Fe-Bi dual sites regulation of BiO nanosheets to promote photocatalytic nitrogen fixation activity.

In the process of photocatalytic ammonia synthesis, efficient activation of nitrogen molecules constitutes a fundamental challenge. During the N activation, the close interdependence between the acceptance and donation of electron results in their mutual limitation, leading to high energy barrier for N activation and unsatisfactory photocatalytic performance. This work decoupled the electron acceptance and donation processes by constructing Fe-Bi dual active sites, resulting in enhancing N activation through the high electron trapping ability of Fe and strong electron donating ability of Bi.

Single atom supported on MXenes for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction: species, coordination environment, and action mechanism.

The electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media provides an environmentally friendly industrial application approach to replace traditional fossil energy. The search for efficient, low-cost, and durable active electrocatalysts is central to the development of this area. Transition metal carbides (MXenes) have been emerging as a new family of two-dimensional (2D) materials that have great potential in the HER.

Improved visible light photocatalytic nitrogen fixation activity using a Fe-rich MIL-101(Fe): breaking the scaling relationship by photoinduced Fe/Fe cycling.

The scaling relations between nitrogen adsorption and NH destabilization are key challenges to the widespread adoption of the photocatalytic synthesis of ammonia. In this work, a Fe-rich MIL-101(Fe) (MIL-101(Fe/Fe)) was synthesized using a one-step solvent thermal method with ethylene glycol (EG) as a reducing agent, which can break the scaling relationship by photoinduced Fe (high nitrogen adsorption ability) and Fe (high NH destabilization ability) cycling. XPS was used to detect the change in iron valence state in the MIL-101(Fe/Fe) material.

Porous TiO Nanotubes with Spatially Separated Platinum and CoO Cocatalysts Produced by Atomic Layer Deposition for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

Efficient separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, and associated surface reactions, is a crucial aspect of efficient semiconductor photocatalytic systems employed for photocatalytic hydrogen production. A new CoO /TiO /Pt photocatalyst produced by template-assisted atomic layer deposition is reported for photocatalytic hydrogen production on Pt and CoO dual cocatalysts. Pt nanoclusters acting as electron collectors and active sites for the reduction reaction are deposited on the inner surface of porous TiO nanotubes, while CoO nanoclusters acting as hole collectors and active sites for oxidation reaction are deposited on the outer surface of porous TiO nanotubes.