225 °C. • The photocarriers activate the reactants, which attains a 61 % reduction of apparent activation energy. • The photocarriers enhanced photothermocatalysis was in-situ observed via in-situ FT-IR spectroscopy. Aiming for cost-efficient hydrogen purification for application of fuel cells, a low-temperature water-gas shift (WGS) reaction over noble-metal-free catalyst to attain completed CO conversion in H 2 -rich atmosphere is required but still a great challenge. Herein, we present a configuration of semiconductor-bridging active sites in CeO 2 /Cu 1.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 catalyst to work for the photothermal WGS reaction under light irradiation; due to the injection of photocarriers from CeO 2 into active sites, a 61 % reduction of apparent activation energy enabled the WGS reaction to occur at 225°C. Notably, the catalyst delivered a 96.6 % of CO conversion in 30 min, and subsequently, 0.18 vol.% of CO was left in the system, which matches the industrial standard (< 1 vol.%). This study provides a new design idea on the semiconductor-coupled photothermal catalyst to boost catalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-driven CO 2 -to-fuel conversion assisted by another major greenhouse gas CH 4 is promising to concurrently tackle energy shortage and global warming problems. However, current techniques still suffer from drawbacks of low efficiency, poor stability, and low selectivity. Here, a novel nanocomposite composed of interconnected Ni/MgAlO x nanoflakes grown on SiO 2 particles with excellent spatial confinement of active sites is proposed for direct solar-driven CO 2 -to-fuel conversion. An ultrahigh light-to-fuel efficiency up to 35.7%, high production rates of H 2 (136.6 mmol min -1 g - 1 ) and CO (148.2 mmol min -1 g -1 ), excellent selectivity (H 2 /CO ratio of 0.92), and good stability are reported simultaneously. These outstanding performances are attributed to strong metal-support interactions, improved CO 2 absorption and activation, and decreased apparent activation energy under direct light illumination. MgAlO x @SiO 2 support helps to lower the activation energy of CH* oxidation to CHO* and improve the dissociation of CH 4 to CH 3 * as confirmed by DFT calculations. Moreover, the lattice oxygen of MgAlO x participates in the reaction and contributes to the removal of carbon deposition. This work provides promising routes for the conversion of greenhouse gasses into industrially valuable syngas with high efficiency, high selectivity, and benign sustainability., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2022 The Authors. Publishing Services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.)

It is an urgent need to develop environmentally friendly strategies with low energy consumption for gaseous formaldehyde (HCHO) purification. Herein, a sponge based MS/PDA/MnO x catalyst with plentiful 3D porosities was constructed. The dual-functional PDA layer not only promoted the MnO x loading (25 wt% MnO x in the composite), but also acted as a photothermal converter to absorb photo-irradiation to heat MnO x catalyst (~80 °C after 10 min irradiation). Moreover, the 3D network structure favored the mass transfer and effectively reduced the catalyst agglomeration to expose more active sites. As a result, the obtained MS/PDA/MnO x photothermocatalyst showed highly efficient performance for removal of HCHO within concentration of 40–320 ppm at room temperature under xenon light irradiation. This process followed a pseudo-second-order model, and the reaction rate of the MS/PDA/MnO x was 4.82 times of the MS/MnO x. Finally, a possible photothermocatalysis mechanism was proposed based on the intermediate examination via the in-situ DRIFTS investigation. ga1 • The PDA pre-coating promoted the modification of MnO x on melamine sponge. • The PDA layer acted as a photothermal converter to heat the MnO x to oxidation of HCHO. • The MS/PDA/MnO x has improved activity and well durability for HCHO elimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Selection of various nanoparticle catalysts is analyzed on the basis of VOC sorts. • The catalyst performance metric is unified for comparison among different studies. • VOC oxidation mechanisms based on experimental and theoretical data are summarized. • Integrating thermocatalysis with photocatalysis for VOC elimination is emphasized. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with the properties of volatility, toxicity and diffusivity pose a serious threat to human health and eco-environment. Catalytic oxidation technology has been considered as a highly efficient option for the treatment of VOCs. This review systematically summarizes the recent processes and advances on catalytic elimination of VOCs over nanoparticles catalysts. Firstly, catalytic performances of catalysts for VOC degradation are evaluated and compared on the basis of unified performance metrics. Secondly, catalytic mechanisms of VOC oxidation, based on experimental and theoretical studies, are systematically introduced. Then, catalytic reactors employed in VOC elimination processes are summarized. In particular, photothermocatalysis by integrating (thermo)catalysis with photocatalysis is also elucidated. Lastly, the perspectives to the scientific issues and challenges faced, as well as the future outlooks are proposed. Collectively, this review will provide theoretical and experimental foundation for rational