Synergetic Effect of Facet Junction and Specific Facet Activation of ZnFeO Nanoparticles on Photocatalytic Activity Improvement.

Crystal facet engineering has been proved as a versatile approach in modulating the photocatalytic activity of semiconductors. However, the facet-dependent properties and underlying mechanisms of spinel ZnFeO in photocatalysis still have rarely been explored. Herein, ZnFeO nanoparticles with different {001} and {111} facets exposed were successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method.

Facile tailoring of Co-based spinel hierarchical hollow microspheres for highly efficient catalytic conversion of CO.

High-performance and low-cost photocatalysts are of significance to artificial photosynthetic systems for converting of CO into CO and other value-added products. In this work, we developed a controllable and scalable self-templated approach to fabricate hierarchical Co-base spinel hollow microspheres for visible light-driven CO reduction with a Ru-based sensitizer. The hollow microspheres are assembled by ultrathin nanosheets using Ni-Co-hydroxides as the morphology-conserved precursor.