A carbon nanotube-supported AuPd bimetallic nanoparticle (AuPd/CNT) nanocomposite modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode was fabricated and its catalytic properties towards dopamine (DA) in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) were studied. AuPd/CNTs were synthesized by the simple chemical reduction of Au and Pd salt precursors with CNTs. Under the optimal detection conditions, the amperometric i–t curve shows a linear response of DA over the range from 0.2 μM to 50 μM with a detection limit of 83 nM (S/N = 3) on AuPd/CNTs–Nafion/GCE. Furthermore, the developed sensor showed excellent anti-interference, reproducibility and stability, and was also proven to be feasible for DA determination in human urine samples, indicating the potential application of this nanocomposite for real sample analysis.

•Porous Ag2S/ZnS composite was fabricated based on different solubility products.•Ag0.4Zn0.8S has the best photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation.•Enhanced activity presumably results from the interfacial charge transfer.Elimination of toxic organic compounds from wastewater is a longstanding challenge in the fields of environmental science, especially, under the visible-light irradiation. Here we present a facile design to fabricate novel porous Ag2S/ZnS composite nanospheres via a hydrothermal procedure followed by a cation exchange method. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and UV–vis spectroscopy were used to characterize the crystallinity, morphology, structure and properties of the composite nanospheres. The photocatalytic performance was evaluated by the photocatalytic decolorization of methyl orange in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. Results show that the composite nanospheres exhibited enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity compared with the initial porous ZnS nanospheres. Among them, sample of Ag0.4Zn0.8S gave the highest degradation rate of about 96% under visible-light irradiation within 15 min. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was presumed to result from the direct photoinduced interfacial charge transfer (IFCT) from the valence band (VB) of ZnS to Ag2S, due to the intimate contact between ZnS and Ag2S, the porous structure, and the appropriate composition ratio of porous Ag2S/ZnS composite. The present method could be extended to fabricate a large number of semiconductor composites for catalysis and solar cells based on the difference of the solubility products.

A simple and time-saving approach for preparing self-cleaning superhydrophobic silica coatings using a dip-coating technique is reported in this study. Commercially available silica particles were modified with methyl groups using methyltrichlorosilane as a modifying agent. By adopting a multi-layer deposition process, a superhydrophobic silica coating with a water contact angle of 153°±2° and roll-off angle of 8°±1° was obtained. The prepared silica coating exhibited excellent self-cleaning performance; moreover, it was able to maintain superhydrophobicity under the impact of a water jet. This method could be an effective strategy for fabricating self-cleaning superhydrophobic surfaces for promising industrial applications.

Here we report, an easy, straightforward and novel way to prepare raspberry-like superhydrophobic silica coatings for self-cleaning applications. The hydrophobic silica particles were obtained by simple condensation of fluoroalkoxysilane (17FTMS) in ethanol at room temperature. These silica particles were embedded into the sol–gel processed silica matrix and deposited on glass plates. On this coating surface, water drops exhibited a contact angle of 152° and rolls off the surface at sliding angle of 10°. This extremely low sliding angle was employed to self-clean the superhydrophobic coating, where dirt particles accumulated on the surface of superhydrophobic coating was efficiently cleaned by quickly sliding water drops. The stability of the microstructure as well as the wetting properties of the coating surface was investigated by scratch resistance and water stream impact test. The superhydrophobic coatings endured against the scratch of applied force of ~150 mN. Such one pot synthesis of raspberry-like superhydrophobic silica coatings may open new avenue in the sublime field of superhydrophobic research.

Oil/water separation is a worldwide challenge and addressing this challenge calls for the development of efficient absorbent materials. Here a superhydrophobic/superoleophilic magnetic polyurethane (PU) sponge was fabricated via the facile dopamine self-polymerization to anchor Fe3O4 nanoparticles onto the skeleton of the PU sponge, followed by the introduction of low-surface-energy hydrophobic molecules heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrodecyltrimethoxysilane (FAS-17) on the sponge surface to induce the superhydrophobic transformation. The magnetic PU sponge displays excellent superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity, and more favorably possesses magnetic responsiveness and superior stability against corrosive solutions; it gave outstanding separation performance under magnetic actuation not only for floating oils on the water surface and heavy organic pollutants under water, but also in the more complex environments such as an acidic solution (pH = 1) and simulated seawater, suggesting great potential in practical oily wastewater treatment. The presented approach provides a facile and easily scalable solution for the design and construction of multifunctional magnetic absorbent materials with low costs for practical applications in the petro-chemical field.

