Simply mixing a Cu(II) salt and 6,6'-dihydroxy-2,2'-bipyridine (H2L) in a basic aqueous solution afforded a highly active water oxidation catalyst (WOC). Cyclic voltammetry of the solution at pH = 12-14 shows irreversible catalytic current with an onset potential of ~0.8 V versus NHE. Catalytic oxygen evolution takes place in controlled potential electrolysis at a relatively low overpotential of 640 mV. Experimental and computational studies suggest that the L ligand participates in electron transfer processes to facilitate the oxidation of the Cu center to lead to an active WOC with low overpotential, akin to the use of the tyrosine radical by Photosystem II to oxidize the CaMn4 center for water oxidation.

At the frontier of electrocatalysis and heterogeneous reactions, significant effort has been devoted to Pt-based nanomaterials owing to their advantages of tunable morphology and excellent catalytic properties. In contrast to Ptbased nanocatalysts with other morphologies, nanowire catalysts, especially 1D ultrafine nanowire (NW) structure, are garnering increased attention because of their advantages of high atomic efficiency, intrinsic isotropy, rich high-index facets, better conductivity, robust structure stability for prohibiting dissolution, ripening, and aggregation. Regardless of these advantages, it is still challenging to realize the precise control of ultrafine Pt-based NWs in terms of their size, crystal phase structure, and composition. Aiming to synthesize advanced ultrafine Pt-based NWs catalysts with higher activity, durability, and selectivity toward catalytic reactions, this review summarizes the recently available approaches for improving the catalytic performance of ultrafine Pt-based NWs with detailed guidance. A summary of recent progress in ultrafine Pt-based NWs catalysts for advanced catalysis and heterogeneous reactions is also provided. Furthermore, integrated experimental and theoretical studies are reviewed to explain the activity, stability, and selectivity enhancement mechanism. In the final section, the challenges and outlook are also discussed to provide guidance for the rational engineering of efficient ultrafine Pt-based NWs catalysts for applications in renewable-energy-related devices.

The synthesis of anatase and rutile titania could be achieved in mixed organic media with the variation of alcohols in the media under mild conditions. Although a nonhydrolytic process cannot be excluded, it is suggested that the formation of titania in these systems is based mainly on the hydrolytic process initiated by the water generated as a result of an esterification reaction between the alcohols and acetic acid. It has been found that the phase of the TiO2 produced depends on the choice of alcohols and temperature. Partial morphology and size are also affected by these factors. It is proposed that the viscosity and pressure of the reaction media influence the particle size. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and UV-visible adsorption spectroscopy were employed to characterize the final products.

Solvent vapor annealing (SVA) studies on the morphology and performance of a porphyrin-based deep-absorption organic solar cells consisting of a strongly segregated bulk heterojunction (BHJ) blend, are presented. It is seen that the solvent vapor annealing of a well-mixed BHJ blends induces molecular motion, leading to a phase separated morphology governed by a spinodal decomposition mechanism. The earlier stage of solvent vapor swelling (<10s) led to an obvious phase separation but not device performance. The device performance showed a dramatic increase in short circuit current and fill factor between 15-20s of SVA. Thus, phase purity is a critical parameter in determining the performance of this binary blend. SVA on a thermally annealed BHJ thin film showed two distinctive processes, a crystal dissolution and a recrystallization, accompanied by phase mixing and then phase separation. The final morphology of SVA films that were initially thermally annealed showed a reduced length scale of phase separation, in comparison to SVA on as-cast films. Thus preformed donor crystallites appear to lock-in the morphology, even in a small molecule blend setting. The best performing device was obtained by a slight SVA (10s) of films that were initially thermally annealed, reaching a power conversion efficiency of 8.48%. This suggests that the localized morphological optimization and domain size reduction are most important factors in dictating organic photovoltaic device efficiencies.