The dye wastewater produced in the printing and dyeing industry causes serious harm to the natural environment. TiO₂ usually shows photocatalytic degradation of dye under the irradiation ultravilet light rather than visible light. In this work, a large number of oxygen vacancies and Ti³⁺ defects were generated on the surface of the TiO₂ nanoparticles via Ar plasma. Compared with pristine TiO₂ nanoparticles, the as-obtained Ar plasma-treated TiO₂ (Ar-TiO₂) nanoparticles make the energy band gap reduce from 3.21 eV to 3.17 eV and exhibit enhanced photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes. The Ar-TiO₂ obtained exhibited excellent degradation properties of methyl orange (MO); the degradation rate under sunlight irradiation was 99.6% in 30 min, and the photocatalytic performance was about twice that of the original TiO₂ nanoparticles (49%). The degradation rate under visible light (λ > 400 nm) irradiation was 89% in 150 min, and the photocatalytic performance of the Ar-TiO₂ was approaching ~4 times higher than that of the original TiO₂ nanoparticles (23%). Ar-TiO₂ also showed good degradation performance in degrading rhodamine B (Rho B) and methylene blue (MB). We believe that this plasma strategy provides a new method for improving the photocatalytic activity of other metal oxides.

Cu(II) ions are one of the most common forms of copper present in water and can cause bioaccumulation and toxicity in the human body; therefore, sensitive and selective detection methods are required. Herein, a copper ion sensor based on a UiO-66-NH₂/ZnO composite material is proposed. The UiO-66-NH₂/ZnO nanocomposite was prepared by an ultrasonic mixing method. The morphology and structure of the nanocomposite were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The sensitivity to Cu(II) is 6.46 μA μM⁻¹ and the detection limit is 0.01435 μM. The composite material is rich in –OH and –NH₂ groups, which are active sites for Cu(II) adsorption. The UiO-66-NH₂/ZnO-modified electrode has good repeatability and anti-interference ability. The sensor was successfully used for the determination of Cu(II) in an actual water sample.

Electrocatalysts with strong stability and high electrocatalytic activity have received increasing interest for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) in the cathodes of energy storage and conversion devices, such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. However, there are still several bottleneck problems concerning stability, efficiency, and cost, which prevent the development of ORR catalysts. Herein, we prepared bimetal FeCo alloy nanoparticles wrapped in Nitrogen (N)-doped graphitic carbon, using Co-Fe Prussian blue analogs (Co₃[Fe(CN)₆]₂, Co-Fe PBA) by the microwave-assisted carbon bath method (MW-CBM) as a precursor, followed by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment. This novel preparation strategy not only possessed a fast synthesis rate by MW-CBM, but also caused an increase in defect sites by DBD plasma treatment. It is believed that the co-existence of Fe/Co-N sites, rich active sites, core-shell structure, and FeCo alloys could jointly enhance the catalytic activity of ORRs. The obtained catalyst exhibited a positive half-wave potential of 0.88 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and an onset potential of 0.95 V vs. RHE for ORRs. The catalyst showed a higher selectivity and long-term stability than Pt/C towards ORR in alkaline media.

This review summarizes the recent advances in synthetic applications of silylboronates as silyl radical precursors, discusses the advantages and limitations of each method, and illustrates the synthetic chances still open for further exploration.

The biomimetic nanoparticle with enhanced long circulation and targeting ability is constructed by mesoporous silica coated with the polydopamine layers in biotin modified red blood cell membrane for efficient chemo/photothermal synergistic therapy.

Biowaste-derived heteroatom-doped porous carbons have garnered substantial attention as nonmetal catalysts for electrocatalysis. However, various heteroatom species and/or diverse coordination states within the carbon framework complicate the understanding of their enhanced catalytic activity. This study employs hydroxyl-rich biomass, specifically banana peels, and photovoltaic waste SiCl₄ as precursors to synthesize porous carbon featuring highly uniform C–O–Si bonds. This material facilitates the elucidation of mechanisms underlying the improved oxygen reduction activity of C–O–Si active sites. Due to Si's substantially lower electronegativity (1.90) compared to that of O (3.44), Si atoms exhibit lower electron density and possess Lewis basicity. This characteristic allows Si to function as a novel active site, enhancing the oxygen reduction activity. The resulting Si–BP–Carbon catalyst demonstrates a low half-wave potential of 0.813 V (vs. RHE) and achieves a diffusion-limited current density of 4.69 mA cm⁻², coupled with good tolerance to methanol crossover and high selectivity toward the 4-electron reaction pathway. Density functional theory calculations corroborate that Si atoms can lose electrons in C–O–Si bonds, improving the adsorption of O₂ and *OOH intermediates. The abundance of C–O–Si bonds makes Si–BP–Carbon highly suitable as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries due to its enhanced capacity for lithium-ion (Li⁺) adsorption facilitated by Si heteroatoms.