Tieyu Cui

Preparation of yolk–shell FexOy/Pd@mesoporous SiO2 composites with high stability and their application in catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Yolk-shell composites with a movable Fe(x)O(y) core and mesoporous SiO2 (mSiO2) shell, together with Pd nanoparticles uniformly anchoring on the inner surface, were prepared. The structure and composition of as-prepared catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurement and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. They are ideal candidates as nanoreactors for heterogeneous catalysis due to their special structure. The catalytic performance of Fe(x)O(y)/Pd@mSiO2 composites was studied by the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with NaBH4 as a reducing agent. Their reaction rate constant was calculated according to the pseudo-first-order reaction equation. The catalysts could be easily recycled by an external magnetic field due to their superparamagnetic property. Besides good catalytic property, another merit of Fe(x)O(y)/Pd@mSiO2 composites was high stability. We have compared the stability between Fe(x)O(y)/Pd@mSiO2 and Fe3O4@C/Pd composites by ultrasonic treatment and HNO3 solution etching, the stability of the former was much better than the later.

A simple way to prepare Au@polypyrrole/Fe3O4 hollow capsules with high stability and their application in catalytic reduction of methylene blue dye

Metal nanoparticles are promising catalysts for dye degradation in treating wastewater despite the challenges of recycling and stability. In this study, we have introduced a simple way to prepare Au@polypyrrole (PPy)/Fe3O4 catalysts with Au nanoparticles embedded in a PPy/Fe3O4 capsule shell. The PPy/Fe3O4 capsule shell used as a support was constructed in one-step, which not only dramatically simplified the preparation process, but also easily controlled the magnetic properties of the catalysts through adjusting the dosage of FeCl2·4H2O. The component Au nanoparticles could catalyze the reduction of methylene blue dye with NaBH4 as a reducing agent and the reaction rate constant was calculated through the pseudo-first-order reaction equation. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles permitted quick recycling of the catalysts with a magnet due to their room-temperature superparamagnetic properties; therefore, the catalysts exhibited good reusability. In addition to catalytic activity and reusability, stability is also an important property for catalysts. Because both Au and Fe3O4 nanoparticles were wrapped in the PPy shell, compared with precursor polystyrene/Au composites and bare Fe3O4 nanoparticles, the stability of Au@PPy/Fe3O4 hollow capsules was greatly enhanced. Since the current method is simple and flexible to create recyclable catalysts with high stability, it would promote the practicability of metal nanoparticle catalysts in industrial polluted water treatment.

A simple way to prepare Pd/Fe3O4/polypyrrole hollow capsules and their applications in catalysis

Preparation of catalysts with good catalytic activity and high stability, together with magnetic separation property, in a simple way is highly desirable. In this paper, we reported a novel strategy to construct magnetic recyclable hollow capsules with Pd and Fe3O4 nanoparticles embedded in polypyrrole (PPy) shell via only two steps: first, synthesization of Pd nanoparticles, preparation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, and formation of PPy shell were finished in one-step on the surface of polystyrene (PS) nanospheres; then, the PS core was selectively removed by tetrahydrofuran. The Pd/Fe3O4/PPy hollow capsules exhibited good catalytic property in reduction of 4-nitrophenol with NaBH4 as reducing agent, and the reaction rate constants were calculated through pseudo-first-order reaction equation. Due to incorporation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, the catalysts could be quickly separated from the reaction solution by magnet and reused without obvious catalytic loss. Besides catalytic property and reusability, their stability was also examined by HNO3 etching experiment. Compared with bare Pd and Fe3O4 nanoparticles, the stability of both Pd and Fe3O4 nanoparticles in hollow capsules was largely improved owing to the protection of PPy shell. The good catalytic performance, ease of separation, high stability and especially a simple preparation procedure, made Pd/Fe3O4/PPy hollow capsules highly promising candidates for diverse applications.

A simple way to prepare reduced graphene oxide nanosheets/Fe2O3-Pd/N-doped carbon nanosheets and their application in catalysis

The catalysts with Pd and γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles embedded between reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (rGS) and N-doped carbon nanosheets (NCS) were prepared through a two-step method. Firstly, graphene oxide nanosheets (GS)/prussian blue (PB)-Pd/polypyrrole (PPy) composites were synthesized by using pyrrole monomer as reductant, K3Fe(CN)6 and PdCl2 as oxidants in the presence of GS via a redox reaction. Subsequently, the as-obtained GS/PB-Pd/PPy composites were calcinated in N2 atmosphere. During the heat-treatment, carbonization of PPy to NCS, conversion of nonmagnetic PB to magnetic γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles, and reduction of GS to rGS were finished, simultaneously. rGS/Fe2O3-Pd/NCS composites exhibited good catalytic activity toward reduction of 4-nitrophenol. The rate constant k and turnover frequency were calculated and compared with recent reports. Owing to γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles, the rGS/Fe2O3-Pd/NCS composites could be quickly separated by magnet and reused without obvious decrease in activity.

One Step Preparation of Reduced Graphene Oxide/Pd–Fe3O4@Polypyrrole Composites and Their Application in Catalysis

The simple preparation of catalysts with superior catalytic activity and good reusability is highly desirable. Herein, we report a novel strategy to construct reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/Pd-Fe3 O4 @polypyrrole (PPy) catalysts with Pd and Fe3 O4 nanoparticles anchored on a rGO nanosheet surface and wrapped in a PPy shell. The synthesis and assembly of both the Pd and Fe3 O4 nanoparticles, the preparation of the PPy layer, and the reduction of graphene oxide nanosheets were finished in one step. In the system, the PPy layer not only prevented aggregation of Pd and Fe3 O4 nanoparticles, but also generated a synergistic effect with precursor Pd(2+) ions, which led to a high dispersity of as-prepared Pd nanoparticles. Although the procedure was simplified to one step, the catalytic activity and reusability were not sacrificed. In the reduction of 4-nitrophenol, their catalytic performance was better than that in recent reports. Moreover, the catalysts showed good reusability owing to their magnetic properties.

