Noble-metal-free hexagonal wurtzite CdS nanoplates with exposed (110) and (112) crystal facets for efficient visible-light H2 production

Hexagonal wurtzite CdS has been regarded as one of the most promising semiconductors for photocatalysis.

Synthesis, structural evolution, and optical properties of SnO2 hollow microspheres with manageable shell thickness

SnO2 hollow (H-SnO2) microspheres were successfully prepared via a facile one-step synthesis using SiO2 microspheres as templates and NaOH as a reactive etching agent.

Facile one-step synthesis of TiO2/Ag/SnO2 ternary heterostructures with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

Novel TiO2/Ag/SnO2 composites were successfully prepared by a facile one-step reduction approach using stannous chloride as both SnO2 precursor and reducing agent. The Ag nanoparticles with sizes of 2.04-3.94 nm were located on TiO2 matrix and immobilized by the surrounded SnO2. The resulted TiO2/Ag/SnO2 nanocomposites were used as photocatalyst for photodegradation of methylene blue under visible light. The experimental results demonstrated that the visible light photocatalytic activity of the TiO2/Ag/SnO2 was significantly enhanced in comparison with the individual TiO2 or the binary composite (TiO2/Ag or TiO2/SnO2) and the degradation rate was up to about 9.5 times that of commercial TiO2. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO2/Ag/SnO2 composites could be well controlled by simply tuning the dosages of Ag precursor and the optimized activity of the composites was obtained when the dosage of Ag precursor was 2%. Moreover, the TiO2/Ag/SnO2 photocatalyst exhibited high stability for degradation of methylene blue even after four successive cycles.

Synthesis and Application of Dendritic Fibrous Nanosilica/Gold Hybrid Nanomaterials

Morphologically unique silica nanoparticles can be used as effective templates to prepare silica-metal hybrid nanomaterials, which are highly applicable in a variety of areas. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles, which have high surface areas and an abundance of pores, can be used to synthesize mesoporous silica core-metal shell nanostructures with catalytically active sites. In this work, dendritic fibrous nanosilica (DFNS) with a high surface area is successfully employed as a template to synthesize DFNS/Au hybrid nanomaterials. Au nanodots are initially synthesized through the selective reduction of Au ions on the surface of the DFNS after surface modification to form DFNS/Au dots. A seed-mediated growth method is used to controllably grow Au nanoparticles on the DFNS/Au dots to generate DFNS core-Au nanoparticles shell nanohybrids (DFNS/Au NPs) and DFNS core-Au layer shell nanohybrids (DFNS/Au layers). The catalytic activities of DFNS/Au NPs and DFNS/Au layers in the 4-nitrophenol reduction reaction are compared.

A novel thermal exfoliation strategy for the fabrication of high-quality Ag/TiO2 nanosnowman nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic properties

A novel thermal exfoliation strategy has been proposed to synthesize high-quality Ag/TiO₂ head–body nanosnowman nanoparticles (AgTiNPs, with the head and body being single Ag and TiO₂ nanoparticles, respectively).

Fabrication of Bi2S3/ZnO heterostructures: an excellent photocatalyst for visible-light-driven hydrogen generation and photoelectrochemical properties

Bi₂S₃/ZnO heterostructures were synthesized, showing a high catalytic effect in photocatalytic hydrogen generation and organic dye degradation under visible light.