Single‐precursor phase‐controlled synthesis of copper selenide nanocrystals and their conversion to amorphous hollow nanostructures

The crystal phases are essential to the physicochemical properties and functionalities of materials.Copper selenide has emerged as an important and appealing semiconductor,which can exist in a variety of polymorphic phases.However,the richness of polymorphs also makes it a challenge to the direct preparation of copper selenide nanocrystals with tunable phases.Herein,two polymorphs,that is,quasitetragonal Cu2−xSe nanocubes and metastable wurtzite Cu2Se nanodisks,are successfully synthesized by using a single precursor,copper(I)selenocyanate(CuSeCN),as the Cu and Se sources.The key to phase modulation is the optimal choice of the ligand in the synthesis.The as‐prepared nanocrystals possess different morphologies and compositions,giving rise to distinct optical properties and electrical conductivities.Interestingly,the copper selenide nanocrystals can provide a platform for the rational construction of two types of amorphous hollow Au─Cu─Se nanostructures by reaction with Au(I)precursor,in which their final shapes are well kept as that of the original nanocrystal templates.This work provides an easy strategy for the phase‐controlled synthesis of copper selenide nanocrystals and enables the design of new materials for broad applications.

Degradation of ofloxacin using peroxymonosulfate activated by nitrogen-rich graphitized carbon microspheres:Structure and performance controllable study

Nitrogen-rich graphitized carbon microspheres(NGCs)with hierarchically porous were constructed by self-assembly.Under different heat treatment conditions,the structure,morphology and properties of NGCs were studied by using multiple characterization techniques.The results showed that the chemical microenvironments(e.g.surface chemistry,degree of graphitization and defective,etc.)and microstructures properties(e.g.morphology,specific surface area,particle size,etc.)could be delicately controlled via thermal carbonization processes.The degradation of ofloxacin(OFLX)by NGCs activated peroxymonosulfate(PMS)was studied systematically.It was found that the synergistic coupling effect between optimum N or O bonding species configuration ratio(graphitic N and C=O)and special microstructure was the main reason for the enhanced catalytic activity of NGC-800(calcination temperature at 800°C).Electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR)experiments and radical quenching experiments indicated that the hydroxyl(·OH),sulfate(SO4^·-)and singlet oxygen(^1O_(2))were contributors in the NGC-800/PMS systems.Further investigation of the durability of chemical structures and surface active sites revealed that undergo N bonding species configuration reconstruction and cannibalistic oxidation during PMS activation reaction.The used NGC-800 physicochemical properties could be recovered by heat treatment to achieve the ideal catalytic performance.The findings proposed a valuable insight for catalytic performance and controllable design of construction.