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Photocatalysis technology has the advantages of being green, clean, and environmentally friendly, and has been widely used in CO2 reduction, hydrolytic hydrogen production, and the degradation of pollutants in water. Cu2O has the advantages of abundant reserves, a low cost, and environmental friendliness. Based on the narrow bandgap and strong visible light absorption ability of Cu2O, Cu2O-based composite materials show infinite development potential in photocatalysis. However, in practical large-scale applications, Cu2O-based composites still pose some urgent problems that need to be solved, such as the high composite rate of photogenerated carriers, and poor photocatalytic activity. This paper introduces a series of Cu2O-based composites, based on recent reports, including pure Cu2O and Cu2O hybrid materials. The modification strategies of photocatalysts, critical physical and chemical parameters of photocatalytic reactions, and the mechanism for the synergistic improvement of photocatalytic performance are investigated and explored. In addition, the application and photocatalytic performance of Cu2O-based photocatalysts in CO2 photoreduction, hydrogen production, and water pollution treatment are discussed and evaluated. Finally, the current challenges and development prospects are pointed out, to provide guidance in applying Cu2O-based catalysts in renewable energy utilization and environmental protection.

An electrochromic supercapacitor device (ESD) is an advanced energy storage device that combines the energy storage capability of a supercapacitor with the optical modulation properties of electrochromic materials. The electrode materials used to construct an ESD need to have both rich color variations and energy storage properties. Recent advances in ESDs have focused on the preparation of novel electrochromic supercapacitor electrode materials and improving their energy storage capacity, cycling stability, and electrochromic performance. In this review, the research significance and application value of ESDs are discussed. The device structure and working principle of electrochromic devices and supercapacitors are analyzed in detail. The research progress of inorganic materials, organic materials, and inorganic/organic nanocomposite materials used for the construction of ESDs is discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of various types of materials in ESD applications are summarized. The preparation and application of ESD electrode materials in recent years are reviewed in detail. Importantly, the challenges existing in the current research and recommendations for future perspectives are suggested. This review will provide a useful reference for researchers in the field of ESD electrode material preparation and application.

A new bis-Schiff base (L) Ca(II) complex, CaL, was synthesized by the reaction of calcium perchlorate tetrahydrate, 1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane, and 2-formyl phenoxyacetic acid in an ethanol–water (v:v = 2:1) solution and characterized by IR, UV-vis, TG-DTA, and X-ray single crystal diffraction analysis. The structural analysis indicates that the Ca(II) complex crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P121/n1, and the Ca(II) ions are six-coordinated with four O atoms (O8, O9, O11, O12, or O1, O2, O4, O6) and two N atoms (N1, N2, or N3, N4) of one bis-Schiff base ligand. The Ca(II) complex forms a tetramer by intermolecular O-H…O hydrogen bonds. The tetramer units further form a three-dimensional network structure by π–π stacking interactions of benzene rings. The Hirschfeld surface of the Ca(II) complex shows that the H…H contacts represent the largest contribution (41.6%) to the Hirschfeld surface, followed by O…H/H…O and C…H/H…C contacts with contributions of 35.1% and 18.1%, respectively. To understand the electronic structure of the Ca(II) complex, the DFT calculations were carried out. The photocatalytic CO2 reduction test of the Ca(II) complex exhibited a yield of 47.9 μmol/g (CO) and a CO selectivity of 99.3% after six hours.

Modulating the surface coordination environment of Pt based nanocrystals at the atomic level is of great importance to obtain good electrocatalytic performance. Given the fundamental understandings of surface structure degeneration of Pt based nanocrystals, introducing a weak electronegative element to the surface of Pt-based catalysts is beneficial for suppressing surface passivation and improving hydrogen evolution reaction performance of Pt. Density functional theory results reveal that the energy barrier of water dissociation process can be greatly reduced by using Se element as the surface modifier to replace the O. This hypothesis is further validated by experiments that ultralong Pt 85 Mo 15 -Se nanowires were fabricated to suppress the excessive passivation behavior of transition metals of Pt based alloy. The Pt 85 Mo 15 -Se nanowires exhibit higher activity with 4.98 times the specific activity and 4.87 times the mass activity of commercial Pt/C, as well as a better stability towards alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction. The deep exploration of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical calculations disclose that Se element could maintain the electron-rich state around the electronic orbit of Pt. This study provides a new insight to advance the fundamental understanding on electrocatalytic materials, which exhibits a promising approach to protect the surface chemical environment of Pt based nanocrystals.

