N-Doped Graphene Derived from Biomass as a Visible-Light Photocatalyst for Hydrogen Generation from Water/Methanol Mixtures

Facilely Fabricating Multifunctional N-Enriched Carbon

A new synthetic strategy, named "carbonization in limited space" and based on the specific interaction between eutectic salt and dual-ionic liquids (dual-ILs), is reported in this article. N-Containing dual-ILs (1,4-diethyl-1,4-diazaniabicyclo[2,2,2]octane imidazolide-4,5-dicyanoiazolide, [2C2DABCO](2+)[Im](-)[CN-Im](-)) were synthesized as new carbon-nitrogen precursors, while eutectic salt was chosen as a reuseable template in order to facilely fabricate the N-doped porous carbon with sheetlike morphology. Nitrogen can be directly and efficiently incorporated into the porous carbon, resulting in the materials with suitable N content, tunable pore structure, and controllable thickness of sheet as well as high surface area. They exhibited good performance as electrodes for supercapacitors, photocatalysts in degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light, and the sorbent to capture tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs) in solution, offering a new simplified but effective method to prepare versatile carbon material.

Valorization of coffee bean waste: a coffee bean waste derived multifunctional catalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen production and electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reactions

The valorization of coffee bean waste (CBW) by producing nitrogen doped porous carbon with photocatalytic and electrocatalytic properties using a silica templating method.

Preparation of CoNC catalysts via heating a mixture of cobaltporphyrin and casein for ethylbenzene oxidation

Biomass-derived cobalt-coordinated N-doped carbon (CoNC) for C–H bond oxidation is synthesized by a facile procedure based on pyrolysis of cobaltporphyrin with natural, amino acid-rich biomass casein as a supplementary nitrogen source.

Ultrafine N-doped carbon nanoparticles with controllable size to enhance electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction

The ORR electrocatalytic activity of ultrafine nanoparticles prepared from carbonization ofSterculia scaphigerais significantly improved through a simple hydrothermal treatment.

Metal-free carbonaceous electrocatalysts and photocatalysts for water splitting

This tutorial review focuses on the recent progress in the development of metal-free carbonaceous electrocatalysts and photocatalysts for hydrogen and/or oxygen evolution from water.

Copper nanoparticles supported on graphene as an efficient catalyst for A3coupling of benzaldehydes

Cu nanoparticles (NPs) supported on graphene (G) obtained by pyrolysis of alginate is a highly active catalyst for the A₃coupling of aldehydes, secondary amines and terminal acetylenes.

Synthesis and photochemical applications of processable polymers enclosing photoluminescent carbon quantum dots

Herein, we propose convenient routes to produce hybrid-polymers that covalently enclosed, or confined, N-doped carbon quantum dots (CQDs). We focus our attention on polyamide, polyurea-urethane, polyester, and polymethylmetacrylate polymers, some of the most common resources used to create everyday materials. These hybrid materials can be easily prepared and processed to obtain macroscopic objects of different shapes, i.e., fibers, transparent sheets, and bulky forms, where the characteristic luminescence properties of the native N-doped CQDs are preserved. More importantly we explore the potential use of these hybrid composites to achieve photochemical reactions as those of photoreduction of silver ions to silver nanoparticles (under UV-light), the selective photo-oxidation of benzylalcohol to the benzaldehyde (under vis-light), and the photocatalytic generation of H2 (under UV-light).

p-n Heterojunction of doped graphene films obtained by pyrolysis of biomass precursors

Nitrogen-doped graphene [(N)G] obtained by pyrolysis at 900 °C of nanometric chitosan films exhibits a Hall effect characteristic of n-type semiconductors. In contrast, boron-doped graphene [(B)G] obtained by pyrolysis of borate ester of alginate behaves as a p-type semiconductor based also on the Hall effect. A p-n heterojunction of (B)G-(N)G films is built by stepwise coating of a quartz plate using a mask. The heterojunction is created by the partial overlapping of the (B)G-(N)G films. Upon irradiation with a xenon lamp of aqueous solutions of H(2) PtCl(6) and MnCl(2) in contact with the heterojunction, preferential electron migration from (B)G to (N)G with preferential location of positive holes on (B)G is established by observation in scanning electron microscopy of the formation of Pt nanoparticles (NP) on (N)G and MnO(2) NP on (B)G. The benefits of the heterojunction with respect to the devices having one individual component as a consequence of the electron migration through the p-n heterojunction are illustrated by measuring the photocurrent in the (B)G-(N)G heterojunction (180% current enhancement with respect to the dark current) and compared it to the photocurrent of the individual (B)G (15% enhancement) and (N)G (55% enhancement) components.

A perfectly aligned 63helical tubular cuprous bromide single crystal for selective photo-catalysis, luminescence and sensing of nitro-explosives

A perfectly aligned 6₃helical tubular cuprous bromide single crystal stabilized by organic template cations has been synthesized, which could be a multifunctional material for highly selective degradation, luminescence and sensing of nitro-explosives at the ppm level.

Graphene-based catalysis for biomass conversion

This perspective summarizes the advances and challenges of graphene-based materials in the conversion of biomass into chemicals and biofuels.