This research is aimed to improve the activity and stability of ternary alloy Pt–Ru–Ni/C catalyst. A novel anodic catalyst for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), carbon supported Pt–Ru–Ni–P nanoparticles, has been prepared by chemical reduction method by using NaH2PO2 as a reducing agent. One glassy carbon disc working electrode is used to test the catalytic performances of the homemade catalysts by cyclic voltammetric (CV), chronoamperometric (CA) and amperometric i–t measurements in a solution of 0.5 mol L–1 H2SO4 and 0.5 mol L–1 CH3OH. The compositions, particle sizes and morphology of home‐made catalysts are evaluated by means of energy dispersive analysis of X‐ray (EDAX), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron micrographs (TEM), respectively. TEM images show that Pt–Ru–Ni–P nanoparticles have an even size distribution with an average diameter of less than 2 nm. The results of CV, CA and i–t curves indicate that the Pt–Ru–Ni–P/C catalyst shows significantly higher activity and stability for methanol electrooxidation due to the presence of non‐metal phosphorus in comparison to Pt–Ru–Ni/C one. All experimental results indicate that the addition of non‐metallic phosphorus into the Pt–Ru–Ni/C catalyst has definite value of research and practical application for enhancing the performance of DMFC.

Magnetic hybrid photocatalysts containing TiO2 nanotube as outer catalytic layer and Fe3O4 as the core, with an amorphous carbon intermediate layer, were synthesised, characterised and applied to degradation of phenol under Xenon lamp irradiation. For the composite, Fe3O4/C microspheres were surrounded by anatase TiO2 nanotubes with a diameter of ∼8–10 nm. Photocatalytic performance of the Fe3O4/C/TiO2 nanotube (FCT-NT) composites was also evaluated and showed enhanced activity superior to commercial P25 and homemade TiO2 particles. The outstanding photocatalytic performance of FCT-NT sample could be attributed to its improved surface area and enhanced capability of optical absorption. Notably, the novel photocatalyst showed excellent magnetic behaviour and could be efficiently separated and collected from the wastewater.

CO 2 reduction (CO 2 R) catalyzed by an efficient, stable, and earth-abundant electrocatalyst offers an attractive means to store energy derived from renewable sources. Here, we describe the synthesis of facet-defined Cu 2 SnS 3 nanoplates and the ligand-controlled CO 2 R property. We show that thiocyanate-capped Cu 2 SnS 3 nanoplates possess excellent selectivity toward formate over a wide range of potentials and current densities, attaining a maximum formate Faradaic efficiency of 92% and partial current densities as high as 181 mA cm −2 when tested using a flow cell with gas-diffusion electrode. In situ spectroscopic measurements and theoretical calculations reveal that the high formate selectivity originates from favorable adsorption of HCOO* intermediates on cationic Sn sites that are electronically modulated by thiocyanates bound to adjacent Cu sites. Our work illustrates that well-defined multimetallic sulfide nanocrystals with tailored surface chemistries could provide a new avenue for future CO 2 R electrocatalyst design.