A Simple Method for the Preparation of TiO2 /Ag-AgCl@Polypyrrole Composite and Its Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activity.

A novel and facile method was developed to prepare a visible-light driven TiO2 /Ag-AgCl@polypyrrole (PPy) photocatalyst with Ag-AgCl nanoparticles supported on TiO2 nanofibers and covered by a thin PPy shell. During the synthesis, the PPy shell and Ag-AgCl nanoparticles were prepared simultaneously onto TiO2 nanofibers, which simplified the preparation procedure. In addition, because Ag-AgCl aggregates were fabricated via partly etching the Ag nanoparticles, their size was well controlled at the nanoscale, which was beneficial for improvement of the contact surface area. Compared with reference photocatalysts, the TiO2 /Ag-AgCl@PPy composite exhibited an enhanced photodegradation activity towards rhodamine B under visible-light irradiation. The superior photocatalytic property originated from synergistic effects between TiO2 nanofibers, Ag-AgCl nanoparticles and the PPy shell. Furthermore, the TiO2 /Ag-AgCl@PPy composite could be easily separated and recycled without obvious reduction in activity.

Facile synthesis of ultrasmall TiO2 nanocrystals/porous carbon composites in large quantity and their photocatalytic performance under visible light

In this paper, we demonstrate a facile and scalable route to the preparation of composites containing ultrasmall TiO2 nanocrystals and porous carbon matrix. In this method, the titanium ions are covalently introduced to polymer chains and transformed into TiO2 nanocrystals directly in solid matrices, which allows the generation of well dispersed TiO2 nanocrystals with small size in the entire carbon matrix. To our knowledge, this is the first time that ultrasmall TiO2 nanocrystals are incorporated into a bulk porous carbon matrix. In comparison with pure TiO2 particles, the composites exhibit significant improvement in photocatalytic degradation of methyl blue under visible light irradiation, which might be attributed to the ultrasmall size of TiO2 nanocrystals as well as the high separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes based on the synergistic effect between TiO2 nanocrystals and carbon matrices. Furthermore, the composites could be easily recycled without obvious activity loss.

One-step preparation of magnetic recyclable quinary graphene hydrogels with high catalytic activity

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) displayed overwhelming superiority in catalysis towards the corresponding bulk-phase materials; nevertheless, how to further improve catalytic activity was still an ongoing subject. Herein, we have combined one-step redox reaction and following freeze-dried technology to construct the quinary reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (rGS)/Fe2O3-PdPt/polypyrrole (PPy) hydrogels. Compared with traditional catalysts, their catalytic property was improved via two ways: construction of three-dimensional (3D) rGS hydrogels instead of two-dimensional rGS and synthesis of bimetallic alloys instead of monometallic NPs. The highly dispersed PdPt with diameter as small as 3.2nm uniformly loaded on hydrogel surface. Due to special interconnected and porous structure, the reactants were easily adsorbed in hydrogels and contacted with PdPt alloys. To explain the contributions of bimetallic alloys and 3D rGS structure on enhanced catalytic activity, the catalytic property of quinary hydrogels was compared with reference samples. Besides superior activity, they also displayed good reusability, since hydrogels could be magnetically recycled owing to the existence of Fe2O3 NPs.

Preparation of PdxAuy bimetallic nanostructures with controllable morphologies supported on reduced graphene oxide nanosheets and wrapped in a polypyrrole layer

In this paper, we have introduced a one-step method to prepare PdxAuy bimetallic nanostructures supported on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets and wrapped in a polypyrrole (PPy) layer. By using a pyrrole monomer as a special reducing agent for metal salts, the morphologies of PdxAuy bimetallic nanostructures could be easily turned to be spherical, coral-like and porous cluster-like via simply changing dosage or molar ratio of PdCl2 and HAuCl4·4H2O. The roles of the pyrrole monomer and rGO support in formation of rGO/PdxAuy/PPy composites were investigated in detail. Transmission electron microscopy, elemental mapping analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectra were used to characterize their morphologies, structures and compositions. Compared with corresponding rGO/Pd/PPy and rGO/Au/PPy composites, the as-prepared rGO/PdxAuy/PPy composites displayed enhanced catalytic activity towards the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.

Janus building block-enabled fabrication of dual metal equipped coordination polymers: an ideal precursor for noble metal/metal oxide nanocomposites with excellent catalytic performance

Coordination polymer nanoribbons equipped with dual metal ions are fabricated by using a Janus building block, which combines two parts with distinct characters, a chemically hard group to assemble the host network with Co2+ ions, and a chemically soft unit to subsequently anchor noble ions. By judiciously adjusting the desolvation process, the 1D assembly of the Janus building blocks with Co2+ ions can be readily achieved. The structure analysis and formation mechanism study of the nanoribbons provide important guidance on the design and assembly manipulation of other bifunctional molecules. Furthermore, the dual metal ion equipped nanoribbons can act as ideal precursors for 1D Pd/Co3O4 nanocomposites with excellent catalytic activity, improved durability and magnetic separation ability.