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For the better utilization of solar light and complete oxidation of environmental organic pollutants, it is desired to develop small band gap semiconductors with a deep valence band as efficient visible light photocatalysts. In this work, we prepared the fluorinated Bi2O3 catalysts using a precipitation method, followed by a solvothermal process in the presence of NH4F. The fluorinated Bi2O3 catalysts, especially with the atomic ratio of F to Bi (R F) at 0.2, exhibit much higher photocatalytic activities than the pure Bi2O3 for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under the visible light irradiation. The effects of the fluorination on the phase structure, special surface areas, morphologies, optical properties, surface-adsorbed species, and electronic band structure of the Bi2O3 were investigated in detail. It was revealed that both the surface-adsorbed and lattice-substituted fluorine, induced by the fluorination to Bi2O3, play critical roles in the enhanced photocatalytic performance of the fluorinated Bi2O3. The two types of fluorine species effectively inhibit the recombination of the photoexcited electron–hole pairs by withdrawing the photoexcited electrons and increase the oxidation power of the photoexcited hole by lowering the valence band edge, respectively.

Crystalline metallic Au nanoparticles were loaded on α-Bi(2)O(3) microrods (Au/α-Bi(2)O(3)) using an Au deposition-precipitation method. The prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Upon visible light irradiation, the Au/α-Bi(2)O(3) exhibits much higher photocatalytic activities than the pure α-Bi(2)O(3) for the degradation of Rhodamine B and 2,4-dichlorophenol in aqueous solution. The role of the Au and the paths of electron transport in the photocatalysis of the Au/α-Bi(2)O(3) were investigated and discussed in detail based on the analysis of the photo-generated hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) in the visible light irradiated suspension of pure α-Bi(2)O(3) and Au/α-Bi(2)O(3). The result reveals that the Au loaded on α-Bi(2)O(3) plays a critical role in the separation of the electron and hole pairs by accumulating the electrons from the excited α-Bi(2)O(3), which is responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Graphene nanosheets (GNS) supporting Pt nanoparticles (PNs) are prepared using perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) as a functionalization and anchoring agent. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) results indicate that the prepared Pt NPs are uniformly deposited on GNS with a narrow particle size ranging from 1 to 4 nm in diameter. A high catalytic activity of this novel catalyst is observed by both cyclic voltammetry and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) measurements due to the increasing of proton (H(+)) transmission channels. Significantly, this novel PFSA-functionalized Pt/GNS (PFSA-Pt/GNS) catalyst reveals a better CO oxidation and lower loss rate of electrochemical active area in comparison with that of the plain Pt/GNS and conventional Pt/C catalysts, indicating our PFSA-Pt/GNS catalysts hold much higher stability and CO tolerance by virtue of introduction of PFSA.

3D graphene-based materials offer immense potentials to overcome the challenges related to the functionality, performance, cost, and stability of fuel cell electrocatalysts. Herein, a nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) dual-doped 3D porous graphene catalyst is synthesized via a single-row pyrolysis using biomass as solitary source for both N and S, and structure directing agent. The thermochemical reaction of biomass functional groups with graphene oxide facilitates in situ generation of reactive N and S species, stimulating the graphene layers to reorganize into a trimodal 3D porous assembly. The resultant catalyst exhibits high ORR and OER performance superior to similar materials obtained through toxic chemicals and multistep routes. Its stability and tolerance to CO and methanol oxidation molecules are far superior to commercial Pt/C. The dynamics governing the structural transformation and the enhanced catalytic activity in both alkaline and acidic media are discussed. This work offers a unique approach for rapid synthesis of a dual-heteroatom doped 3D porous-graphene-architecture for wider applications.

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The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) have been considered as a key step in energy conversion processes. Here, a novel and simple Mg(OH)2 nanocasting method is adopted to fabricate Co and N co-doped porous graphene-like carbon nanosheets (Co@N-PGCS) by using chitosan as both carbon and N sources. The as-obtained Co@N-PGCS shows a mesopore-dominated structure as well as a high specific surface area (1716 cm(2) g(-1)). As a bifunctional electrocatalyst towards both the ORR and OER, it shows favorable ORR performance compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst with an onset potential of -0.075 V and a half-wave potential of -0.151 V in 0.1 M KOH solutions. Furthermore, it also displays considerable OER properties compared with commercial IrO2. The effective catalytic activity could originate from the introduction of transition metal species and few-layer mesoporous carbon structures.