•Synthesis of three-dimensionally ordered macroporous CeO2-ZnO catalysts.•Skeleton of macroporous structure is composed of the ZnO and CeO2 particles.•Catalytic performance is determined by various properties.•The 3DOM (2:1)CeO2-ZnO catalyst exhibits the superior catalytic activity.Three dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) ceria-zinc catalysts were prepared by colloidal crystal templated method. The CeO2-ZnO catalysts possess 3DOM skeleton composed of CeO2 and ZnO nanoparticles with mesoporous of 2–4 nm. By solely modulating Ce/Zn molar ratio, phase compositions, surface elemental states and catalytic performance can be controlled. Compared with 3DOM CeO2 and ZnO, the 3DOM ceria-zinc catalysts exhibit higher catalytic activity, which results from the synergetic interaction between CeO2 and ZnO. The T100 (CO complete conversion temperature) of 3DOM sample is lower than the particle-type one, indicating the advantage of ordered macroporous structure in CO oxidation. The 3DOM(2:1)CeO2-ZnO catalyst shows catalytic stability in three-cycle test with T100 at 260–265 °C.

•Copolymer based N-doped mesoporous carbon (NMC) with high BET surface is developed.•CoO/NMCs hybrid catalysts (CoNMC) show an efficient ORR activity in alkaline media.•The catalytic activities are due to the high surface area and synergetic effect.The nitrogen doped mesoporous carbon (NMC) derived from pyrrole-co-furfural copolymer has been successfully developed by using an SBA-15 template. The as-prepared NMCs possess well-defined mesoporous structures with a narrow pore size distribution, high porosity and large surface area (up to ∼1812 m2 g−1). Using NMC as the supports, a hybrid catalyst of CoO nanoparticles loaded on NMCs (CoNMC) were prepared for the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media. The optimized CoNMC catalyst exhibits efficient catalytic activity with a four-electron reaction pathway and superior stability to the commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst. Furthermore, the high catalytic activity of CoNMC catalysts are mainly attributed to the high surface area and the synergetic effect between the N-doped carbon supports and cobalt oxides.

•The biomimetic alumina was prepared by using broadleaf Liriope leaf as template.•The surface acidity was characterized by the NH3-TPD method.•The relation between the surface acidity and adsorption performance was studied.•Surface acidity determined adsorption performance and selectivity for adsorbent.•The as-prepared alumina showed good adsorption performance toward acid fuchsin.Biomimetic gama-alumina was prepared by using broadleaf Liriope leaf as template. The surface acidity of the sample was measured and the adsorption experiments were carried out. The results indicated that the obtained gama-alumina inherited the morphology and microstructure of leaf template and showed weak surface acidity. Therefore, the as-prepared alumina exhibited good adsorption performance for acid fuchsin, but bad adsorption toward alkaline methyl orange. After acid-modifying, the sample showed strong surface acidity and displayed good adsorption performance toward alkaline methyl orange. These results demonstrated that the surface acidity-alkalinity of alumina determined its adsorption performance and selectivity for organic compounds.