Synthesis and electrochemical properties of biporous alpha-Fe2O3 superstructures.

Biporous microsphere, flower and concaved cuboctahedrans like alpha-Fe2O3 superstructures have been synthesized by using a new synthetic method. Hydrothermal reaction of ferric chloride with potassium thiocyanate at 200 degrees C yields self-assembled microsphere, flower, and concaved cuboctahedrans like intermediates in ethanol, water:ethanol (1:1) mixed solvent and in water, respectively. These intermediates were further converted into corresponding alpha-Fe2O3 in a thermal decomposition process at 600 degrees C under oxygen atmospheric conditions.

Are dopant-stabilized visible light-responsive photocatalysts efficient and stable?

Nitrogen and carbon codopants-stabilized hierarchical porous ZnS microspheres undergo an unexpected dynamic transformation into hollow microspheres when nitrogen and carbon are removed from the former. Thus, such a transformation is evidence for the unprecedented stability of non-metal doped visible light-responsive photocatalysts.

Reagents for ZnS hierarchical and non-hierarchical porous self-assembly.

Monodispersed highly ordered and homogeneous ZnS microsphere with precisely controlled hierarchical and non-hierarchical surface structure was successfully fabricated in water-ethanol mixed solvent and in water without using any catalysts or templates in a hydrothermal process. The microsphere formation has been facilitated by self-assembly followed by Ostwald ripening process. The products were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX).