To eliminate indoor formaldehyde (HCHO) pollution, Pd/CeO2 catalysts with different morphologies of ceria support were employed. The palladium nanoparticles loaded on {100}-faceted CeO2 nanocubes exhibited much higher activity than those loaded on {111}-faceted ceria nanooctahedrons and nanorods (enclosed by {100} and {111} facets). The HCHO could be fully converted into CO2 over the Pd/CeO2 nanocubes at a GHSV of 10,000 h(-1) and a HCHO inlet concentration of 600 ppm at ambient temperature. The prepared catalysts were characterized by a series of techniques. The HRTEM, ICP-MS and XRD results confirmed the exposed facets of the ceria and the sizes (1-2 nm) of the palladium nanoparticles with loading amounts close to 1%. According to the Pd 3d XPS and H2-TPR results, the status of the Pd-species was dependent on the morphologies of the supports. The {100} facets of ceria could maintain the metallic Pd species rather than the {111} facets, which promoted HCHO catalytic combustion. The Raman and O 1s XPS results revealed that the nanorods with more defect sites and oxygen vacancies were responsible for the easy oxidation of the Pd-species and low catalytic activity.

Amphiphilic carbonaceous microspheres-supported Pd catalysts are effective in hydrodeoxygenation of vanillin in aqueous phase and Pickering emulsions.

Two types of monolith high-porosity supermacroporous polystyrene materials had been controlled synthesized from water-in-oil Pickering emulsions. The first type, closed-cell high-porosity (up to 91%) supermacroporous (ca. 500 μm) polystyrene materials (CPPs) was prepared by employing amphiphilic carbonaceous microspheres (CMs) as high internal phase emulsion stabilizer without any inorganic salts or further modifying the wettability of the particles. The second type, hierarchical porous polystyrene materials with highly interconnected macropores (IPPs), was constructed from emulsions stabilized simultaneously by CM particles and a little amount of surfactants. Both types of these monolith porous polystyrene materials possessed excellent mechanical strength. The CPPs were used as absorbents for oil-water separation and high absorption capacity, and absorption rate for oils were realized, which was attributed to their porosity structure and the swelling property of the polystyrene, while the IPPs were highly permeable for gases due to their interconnected macropores.

Well-defined {100}-faceted ceria nanocube-supported gold nanoclusters with various morphologies, including individual atom, monolayer, multilayer and nanoparticle, have been synthesized and systematically investigated combined with density functional theory calculations. A strong morphological effect of gold clusters on the reactivity of ceria surface oxygen has been identified. The reducibility and CO oxidation activities of Au/CeO 2 catalysts increased significantly as the morphology of the gold clusters changed from single atoms to monolayer, then to multilayer, then nanoparticles. It was revealed that up to a bilayer of gold clusters were needed for desirable catalytic performance in the Au/ CeO 2 system. The transfer of electrons from gold clusters to the surface Ce−O groups of ceria and strong Au−Au interactions play significant roles in determining the reducibility of surface oxygen of CeO 2 .

Multifunctional amphiphilic hollow carbonaceous spheres assembled into Pickering emulsions exhibit reversible pH-dependent phase-transfer behavior and can efficiently catalyze water/oil biphasic reactions, facilitating the recycling of the catalysts and separation of the products.