Nanoconfinement of ultra-small BiTe nanocrystals on reduced graphene oxide: a pathway to high-performance sodium-ion battery anodes.

Bismuth telluride (BiTe) nanomaterials have attracted considerable attention owing to their intriguing physicochemical properties and wide-ranging potential applications arising from their distinctive layered structure and nanoscale size effects. However, synthesizing sub-100 nm ultra-small BiTe nanocrystals remains a formidable challenge. To date, there has been little investigation on the performance of these ultra-small BiTe nanocrystals in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs).

Visible-light-driven Z-scheme protonated g-CN/wood flour biochar/BiVO photocatalyst with biochar as charge-transfer channel for enhanced RhB degradation and Cr(VI) reduction.

For the simultaneous photocatalytic reduction of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), directional charge-transfer channels and efficient separation of photogenerated holes and electrons are important. Herein, a Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst, protonated g-CN/BiVO decorated with wood flour biochar (pCN/WFB/BiVO), was prepared through a hydrothermal reaction and electrostatic self-assembly for Cr(VI) photoreduction and RhB photodegradation. The morphological features, crystalline structure, chemical composition, optical properties, specific surface area, and photoelectrochemical properties of the prepared samples were investigated.