Photocatalytic decomposition of water into H₂ and O₂ on Cu₂O under visible light irradiation is investigated; the photocatalytic water splitting on Cu₂O powder proceeds without any noticeable decrease in the activity for more than 1900 h.

The production of diesel from vegetable oil calls for an efficient solid catalyst to make the process fully ecologically friendly. Here we describe the preparation of such a catalyst from common, inexpensive sugars. This high-performance catalyst, which consists of stable sulphonated amorphous carbon, is recyclable and its activity markedly exceeds that of other solid acid catalysts tested for ‘biodiesel’ production.

Under visible light irradiation (λ = 420–500 nm), a tantalum oxynitride, TaON, functions as a stable and very efficient photocatalyst for oxidation of water into O₂ with a sacrificial electron acceptor (Ag⁺).