Fe-based oxides are considered as promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities, low cost, natural abundance and environmental friendliness. However, their severe volume expansion upon cycling and poor conductivity limit their cycling stability and rate capability. To address this issue, a hybrid of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles encapsulated at the endpoints of nitrogen-doped CNTs (Fe₂O₃@NCNTs) is designed and prepared using a metal-catalyzed graphitization–nitridization driven tip-growth process and subsequent oxidation in air. When evaluated as an anode material for LIBs, this Fe₂O₃@NCNT hybrid exhibits a high capacity of 1145 mA h g⁻¹ at 100 mA g⁻¹, excellent rate capability of 907 mA h g⁻¹ at 5.0 A g⁻¹ and remarkable cycling stability of 856 mA h g⁻¹ after 800 cycles at 1 A g⁻¹, which are much superior to those of the Fe₂O₃/carbon black (CB) control material. The outstanding electrochemical performance benefits from the unique nanoarchitecture of Fe₂O₃@NCNTs, which provides a porous conductive matrix for effective electron–ion transport, and provides space confining carbon nanocaps as well as stress buffer nanocavities for robust structural stability during the lithiation/delithiation process. The results may pave the way for the rational structural design of high-performance metal oxide-based anode materials for next-generation LIBs.

The nitrogen-doped carbon nanoribbons and nanotubes confining Co₃O₄ nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized and served as high-performance anodes for high power LIBs.

The first example of wholly inorganic ruthenium-containing polyoxomolybdate Cs₃Na₆H[Mo^VI₁₄Ru^IV₂O₅₀(OH)₂]·24H₂O (1) was isolated and systematically characterized by element analysis, infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 is composed of an unprecedented {Mo₁₄}-type isopolymolybdate with a di-ruthenium core precisely encapsulated in its center, exhibiting a three-tiered ladder-like structure. The title compound can act as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst in the transformation of 1-phenylethanol to acetophenone. This catalyst is also capable of being recycled and reused for at least ten cycles with its activity being retained under the optimal conditions.

Two sandwich-type polyoxomolybdates Na₈[MO₂{Mo₂O₅(O₃PCH₃C(O)PO₃)}₂] (M = Ni²⁺ (1); Co²⁺ (2)) were synthesized by one-pot reaction of Na₂HPMo₁₂O₄₀·14H₂O, 1-hydroxy ethidene diphosphonic acid (HEDP=HOC(CH₃)(PO₃H₂)₂), and (1) NiCl₂/CoCl₂ (2). Compounds 1 and 2 were characterized by single crystal X-ray analysis, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), IR spectroscopy, ³¹P NMR spectra, UV-vis spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). Structural analysis reveals that 1 and 2 exhibit similar centrosymmetric structure, which consists of one transition metal (TM) ion sandwiched by two same subunits {Mo₂O₅(O₃PCH₃C(O)PO₃)}. The clusters 1 and 2 show efficient catalytic activities for oxidation of thioanisole. Moreover, they are catalytically selective for oxidizing thioanisole. Both resuable polyoxomolybdates 1 and 2 catalysts show good thermo- and hydrolytic stability. It is noted that compound 1 shows outstanding catalytic activity for oxidation of various sulfides to corresponding sulfones with 93–100% selectivity at 97–100% conversion in one hour under mild conditions, which is potentially valuable to the removal of organic sulfides.