Cu2O/Ag composite nanospheres (CNSs) with tunable Ag coverage and optical properties have been prepared based on a one-pot room temperature method by adding AgNO3 solution to fresh Cu2O nanosphere-produced mother solution in various ratios. Ag+ ions can be reduced by the primary Cu2O nanospheres in the acidic solution, and the obtained Ag nanoparticles can be deposited on the surfaces of the Cu2O nanospheres. The photocatalytic activity of Cu2O/Ag CNSs has been evaluated for photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) dye under visible-light irradiation, which demonstrates that Cu2O nanospheres with Ag loading exhibit significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity compared with pure Cu2O counterparts, and their photocatalytic properties depend on the coverage density of Ag nanoparticles. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the deposition of Ag acting as electron sinks to prevent the recombination of the photogenerated electrons and holes, and the plasmon resonances of the Ag nanoparticles generating more electron–hole pairs in the semiconductor.

Hierarchical LiFePO4 microplates have been synthesized by a solvothermal approach in ethanol solvent with self-prepared amorphous FePO4 particles as precursors. The microplates expose a large scale of the (010) faces with a mean length of 2.5 μm, width of 1.5 μm and thickness of 200–500 nm. Furthermore, the hierarchical LiFePO4 microplates are composed of nanosheets with a size of 50 nm and thickness of 10 nm. When the solvent ethanol was replaced by a mixture of water–ethanol (1/1, by volume) in the reaction, a distinctive morphology, the LiFePO4 microflower, was obtained. After coating carbon, the LiFePO4/C microplates deliver a high discharge capacity of 157 mAh g–1 at 0.1 C, and exhibit excellent rate capability and cycling performance, which are much better than those for the LiFePO4/C microflowers.

An outward coating method has been successfully employed to prepare CuO/MnO2 nanorod array films based on the impregnation of Cu(OH)2 nanorod array films with manganese nitrate aqueous solution and heat post-treatment. The as-prepared CuO/MnO2 nanorod array films as heterogeneous catalysts successfully address such issues as easy agglomeration, difficult separation, and possible secondary pollution related to powder catalysts. Furthermore, they exhibit catalytic oxidation activity for the degradation of acid fuchsin (AF) dye in aqueous solution superior to that of bare CuO nanorod array films in the presence of H2O2, because of the synergistic effects of both CuO and MnO2. The effects of the initial concentration of aqueous AF solution and H2O2 dosage on the catalytic oxidation performance were evaluated, indicating that the degradation ratio of AF can reach up to 94.05%. Life-cycle performance and scaleup of the catalytic oxidative degradation process demonstrate the durability and potential engineering application of CuO/MnO2 nanorod array films in dye wastewater treatment.

An improved solid-state reaction route has been employed to synthesize Mg2+-doped LiFePO4/C nanocomposite cathode by calcining the precursor obtained via evaporating the mixture of ascorbic acid, LiCH3COO·2H2O, Mg(CH3COO)2·4H2O, and amorphous FePO4 nanoparticles in anhydrous ethanol under continuous stirring. Ascorbic acid used here acted as both reducing agent and carbon source. The amorphous FePO4 was pre-prepared via a simple and fast oxidic precipitation method. Electrochemical tests showed that the final product exhibited good rate and cycling performance, with discharge capacities of 145.2 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C, 129.8 mAh g−1 at 1 C, 107.6mAh g−1 at 5 C, and 81.4 mAh g−1 at 20 C, respectively. The Mg2+-doped LiFePO4/C showed enhanced charge–discharge performance compared with undoped LiFePO4/C, especially at high rates. The enhanced electrochemical performance of the composite could be attributed to a combination result of the fine particle size with narrow particle size distribution, homogeneous carbon coating on the surface of the particles, and magnesium ion doping.

Hierarchical Fe5(PO4)4(OH)3·2H2O microflower was synthesized by a hydrothermal reaction with self-prepared β-FeOOH nanorod as raw material. The microflowers were self-assemblies of symmetric building blocks with deep grooves. The possible morphology evolution process was proposed. The microflowers morphology was retained when they were lithiated to prepare LiFePO4/C composites through a carbothermal reduction method with citric acid as both reducing agent and carbonaceous coating conductor source. As cathode materials for lithium ion batteries, the as-obtained LiFePO4/C composites deliver a high discharge capacity of 156 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C rate and exhibit excellent cycling stability, which may be ascribed to the homogeneous coated carbon and the unique microflower structure with grooves.

LiFePO4/C composite cathode material has been synthesized by a carbothermal reduction method using β-FeOOH nanorods as raw materials and glucose as both reducing agent and carbon source. The results indicate that the content of carbon and the morphology of raw material have effect on the electrochemical performance of the final LiFePO4/C material. Sample LFP14 with a carbon content of 2.79 wt.% can deliver discharge capacities of 158.8, 144.3, 111.0, and 92.9 mAh g−1 at 0.1, 1, 10, and 15 C, respectively. When decreasing the current from 15 C back to 0.1 C, a discharge capacity of 157.5 mAh g−1 is recovered, which is 99.2 % of its initial capacity. Therefore, as a kind of cathode material for lithium ion batteries, this LiFePO4/C material synthesized via a carbothermal reduction method is promising in large-scale production, and has potential application in upcoming hybrid electric vehicles or electric vehicles.

In this paper, β-MnO2 nanorods, a new and efficient catalyst was developed for the synthesis of isoamyl acetate. The β-MnO2 nanorod catalyst was prepared by calcining γ-MnOOH nanorod precursor. The catalyst was characterized with X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area and the Barrett–Joyner–Halenda (BJH) pore size distribution. The β-MnO2 nanorods are proven to be an excellent catalyst for isoamyl acetate synthesis, with a high yield of 93.15% under the following optimal conditions: acetic acid/isoamyl alcohol molar ratio (1.8:1), catalyst dosage (0.2% in total weight), reaction temperature (126 °C) and reaction time (3.5 h). The mechanism and kinetics of the catalytic reaction were studied as well.

A hollow structured CaO sorbent with high CO2 absorption capacity and good cyclic performance at high temperatures was derived from the corresponding CaCO3 precursor, which was prepared by bubbling gaseous CO2 through a Ca(OH)2 slurry in the presence of the triblock copolymer surfactant, P123 (PEO20PPO70PEO20). Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed the novel sorbent to be comprised of nanosized platelets forming hollow particles resembling a pod of approximately 200 nm in diameter and up to 600 nm in length. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the tailored sorbent had the highest CO2 absorption capacity when compared with calcines derived from precipitated CaCO3 without P123 and a commercially available CaCO3, retaining >50% CO2 absorption capacity after 50 CO2 capture-and-release cycles for carbonation temperatures from 600 to 700 °C.