The present invention provides amorphous bi-functional catalytic aluminum metallic glass particles having an aluminum metallic glass core and 2 or more transition metals disposed on the surface of the aluminum metallic glass core to form amorphous bi-functional aluminum metallic glass particles with catalytic activity.

A hollow porous carbon nitride nanospheres composite loaded with AgBr nanoparticles, preparation method thereof, and its application in dye degradation are disclosed. Using silica nanosphere with core-shell structure as a template and hydrogen cyanamide as precursor, melting to enter the pores of mesoporous silica, after calcination, the silica template is etched with ammonium bifluoride to obtain hollow porous carbon nitride nanospheres; dispersing hollow porous carbon nitride nanospheres in deionized water, adding silver nitrate and sodium bromide in sequence, and obtaining silver bromide nanoparticles by in-situ ion exchange method, stirring, washing and centrifuging to obtain the hollow porous carbon nitride nanospheres composite. The hollow porous carbon nitride prepared by the template method has good photocatalytic effect on dye degradation after composite with silver bromide; and it has the advantages of easy production of raw materials, good stability, reusability, etc. It has application prospects in the treatment of dyes.

A hierarchical catalyst composition comprising a continuous or particulate macroporous scaffold in which is incorporated mesoporous aggregates of magnetic nanoparticles, wherein an enzyme is embedded in mesopores of the mesoporous aggregates of magnetic nanoparticles. Methods for synthesizing the hierarchical catalyst composition are also described. Also described are processes that use the recoverable hierarchical catalyst composition for depolymerizing lignin remediation of water contaminated with aromatic substances, polymerizing monomers by a free-radical mechanism, epoxidation of alkenes, halogenation of phenols, inhibiting growth and function of microorganisms in a solution, and carbon dioxide conversion to methanol. Further described are methods for increasing the space time yield and/or total turnover number of a liquid-phase chemical reaction that includes magnetic particles to facilitate the chemical reaction, the method comprising subjecting the chemical reaction to a plurality of magnetic fields of selected magnetic strength, relative position in the chemical reaction, and relative motion.

The present invention relates, in part, to methods for depolymerizing a polymer, in which the method includes use of a magnetic catalyst. The magnetic catalyst can include, e.g., a ore-shell particle, such as a particle having a magnetic core and a shell including a metal-organic framework.

The invention concerns a method for the photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide carried out in the liquid phase and/or in the gas phase under irradiation using a photocatalyst comprising a support made from alumina or silica or silica-alumina and nanoparticles of molybdenum sulfide or tungsten sulfide having a band gap greater than 2.3 eV, said method comprising the following steps: a) bringing a feedstock containing carbon dioxide and at least one sacrificial compound into contact with said photocatalyst, b) irradiating the photocatalyst with at least one source of irradiation producing at least one wavelength smaller than the width of the band gap of said photocatalyst so as to reduce the carbon dioxide and oxidise the sacrificial compound in the presence of said photocatalyst activated by said source of irradiation, in such a way as to produce an effluent containing, at least in part, C1 or above carbon-containing molecules, different from CO2.

An electrocatalyst, more specifically an electrocatalyst derived from metal-organic framework is provided. An iron zeolitic imidazolate framework, the process for producing it, a graphite carbon nanocomposite containing it and iron nanoparticles, as well as the process for obtaining said nanocomposite from the iron zeolitic imidazolate framework are disclosed herein. Use of the nanocomposite as a catalyst is also disclosed.

A synthetic methodology for robust, nanostructured films of cobalt oxide over metal evaporated gold or similar material layer of, e.g., 50 nm, directly onto glass or other substrates via aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD). This approach allows film growth rates in the range of, e.g., 0.8 nm/s, using a commercially available precursor, which is 10-fold the rate of electrochemical synthetic routes. Thus, 250 nm thick cobalt oxide films may be generated in only 5 minutes of deposition time. The water oxidation reaction for such films may start at 0.6 V vs Ag/AgCl with current density of 10 mA/cm.sup.2 and is achieved at 0.75 V corresponding to an overpotential of 484 mV. This current density is further increased to 60 mA/cm.sup.2 at 1.5 V (vs Ag/AgCl). Electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) calculations indicate that the synergy between a Au-film, acting as electron sink, and the cobalt oxide film(s), acting as catalytic layer(s), are more pronounced than the surface area effects.

Prussian blue analog derived catalysts having a composition of highly porous transition metal (TM) oxides with nano particle size. Such OER catalysts are synthesized from the PBA, containing cobalt, iron, nickel, copper, manganese, zinc, magnesium etc., as secondary building units (SBUs) coordinated by hexacyano-based ligands. Furthermore, the PBA-derived catalysts may also integrated into a highly graphitized carbon network to further improve the conductivity, mass transport and durability against oxidative corrosion.

Provided is an electrically heated catalytic converter including at least a conductive substrate and an electrode member that is fixed to the substrate, in which a protective film is formed on a surface of at least a portion of the electrode member. In the electrically heated catalytic converter, at least a portion of the protective film is formed of Al.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, a composite material of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and SiO.sub.2, or a composite oxide including Al.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, or a composite material of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and SiO.sub.2 as a major component, the protective film has an amorphous structure or a partially crystalline glass structure having a crystallization rate of 30 vol % or lower with respect to the entire portion of the protective film, and a thickness of the protective film is in a range of 100 nm to 2 m.

Various embodiments disclosed relate to solid catalysts that convert lignocellulosic material to monomer sugars that are suitable for fermentation. The solid catalysts include a transition metal complex attached to a magnetic bead, and can be physically separated from a fermentation mixture and reused several times.