fabrication and application of nanoparticles catalysts toward VOC elimination in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pt-Fe/SiC showed high activity and selectivity for 3-nitrostyrene hydrogenation under mild condition. • Pt-Fe/SiC is applicable to the hydrogenation of substituted nitroarenes. • Fe species changed the electronic state of Pt and promoted vertical adsorption mode. Chemoselective hydrogenation of 3-nitrostyrene to 3-aminostyrene is a challenge because there are two easily reducible functional groups in one molecule. Bimetallic catalysts usually exhibit enhanced selectivity for the selective hydrogenation, but require higher reaction temperatures (~100 °C). Herein, we report that SiC-supported Pt-Fe catalyst can efficiently catalyze the selective hydrogenation of a variety of substituted nitroarenes to corresponding amines under mild conditions (20 °C, 1 atm of H 2 , white LED light irradiation and triethylamine (TEA) as sacrificial electron donor). For the hydrogenation of 3-nitrostyrene to 3-aminostyrene, the turnover frequency can be as high as 2366 h−1. The characterization results suggest that both the electronic structure of Pt and the adsorption mode of 3-nitrostyrene have changed after Fe incorporation. The iron species and TEA jointly consumed the holes on the SiC support, which favored the activation of C C bonds, thus increased the selectivity of 3-aminostyrene evidently. These results are helpful for designing Pt-based catalysts with excellent chemoselectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 2D/2D/2D composite film catalysts of GO/MnO x /CN were synthesized via filtration method. • The GO/MnO x /CN exhibited enhanced activity for HCHO oxidation under full solar spectrum. • The synergetic photothermocatalysis/photocatalysis effect was demonstrated. • The free-standing GO/MnO x /CN film has superior flexibility and durability. Thermocatalysis and photocatalysis have been widely investigated to removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, thermocatalysis needs high-temperature to activate oxygen species, therefore resulting in additional energy consumption. Meanwhile, photocatalysis suffers the rapid charge recombination and the slow surface process. Herein, we combined thermocatalysis and photocatalysis into a free-standing composite film catalyst that was prepared through a facile filtration method using two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO), manganese oxide (MnO x) and polymeric carbon nitride (CN) nanosheets as building blocks. The superior photothermal effect of GO rapidly enhanced the film temperature to ~85 °C, and then initiated the MnO x thermocatalysis. Furthermore, the increased temperature also promoted the charge diffusion and the surface reaction process of CN photocatalyst. Impressively, with the synergetic photothermocatalysis and photocatalysis, this composite film catalyst presented improved performance for catalytic oxidation of gaseous formaldehyde at ambient condition under xenon light irradiation, compared with the individual thermocatalyst and photocatalyst, as well as the photothermocatalyst. In addition, cycling experiments demonstrated the film catalyst possessed good durability. This investigation associates photothermocatalysis with photocatalysis for improving formaldehyde catalytic degradation, hopefully providing a new and efficient strategy not only for VOCs removal, but also for other catalytic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photothermal CO 2 reduction technology has attracted tremendous interest as a solution for the greenhouse effect and energy crisis, and thereby it plays a critical role in solving environmental problems and generating economic benefits. In 2 O 3- x has emerged as a potential photothermal catalyst for CO 2 conversion into CO via the light-driven reverse water gas shift reaction. However, it is still a challenge to modulate the structural and electronic characteristics of In 2 O 3 to enhance photothermocatalytic activity synergistically. In this work, a novel route to activate inert In(OH) 3 into 2D black In 2 O 3- x nanosheets via photoinduced defect engineering is proposed. Theoretical calculations and experimental results verify the existence of bifunctional oxygen vacancies in the 2D black In 2 O 3- x nanosheets host, which enhances light harvesting and chemical adsorption of CO 2 molecules dramatically, achieving 103.21 mmol g cat -1 h -1 with near-unity selectivity for CO generation and meanwhile excellent stability. This study reveals an exciting phenomenon that light is an ideal external stimulus on the layered In 2 O 3 system, and its electronic structure can be adjusted efficiently through photoinduced defect engineering; it can be anticipated that this synthesis strategy can be extended to wider application fields., (© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The photoreduction of carbon dioxide to give value‐added products is attractive for the production of renewable fuels and the mitigation of global warming. In their Communication on page 5570 ff., J. Ye et al. report an efficient method for CO2 reduction over elemental boron in the presence of only water and under light irradiation through a one‐step photothermocatalytic process. The boron material harvests the incident light, converts it into thermal energy, generates hydrogen, and catalyzes the overall process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]