Jianfeng Zheng

Propane is a typical volatile organic compound (VOC) in coal chemical processing and petroleum refining. However, coexisting SO₂ significantly impairs its catalytic oxidative removal, potentially causing catalyst poisoning and deactivation. This study systematically elucidated the inhibitory effects of SO₂ on the catalytic oxidation of propane over the Ru@CoMn₂O₄ catalyst system. Under continuous exposure to 30 ppm SO₂, propane conversion plummeted by 30% within two hours. Mechanistic studies revealed that SO₂ selectively bound to high-valent Mn sites rather than preferentially interacting with Co sites, leading to the formation of MnSO₄ particles. These particles were directly corroborated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. After four hours of exposure to SO₂, roughly 11.8 mole percent of manganese in the catalyst was converted into MnSO₄. These deposits physically blocked active sites, reduced specific surface area, and disrupted redox cycling. As a result, their combined effects diminished performance progressively, ultimately leading to complete deactivation. Furthermore, in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) confirmed that SO₂ suppressed C=C bond oxidation in propane intermediates, thereby directly limiting conversion efficiency. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, we characterized SO₂-induced poisoning during propane oxidation. This work provides guidelines and strategies for designing anti-sulfur catalysts at the elemental scale for the catalytic combustion of low-carbon alkanes.

Converting renewable biomass and their derivatives into chemicals and fuels has received much attention to reduce the dependence on fossil resources. Photocatalytic ethanol dehydrogenation–acetalization to prepare value‐added 1,1‐diethoxyethane and H₂ was achieved over non‐precious metal CdS/Ni‐MoS₂ catalyst under visible light. The system displays an excellent production rate and high selectivity of 1,1‐diethoxyethane, 52.1 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ and 99.2 %, respectively. In‐situ electron spin resonance, photoluminescence spectroscopy and transient photocurrent responses were conducted to investigate the mechanism. This study provides a promising strategy for a green application of bioethanol.

Large scale and sustainable solar hydrogen evolution through photocatalytic water splitting requires highly active and stable earth‐abundant co‐catalysts to reduce water to H₂. There are still a series of key challenges existed for the practical application, although many efforts have been made, such as low efficiency, difficult recovery of powder catalyst and so on. In this work, we constructed a film‐like photocatalyst CdS−Ni₃S₂/NF with abundant interfaces or junctions for the first time by integrating the CdS and Ni₃S₂ nanosheets supported on nickel foam (NF). The resultant photocatalyst exhibits a photocatalytic H₂ production rate of 100.50 mmol g_CdS⁻¹ h⁻¹, which is about 6.8 times that for CdS‐2wt%Pt/NF (14.86 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹). And the rate of H₂ evolution can be expressed as 589.86 μmol cm⁻² day⁻¹, which means 132 L H₂ could be generated by using 1 m² CdS−Ni₃S₂/NF photocatalyst under visible light irradiation in 12 h. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributed to the rich interfaces or junctions between CdS and Ni₃S₂ nanosheets, and excellent kinetic of Ni₃S₂ nanosheets for reducing water to H₂. This work provides a new avenue for developing high performance photocatalyst system for practically renewable H₂ energy generation and environmental remediation.

The dehydrogenation and conversion of methanol into 1,1-dimethoxymethane (DMM) was achieved over noble metal free photocatalyst CdS/Ni₂P under visible light.

FeCoMo nanosheets, as a highly efficient, cost-effective and stable electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction, significantly lower the overpotential and cost.

Well-shaped precious metal-free hybrid photocatalysts with low cost and high efficiency of photocatalytic H₂ evolution are of great significance for clean energy. Herein, we report that NiMoS, a non-noble metal co-catalyst used for forming a well-designed one-dimensional (1D) CdS@NiMoS core–shell nanorod photocatalyst system, greatly improves the efficiency and durability for photogeneration of hydrogen in water. The intimate interaction between the CdS nanorod core and the NiMoS thin shell enhances the separation of the photogenerated electron–hole pair, and the large contact surface area improves the utilization efficiency of the photogenerated electrons. Consequently, the optimal loading content of NiMoS is 3 wt% for CdS, giving a photocatalytic H₂ production rate of 185.4 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, which is about 16.55, 5.24 and 3.85 times higher than that of 2 wt% Pt/CdS, 3 wt% CdS@MoS₂ and 3 wt% CdS@NiS, respectively, and the apparent quantum efficiency at 420 nm over CdS@NiMoS reaches 21.82%. This study provides a simple method for constructing high performance and low cost photocatalysts, which enhance photocatalytic H₂ evolution.