Boosted Electrocatalytic Glucose Oxidation Reaction on Noble-Metal-Free MoO_(3)-Decorated Carbon Nanotubes

Electrocatalytic glucose oxidation reaction(GOR)has attracted much attention owing to its crucial role in biofuel cell fabrication.Herein,we load MoO_(3)nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes(CNTs)and use a discharge process to prepare a noblemetal-free MC-60 catalyst containing MoO_(3),Mo_(2)C,and a Mo_(2)C–MoO_(3)interface.In the GOR,MC-60 shows activity as high as 745μA/(mmol/L cm^(2)),considerably higher than those of the Pt/CNT(270μA/(mmol/L cm^(2)))and Au/CNT catalysts(110μA/(mmol/L cm^(2))).In the GOR,the response minimum on MC-60 is as low as 8μmol/L,with a steady-state response time of only 3 s.Moreover,MC-60 has superior stability and anti-interference ability to impurities in the GOR.The better performance of MC-60 in the GOR is attributed to the abundant Mo sites bonding to C and O atoms at the MoO_(3)–Mo_(2)C interface.These Mo sites create active sites for promoting glucose adsorption and oxidation,enhancing MC-60 performance in the GOR.Thus,these results help to fabricate more effi cient noble-metal-free catalysts for the fabrication of glucose-based biofuel cells.

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction highly enhanced by oxygen vacancies on Pt-nanoparticle-dispersed gallium oxide

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction on metal-oxide-based catalysts is promising for solving the energy and environmental crises faced by mankind. The oxygen vacancy （Vo） on metal oxides is expected to be a key factor affecting the efficiency of photocatalytic CO2 reduction on metal-oxide-based catalysts. Yet, to date, the question of how an Vo influences photocatalytic CO2 reduction is still unanswered. Herein, we report that, on Vo-rich gallium oxide coated with Pt nanoparticles （Vo-rich Pt/Ga203）, CO2 is photocatalytically reduced to CO, with a highly enhanced CO evolution rate （21.0umol.h-1） compared to those on Vo-poor Pt/Ga2O3 （3.9 gmol-h-1） and Pt/TiO2（P25） （6.7 gmol.h-1）. We demonstrate that the Vo leads to improved CO2 adsorption and separation of the photoinduced charges on Pt/Ga203, thus enhancing the photocatalytic activity of Pt/Ga203. Rational fabrication of an Vo is thereby an attractive strategy for developing efficient catalysts for photocatalytic CO2 reduction.

Efficient photocatalysis triggered by thin carbon layers coating on photocatalysts:recent progress and future perspectives

Solar-energy-driven photocatalysis,such as photocatalytic reduction of CO2,is promising simultaneously for the energy and environmental issues.Coating thin carbon layers with the thickness less than 10 nm on photocatalysts has been developed as an efficient strategy for enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency in recent years.In the present review,we summarize the crucial progress on carbon-coated photocatalysts.Origins for the improved light absorption,charge separation,reactant adsorption and photocatalytic stability on carbon-coated photocatalysts as well as the applications of carbon-coated photocatalysts are discussed.Future opportunities and challenges associated with carbon-coated photocatalysts are shown at the end of the review.We hope that the present review can trigger more deep insights on carbon-coated photocatalysts and provide new opportunities for developing low-cost but efficient photocatalysts.

Recent progresses on improving CO_(2)adsorption and proton production for enhancing efficiency of photocatalytic CO_(2)reduction by H_(2)O

Photocatalytically reducing CO_(2)by H_(2)O into valuable carbon-containing chemicals is one of the greatest concerns for both scientific and industrial communities,due to its great potential in solving energy and environmental problems.However,the photocatalytic reduction efficiency is still much lower than the need of large-scale applications.Abilities of photocatalysts in adsorbing CO_(2)and splitting H_(2)O to produce protons are crucial factors determining the photocatalytic reduction efficiency.Significant research efforts have been devoted to addressing the issues on CO_(2)adsorption and proton production.The present review discusses the recent progresses in improving CO_(2)adsorption and proton production on photocatalysts for increasing the photocatalytic reduction efficiency.Future research opportunities and challenges are also discussed.It is hoped that the present review can stimulate more deep insights on adsorption of CO_(2)and production of proton for increasing the photocatalytic reduction efficiency。

Boosting the adsorption and removal of dye from water by COOH-functionalized carbon nanotubes

Water pollution caused by dye is a serious challenge.Herein,we use a novel discharge process to functionalize carbon nanotube(CNT)by COOH groups to form CNT30 for removing methyl red(MR)from water.By pristine CNT,75%MR is removed in 60 min,with an adsorption capacity of 68.44 mg g-1.By CNT30,85%MR is fast removed in only 5 min,and the removal efficiency reaches to 95%after 30 min,with an adsorption capacity of80.33 mg g-1.Thus,a higher MR removal efficiency is achieved in a much shorter time on CNT30.Moreover,CNT30 has an outstanding reusability,with the MR removal efficiency decreasing by only 7%after ten cycles.The COOH groups on CNT30 improve the hydrophilicity of CNT30,thus promoting the interaction of MR in water with CNT30.The hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction of MR with the COOH groups on CNT30 could be the force to drive MR adsorption on CNT30.The higher COOH content could be the origin for the better performance of CNT30 in removing dye from water.The discharge process developed herein is operated in O2,without using harmful substances,and the COOH content on CNT can be efficiently tuned by simply changing discharge time.This is different from the chemical modification widely used to functionalize CNT by strong oxidants,e.g.,HNO_(3).The present work is of great significance to realize green construction of materials for more efficiently removing dye from water.