In this paper, we report on the synthesis of nanostructured rare earth oxides (Sm2O3, Gd2O3, Dy2O3) via a facile benzyl alcohol based nonaqueous sol−gel process followed by calcination at moderate temperature. During the synthesis, rare earth acetylacetonates were used as the precursors. The resulting samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescent spectroscopy. The final nanostructured RE2O3 products were observed to possess two typical shapes: stacks of ultrathin nanodisks for Sm2O3 and hierarchical nanosheet microspheres for Gd2O3 and Dy2O3, respectively. This method could be extended to prepare high-quality luminescent Gd2O3:Eu3+ flowerlike superstructures with a strong red emission corresponding to 5D0 → 7F2 transition (612 nm) of Eu3+ under ultraviolet excitation (260 nm). The possible formation mechanisms of the ultrathin nanodisk stacks and hierarchical nanosheet microspheres are proposed on the basis of the characterization results. This study provides an alternative nonaqueous approach for the synthesis of nanostructured rare earth oxides.

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In recent years, effective methods for cyanobacterial blooms treatment have been an important issue. In this study, we demonstrated a rapid catalytic microwave method to deal with Microcystis aeruginosa with FeCl(3)-loaded active carbon. Microcystis aeruginosa damage process was monitored by measuring optical density, chlorophyll-a content, superoxide dismutase activity, l-glutathione content, and turbidity of the treated Microcystis aeruginosa suspension. It was found that this method could quickly and efficiently induce the degradation of Microcystis aeruginosa. On the basis of control experiments and characterization results, we attributed the excellent catalytic performance to the synergy effect between hole-doping of the catalyst and hot spot of microwave irradiation. This work provides a fast and green treatment method for cyanobacterial blooms.

Hierarchical LaFeO3 fibers were prepared by a sol-gel nanocasting method using a cotton cloth as the template. The resulting LaFeO3 fibers inherited the initial network morphology of the template very well and showed enhanced catalytic CO oxidation activity and satisfactory stability compared to the counterpart particles prepared by the conventional sol-gel method.