•Glossy, cluster and hollow nanospheres were synthesized in a similar solvothermal procedure.•The morphology could be regulated by the addition of different alkali sources without any additional additives/surfactants involved.•A plausible mechanism based on chelation and local Ostwald ripening is proposed.Three different magnetite nanospheres including glossy nanospheres, cluster nanospheres and hollow nanospheres were prepared in the similar solvothermal procedure. Such a process is very simple and controllable without any template or surfactants involved; only the necessary alkali source for the magnetite synthesis was employed as shape-controlled reagent. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), N2 adsorption–desorption analysis and a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer (SQUID) were used to characterize the composition, morphologies, and properties of these nanospheres. Furthermore, the effects of different types of basic reagents on the morphologies were discussed; the pH value and local Ostwald ripening were presumed to be key factors to determine the three different shapes of Fe3O4 nanospheres.

Fabrication of intrinsically fluorescent porous nanocarriers that are simultaneously stable in aqueous solutions and photostable is critical for their application in drug delivery and optical imaging but remains a challenge. In this study, fluorescent porous zinc sulfide nanospheres were synthesized by a facile gum arabic-assisted hydrothermal procedure. The morphology, composition and properties of the nanospheres have been characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis, fourier transform infrared spectrograph, optical measurement, dynamic light scattering, and cytotoxicity assay. They exhibit larger surface area, excellent colloidal stability, photostable fluorescent signals, and good biocompatibility, which makes them promising hosts for drug delivery and cellular imaging. The fluorescent dye safranine-T was employed as a drug model and loaded into the porous nanospheres, which were delivered to human cervical cancer HeLa cells in vitro for live cell imaging.

La0.75Sr0.25Cr0.5Mn0.5O3−δ (LSCM)-YSZ cathode supported solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs), with the LSM-YSZ|YSZ|LSCM-YSZ configuration, have been prepared and evaluated for high temperature hydrogen generation. Electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) and voltage–current curves were recorded out to characterize the cell performance. EIS results showed that the cell resistance increased as the proportion of steam in the feed supply increased, at open circuit voltage. The hydrogen generation rate calculated from Faraday's law is 561 ml cm−2 h−1 at 850 °C with 80 vol.% absolute humidity (AH) at a 1.6 V electrolysis voltage. Although there is a 8.2% increase of the applied electrolysis voltage, the cell has endured a test lasting more than 103 h with 45 vol.% AH and 0.33 A cm−2 electrolysis current density at 850 °C. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy analysis showed that there is no elemental diffusion between the electrode and electrolyte interface after the durability test. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicate that the slight split between the LSCM-YSZ cathode and the YSZ electrolyte is responsible for the increase of ohmic resistance of the cell; this resistance rise led to the degradation of the cell performance.Highlights► LSCM-YSZ cathode supported SOEC has been prepared and evaluated for hydrogen generation. ► Encouraging theoretical hydrogen generate rate of 561 ml cm−2 h−1 at 850 °C has been achieved. ► The cell has endured a durability test of over 103 h at 850 °C.

Mesoporous zinc sulfide hierarchical nanostructures were prepared in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone aqueous solution via a low-cost, hydrothermal route. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption analysis, and thermal gravimetric analysis were used to characterize the morphology, structure and composition of the products. Results show that the products exhibit a kind of hierarchical structure with mesoporous features which consist of smaller building blocks (ca. 30 nm) assembled together. The effects of a series of reaction parameters on the morphology of ZnS nanostructures have been studied systematically. A plausible mechanism based on coordination nucleation and subsequent Ostwald ripening is proposed. By virtue of the interesting porous structure, a chemical sensor was fabricated. The sensor exhibits attractive gasoline sensing behavior with excellent selectivity and fast response.