Single atomic Fe–N _x moieties have shown great performance in CO ₂ -to-CO conversion.

As typical glucose oxidase nanozymes, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) have attracted much attention due to their wide-ranging applications. Ligand caps, as the “cure-all solution” for NPs, not only play important roles in the size and shape control of Au NPs but also influence their catalytic activity and selectivity. A deep understanding of the catalytic mechanism and precise description of the important role of ligands can provide possible ways to design functional Au NPs. Here, with the specific example of Au(111) capped with chiral phenylalanine (Phe), the chiral selective oxidation mechanism of glucose and the important role of the ligands were studied via first-principles calculations. All results show that the dehydrogenation of glucose to form glucono delta-lactone (GDL) is favored on clean Au(111), while the subsequent hydrolysis of GDL is the rate-limiting step for glucose oxidation. The flat and nonchiral Au(111) surface shows negligible selectivity in relation to the oxidation of D- and L-glucose, while chiral Phe-Au(111) shows selective adsorption towards D- and L-glucose. L-Phe-capped Au(111) prefers to adsorb D-glucose, while D-Phe-capped Au(111) prefers to adsorb L-glucose. Considering the three steps in the capped ligand catalysis (adsorption, replacement and reaction), we propose that the ligands play key roles in selectively adsorbing reactants before the subsequent exchange and reaction steps.

A comprehensive understanding of the hydrothermal synthesis of facet-controlled CeO ₂ -based nanomaterials and their facet-dependent performance in catalytic applications.

In recent years, cerium dioxide (CeO₂) has attracted considerable attention owing to its remarkable performance in various applications, including photocatalysis, fuel cells, and catalysis. This study explores the effect of nickel (Ni) doping on the structural, thermal, and chemical properties of CeO₂ nanorods, particularly focusing on oxygen vacancy-related phenomena. Utilizing X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), alterations in crystal structure and peak shifts were observed, indicating successful Ni doping and the formation of Ni₂O₃ at higher doping levels, likely due to non-equilibrium reactions. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed changes in oxygen release mechanisms, with increasing Ni doping resulting in the release of lattice oxygen at lower temperatures. Raman spectroscopy corroborated these findings by identifying characteristic peaks associated with oxygen vacancies, facilitating the assessment of Ni doping levels. Ni-doped CeO₂ can catalyze the ultrasonic degradation of methylene blue, which has good application prospects for catalytic ultrasonic degradation of organic pollutants. Overall, this study underscores the substantial impact of Ni doping on CeO₂ nanorods, shedding light on tailored catalytic applications through the modulation of oxygen vacancies while preserving the nanorod morphology.