The electrochromic phenomenon of conducting polymer is mainly dominated by the π-π* band transition. The π conjugation is influenced by the coplanarity between polymer units, deviations from which can lead to an increased ionization potential and band gap values. In order to investigate the effect of plane distortion angle on electrochromic color in the main chain structure of polymerization, high-performance poly(3,3′-dimethyl-2,2′-bithiophene) (PDMeBTh) with a large plane distortion angle is successfully synthesized in boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BFEE) by the electrochemical anodic oxidation method. The electrochemical and thermal properties of PDMeBTh prepared from BFEE and ACN/TBATFB are compared. The electrochromic properties of PDMeBTh are systematically investigated. The PDMeBTh shows a different color change (orange-yellow in the neutral state) compared to poly (3-methylthiophene) (light-red in the neutral state) due to the large torsion angle between thiophene rings of the main polymer chain. The optical contrast, response time, and coloring efficiency (CE) of the prepared PDMeBTh are also studied, which shows good electrochromic properties. For practical applications, an electrochromic device is fabricated by the PDMeBTh and PEDOT. The color of the device can be reversibly changed between orange-yellow and dark blue. The light contrast of the device is 27% at 433 nm and 61% at 634 nm. The CE value of the device is 403 cm2 C−1 at 433 nm and 577 cm2 C−1 at 634 nm. The constructed device also has good open circuit memory and electrochromic stability, showing good potential for practical applications.

The pollution of phenol wastewater is becoming worse. In this paper, a 2D/2D nanosheet-like ZnTiO3/Bi2WO6 S-Scheme heterojunction was synthesized for the first time through a two-step calcination method and a hydrothermal method. In order to improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers, the S-Scheme heterojunction charge-transfer path was designed and constructed, the photoelectrocatalytic effect of the applied electric field was utilized, and the photoelectric coupling catalytic degradation performance was greatly enhanced. When the applied voltage was +0.5 V, the ZnTiO3/Bi2WO6 molar ratio of 1.5:1 had highest degradation rate under visible light: the degradation rate was 93%, and the kinetic rate was 3.6 times higher than that of pure Bi2WO6. Moreover, the stability of the composite photoelectrocatalyst was excellent: the photoelectrocatalytic degradation rate of the photoelectrocatalyst remained above 90% after five cycles. In addition, through electrochemical analysis, XRD, XPS, TEM, radical trapping experiments, and valence band spectroscopy, we found that the S-scheme heterojunction was constructed between the two semiconductors, which effectively retained the redox ability of the two semiconductors. This provides new insights for the construction of a two-component direct S-scheme heterojunction as well as a feasible new solution for the treatment of phenol wastewater pollution.

A highly dispersed bimetallic catalyst, AuRu/ZIF-67, and monometallic catalysts, Au/ZIF-67 and Ru/ZIF-67, were successfully prepared herein via co-impregnation/impregnation and hydrogen reduction methods. The catalytic performances of the bimetallic Au–Ru and monometallic Au and Ru catalysts for benzyl alcohol oxidation were compared under an O 2 atmosphere. Results revealed that the addition of Ru to the Au catalyst reduced the oxidation activity of benzyl alcohol while considerably improving the yield of benzaldehyde. The reaction solvent, temperature, pressure and time exerted crucial effects on the catalytic performance of AuRu/ZIF-67. The optimal reaction conditions when using AuRu/ZIF-67 for benzyl alcohol oxidation were 70℃, 5 bar O 2 and 4 h with tetrahydrofuran as the solvent. The benzyl alcohol conversion and benzaldehyde yield were 82.9% and 47.5%, respectively, under the optimal reaction conditions. AuRu/ZIF-67 exhibited excellent applicability towards alcohols; particularly for aromatic and aliphatic alcohols, where good conversions and acceptable yields of aldehydes were obtained. Moreover, the AuRu/ZIF-67 catalyst demonstrated good stability for benzyl alcohol oxidation, and it could be recycled four times without any changes in the benzaldehyde yield.

Selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene is a crucial industrial process for the removing of 1,3-butadiene, a byproduct of butene production. Developing catalysts with high catalytic performance for the hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene at low temperatures has become a research hotspot. In this study, bimetallic Pd–Co catalysts supported on Al 2 O 3 derived from MIL-53(Al) at various calcination temperatures were synthesised via the co-impregnation method. These catalysts were structurally characterised using powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, N 2 adsorption–desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy techniques. The characterisations revealed that Pd–Co nanoparticles, averaging 8.5–12.4 nm, were highly dispersed on Al 2 O 3 derived from MIL-53(Al). The effects of reaction temperature, Pd and Co contents, space velocity, and calcination temperature on the catalytic performance for the hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene were thoroughly investigated. The PdCo/MIL-53(Al)-A700 catalyst exhibited the highest catalytic activity for the hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene at 40 °C and a space velocity of 900 L/(h·g cat ). This catalyst demonstrated a strong synergistic interaction between Pd and Co nanoparticles, resulting in considerably better catalytic performance than the monometallic Pd catalyst under the same conditions. The PdCo/MIL-53(Al)-A700 catalyst achieved superior 1,3-butadiene conversion and total butene selectivity compared to the Pd/MIL-53(Al)-A700 catalyst. In addition, the PdCo/MIL-53(Al)-A700 catalyst maintained its catalytic activity and total butene selectivity after three regenerations in a flow of N 2 at 200 °C. This work proposed a new pathway to design efficient and sustainable catalysts for 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation.

The utilization of renewable electricity to turn carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into treasure through electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction (eCO 2 RR), as well as the conversion of excess electricity into chemical energy storage, has become one of the research hotspots. However, most electrocatalysts still face bottleneck issues such as insufficient activity and poor stability. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) exhibit unique advantages in the field of eCO 2 RR due to their high atomic utilization and large number of exposed accessible active sites. This review systematically reports the recent advances of SACs in the field of eCO 2 RR in recent years, focusing on the synthesis strategies of SACs and their enhancement strategies in eCO 2 RR, and discusses the application prospects of SACs in electrocatalysis. This progress report aims to provide guiding principles for the design and optimization of SACs in order to promote their application in achieving efficient eCO 2 RR at an industrial scale. In the end, the challenges and perspectives are discussed from the authors’ viewpoint. Single atom catalysts transform CO 2 into valuable chemicals The demand for energy has increased since the industrial revolution, leading to more carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, which worsen environmental issues. This article reviews the use of single-atom catalysts (SACs) for this purpose. SACs are materials where individual metal atoms are spread on a surface, making them highly efficient for chemical reactions. The authors discuss various methods to create SACs, such as atomic layer deposition (ALD), which involves layering chemicals to form thin films. They also explore how SACs can be improved by changing their structure or adding other elements. The review highlights that SACs can make CO2 conversion more efficient and selective, but challenges remain, such as preventing metal atoms from clumping together. They conclude that while SACs show promise, more research is needed to improve their performance and make them viable for industrial use. This summary was initially drafted using artificial intelligence, then revised and fact-checked by the author. The demand for energy has increased since the industrial revolution, leading to more carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, which worsen environmental issues. This article reviews the use of single-atom catalysts (SACs) for this purpose. The authors discuss various methods to create SACs. They also explore how SACs can be improved by changing their structure or adding other elements. The review highlights that SACs can make CO 2 conversion more efficient and selective, but challenges remain, such as preventing metal atoms from clumping together. While SACs show promise, more research is needed to improve their performance and make them viable for industrial use.

Carbon‐based materials derived from metal–organic frameworks typically exhibit microporous structures and low conductivity, which significantly limit their catalytic activity. Herein, an effective strategy to prepare dodecahedral hierarchical porous nitrogen‐doped carbon‐based composites (d‐PNC) by using ZIF‐8 encapsulated with ionic liquid as pyrolysis precursors for efficient Cr(VI) reduction is developed. The encapsulated ionic liquid helps to precisely regulate the hierarchically porous structure in d‐PNC. This hierarchically porous structure not only creates a favorable reaction microenvironment, facilitating the mass transfer of Cr species and their interaction with active sites, but also enhancing the conductivity of d‐PNC and consequently accelerating the electron transfer of •CO2− radicals to Cr species, thereby speeding up the reduction process of Cr(VI). Additionally, with the calcination temperature increasing, the content of defective C increases, and N species progressively transforms into graphitic‐center N (N3). Density functional theory calculations reveal that the defective C active center substantially decreases the free energy change of the rate‐determining step (from Cr(IV) to Cr(III)) through the synergistic effect of N3. Given these outstanding characteristics, the optimized d‐PNC material can completely reduce Cr(VI) (333.3 mg g−1) in an oxalic acid solution within 2 min, outperforming its counterparts without a hierarchical structure and those calcined at significantly lower temperatures. The d‐PNC(1100, 10%) catalyst, synthesized via a zinc‐based ionic liquid self‐sacrificing pore‐forming strategy to create a defect‐rich, hierarchical, nitrogen‐doped porous structure, enhances conductivity, promotes rapid mass transfer and synergistic catalytic activity, driving efficient Cr(VI) reduction in OA solution to generate Cr(III)‐OA complexes.