Bulk nitrogen doping can efficiently improve the catalytic performance of carbon nanotubes (CNT) in oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODH). The graphitic nitrogen plays a determining role in enhancing their activity by speeding up the activation of oxygen and decreasing the overall activation energy of the reaction.

Catalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxylmethylfurfural (HMF) is a sustainable strategy to produce 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) as a desirable alternative to substitute fossil-based terephthalic, isophthalic and adipic acids for synthesizing biopolymers. However, the reaction mostly depends on noble metal catalysts for the generation of reactive oxygen species to accelerate the oxidation of alcohol groups. Here, we report a facile route to generate a highly active catalyst for the simultaneous production of FDCA via HMF oxidation and high-purity H₂. Co₃O₄ nanowires with a pine needle-like shape were in situ grown on nickel foam (CoNW/NF) and employed as bifunctional catalysts for both the electrooxidation of HMF and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), realizing a high catalytic activity, robust electrochemical durability and nearly 100% faradaic efficiency. Such an inexpensive and monolithic electrode may assist in upgrading biochemicals with a high energy efficiency.

Nitrogen-doped hollow carbon spheres with uniform and tunable morphology can be facilely synthesized by the monodisperse silica-template carbonization followed by hydrofluoric acid etching. The hollow carbon spheres containing 3.2 wt% of nitrogen have a thin wall of 5–12 nm and mesoporous shell structure.

Combustion catalysts have been extensively explored to reduce the emission of hydrocarbons that are capable of triggering photochemical smog and greenhouse effect. Palladium as the most active material is widely applied in exhaust catalytic converter and combustion units, but its high capital cost stimulates the tremendous research on non-noble metal candidates. Here we fabricate highly defective cobalt oxide nanocrystals via a controllable oxidation of carbon-encapsulated cobalt nanoparticles. Strain gradients induced in the nanoconfined carbon shell result in the formation of a large number of active sites featuring a considerable catalytic activity for the combustion of a variety of hydrocarbons (methane, propane and substituted benzenes). For methane combustion, the catalyst displays a unique activity being comparable or even superior to the palladium ones.