The p-type Cu2O/n-type TaON heterojunction nanorod array passivated with ultrathin carbon sheath as a surface protection layer is excellent in photoelectrochemical water splitting.

Ta 3 N 5 nanorod arrays were fabricated by nitridation of fluorine-containing tantalum oxide (F-Ta 2 O 5 ) nanorod arrays grown in situ on Ta substrates by a one-pot vapour-phase hydrothermal induced selfassembly technique. In this protocol, the in situ generation and the morphology of arrays elaborately adjusted by reaction time, play a vital role in the formation of the F-Ta 2 O 5 nanorod arrays and a highly conductive interlayer between the nanorods and the substrate. Due to the shape anisotropy, ordered hierarchical structure and high surface area, a high photoelectrochemical activity was achieved by the optimum Ta 3 N 5 nanorod photoelectrode with a photocurrent density of 1.22 mA cm À2 under AM 1.5G irradiation at 1.23 V vs. RHE (reversible hydrogen electrode). Furthermore, a higher and more stable photocurrent was demonstrated by combining the highly active Ta 3 N 5 nanorods with stable Co 3 O 4 / Co(OH) 2 (Co 3 O 4 /Co(II)) bilayer catalysts when compared with that demonstrated for Co(II)/Ta 3 N 5 and Co 3 O 4 /Ta 3 N 5 photoelectrodes, exhibiting that not only is the onset potential negatively shifted but also the photocurrent and the stability are significantly improved, which is correlated to an order of magnitude reduction in the resistance to charge transfer at the Ta 3 N 5 /H 2 O interface. Specifically, about 92% of the initial stable photocurrent remains after long-term irradiation at 1.23 V vs. RHE. At 1.23 V vs. RHE, the photocurrent density of Co 3 O 4 /Co(II)/Ta 3 N 5 arrays reached 3.64 mA cm À2 under AM 1.5G simulated sunlight at 100 mW cm À2 , and a maximum IPCE of 39.5% was achieved at 440 nm. This combination of catalytic activity, stability, and conformal decoration makes this a promising approach to improve the photoelectrochemical performance of photoanodes in the general field of energy conversion. Broader contextPhotoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting based on semiconductor materials is a promising approach to harvest and store solar energy and may have the potential to supply the world's energy demand with a clean and sustainable chemical fuel. Tantalum nitride (Ta 3 N 5 ) is an attractive photoanode material due to its high theoretical solar-to-hydrogen efficiency (15.9% under AM 1.5G illumination), suitable valence band positions for water oxidation, excellent stability, and low material cost. However, it is a challenge to design stable structures that can be used as anodes in the photoelectrochemical cells. In this work, we create the rst Co 3 O 4 /Co(II)/Ta 3 N 5 nanorod array photoanode with a better photoelectrochemical performance to perform water oxidation and generate photocurrent. This strategy as a promising avenue provides new insights into the design and tailoring of tantalum nitride to enhance the photoelectrochemical performance of photoanodes in the general eld of energy conversion.

The photochemical conversion of carbon dioxide provides a straightforward and effective strategy for the highly efficient production of solar fuels with high solar-light utilization efficiency. However, the high recombination rate of photoexcited electron-hole (e-h) pairs and the poor photostability have greatly limited their practical applications. Herein, a practical strategy is proposed to facilitate the separation of e-h pairs and enhance the photostability in a semiconductor by the use of a Schottky junction in a bimetal-graphene-semiconductor stack array. Importantly, Au-Cu nanoalloys (ca. 3 nm) supported on a 3D ultrathin graphene shell encapsulating a p-type Cu2O coaxial nanowire array promotes the stable photochemical reduction of CO2 to methanol by the synergetic catalytic effect of interfacial modulation and charge-transfer channel design. This work provides a promising lead for the development of practical catalysts for sustainable fuel synthesis.

This work will shed light on the rational design of more complex 2D/2D heterojunctions with the Z-scheme energy-transfer mechanism.

The hierarchically CoOxdecorated 2D C3N4nanosheet–1D/2D nanorod/nanosheet-assembled barium-doped TaON array as 3D heterojunction photoanode exhibited the enhanced photocurrent density and durable photostability for photoelectrochemical solar water splitting.

Highly efficient hydrogen production can be achieved by three-dimensional (3D) architectures of CdS quantum dots (QDs) incorporated in the porous assembly of marigold-like ZnIn2S4 heterostructures coupled with graphene, leading to an efficient electron transfer between them and the enhancement of the ZnIn2S4 photostability. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance absorption spectra, and photoluminescence spectra. Especially, 3 wt% CdS QDs decorated ZnIn2S4 heteroarchitectures showed a high rate of H2-production at 1.9 mmol h(-1), more 2.7 times than that of ZnIn2S4. The rate was further increased to 2.7 mmol h(-1) with a high quantum efficiency of 56% using the 3 wt% CdS QDs decorated ZnIn2S4 composites coupled with 1 wt% graphene (about 4 times higher than that of the pure ZnIn2S4). Moreover, the CdS QDs/graphene/ZnIn2S4 exhibited strong durability due to the high hydrothermal stability of the flower-like structure and the inhibition of CdS leaching owing to its strong interaction with ZnIn2S4. The excellent photocatalytic performance is ascribed to the enhanced light absorption and the improved separation of photogenerated carriers. This finding highlights the validity of 3D semiconductor heterostructures as effective building blocks for exploring efficient visible-light-active photocatalysts.

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Twenty-three novel resveratrol-based cinnamic ester hybrids were designed and synthesized. All the compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity using RAW264.7 cells. Among them, compound D15 was found to be the most potent one in inhibiting NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The further study indicated that compound D15 could suppress expression of proteins iNOS, COX-2, p-p65, and p-IκB LPS-induced. Immunofluorescence further revealed compound D15 could reduce activation p65 in nuclei. All the results indicated that the anti-inflammatory activity of title compound may partly due to its inhibitory effect on the NF-κB signaling pathway.