Defective Metal Oxides: Lessons from CO RR and Applications in NO RR.

Sluggish reaction kinetics and the undesired side reactions (hydrogen evolution reaction and self-reduction) are the main bottlenecks of electrochemical conversion reactions, such as the carbon dioxide and nitrate reduction reactions (CO RR and NO RR). To date, conventional strategies to overcome these challenges involve electronic structure modification and modulation of the charge-transfer behavior. Nonetheless, key aspects of surface modification, focused on boosting the intrinsic activity of active sites on the catalyst surface, are yet to be fully understood.

Superhydrophobic MS@CuO@SA sponge for oil/water separation with excellent durability and reusability.

We present a superhydrophobic material based on commercially melamine sponge (MS) with great durability, recyclability, and excellent sorption performance. The fabrication process of this sponge is facile without using toxic reagents or sophisticated equipment and therefore it is simple to scale up. The CuO layer utilized to give a rough surface of the substrate (MS) was successfully prepared in a commercial microwave to seed copper nucleuses in an alkaline medium.

Solar-driven conversion of carbon dioxide over nanostructured metal-based catalysts in alternative approaches: Fundamental mechanisms and recent progress.

Solar-driven carbon dioxide (CO) conversion has gained tremendous attention as a prominent strategy to simultaneously reduce the atmospheric CO concentration and convert solar energy into solar fuels in the form of chemical bonds. Numerous efforts have been devoted to diverse photo-driven processes for CO conversion, which utilized a multidisciplinary strategy. Among them, the architecture of nanostructured metal-based catalysts is emerging as an eminent solution for the design of catalysts of this field.