The disclosure relates to a method for making a photocatalytic structure, the method comprising: providing a carbon nanotube structure comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes intersected with each other; a plurality of openings being defined by the plurality of carbon nanotubes; forming a photocatalytic active layer on the surface of the carbon nanotube structure; applying a metal layer pre-form on the surface of the photocatalytic active layer; and annealing the metal layer pre-form.

The disclosure relates to a method for making a photocatalytic structure, the method comprising: providing a carbon nanotube structure comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes intersected with each other; a plurality of openings being defined by the plurality of carbon nanotubes; forming a photocatalytic active layer on the surface of the carbon nanotube structure; applying a metal layer pre-form on the surface of the photocatalytic active layer; and annealing the metal layer pre-form.

Systems and methods of synthesizing nanoparticles on substrates using rapid, high temperature thermal shock. A method involves depositing micro-sized particles or salt precursors on a substrate, and applying a rapid, high temperature thermal shock to the micro-sized particles or the salt precursors to become nanoparticles on the substrate. A system may include a rotatable member that receives a roll of a substrate sheet having micro-sized particles or salt precursors; a motor that rotates the rotatable member so as to unroll the substrate; and a thermal energy source that applies a short, high temperature thermal shock to the substrate. The nanoparticles may be metallic, ceramic, inorganic, semiconductor, or compound nanoparticles. The substrate may be a carbon-based substrate, a conducting substrate, or a non-conducting substrate. The high temperature thermal shock process may be enabled by electrical Joule heating, microwave heating, thermal radiative heating, plasma heating, or laser heating.

The present invention relates to improvements in known gold containing catalysts. In particular, the present invention relates to improving the stability and/or inhibition of deactivation of gold containing catalysts via the addition of an inorganic oxide, hydroxide, oxo-salt or oxo-acid. There is also disclosed a method for preparing said catalyst most suitably via an impregnation method. Such catalysts are useful in the production of vinyl chloride monomer.

A solution and method of creating such for producing silicon nanowires or silicon nano-plates. The solution comprising distilled water, Potassium Hydroxide (KOH), at least one catalyst, Sodium Methyl Siliconate (CH.sub.5NaO.sub.3Si), Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA), which act as a first chelating agent, Sodium Diethyldithiocarbamate (C.sub.5H.sub.10NS.sub.2Na), which acts as a second chelating agent, and Dimethylacrylic Acid, which acts as a buffer that is able to regulate the amount of silicon nanowires or plates formed and to prevent agglomeration. The concentration of the Sodium Diethyldithiocarbamate in the solution is greater than concentration of the EDTA in the solution for forming a plurality of thick and short nanowires, and the concentration of the Sodium Diethyldithiocarbamate in the solution is less than the concentration of the EDTA in the solution for forming a plurality of thin and long nanowires.

A solution and method of creating such for producing silicon nanowires or silicon nano-plates. The solution comprising distilled water, Potassium Hydroxide (KOH), at least one catalyst, Sodium Methyl Siliconate (CH.sub.5NaO.sub.3Si), Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA), which act as a first chelating agent, Sodium Diethyldithiocarbamate (C.sub.5H.sub.10NS.sub.2Na), which acts as a second chelating agent, and Dimethylacrylic Acid, which acts as a buffer that is able to regulate the amount of silicon nanowires or plates formed and to prevent agglomeration. The concentration of the Sodium Diethyldithiocarbamate in the solution is greater than concentration of the EDTA in the solution for forming a plurality of thick and short nanowires, and the concentration of the Sodium Diethyldithiocarbamate in the solution is less than the concentration of the EDTA in the solution for forming a plurality of thin and long nanowires.

The present disclosure relates to a strategy to synthesize antimony- and zinc-doped tin oxide particles with tunable band gap characteristics. The methods yield stable and monodispersed particles with great control on uniformity of shape and size. The methods produce undoped and antimony and zinc-doped tin oxide stand-alone and core-shell particles, both nanoparticles and microparticles, as well as antimony and zinc-doped tin oxide shells for coating particles, including plasmonic core particles.

The present disclosure relates to a strategy to synthesize antimony- and zinc-doped tin oxide particles with tunable band gap characteristics. The methods yield stable and monodispersed particles with great control on uniformity of shape and size. The methods produce undoped and antimony and zinc-doped tin oxide stand-alone and core-shell particles, both nanoparticles and microparticles, as well as antimony and zinc-doped tin oxide shells for coating particles, including plasmonic core particles.

Disclosed herein is a multi-layered composite thin film material formed from graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and metal nanocrystals in a layer-by-layer design, wherein the metal nanocrystals can be selected from the group consisting of Ru, Rh, Os, Ir, Pd, Au, Ag and Pt. In a preferred embodiment, the multi-layered composite thin film material is prepared via a facile, green, and easily accessible layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly strategy. In this strategy, positively charged GOQDs and negatively charged metal nanocrystals are alternately and uniformly integrated with each other in a “face-to-face” stacked fashion under substantial electrostatic attractive interaction, and then the obtained GOQDs/metal composite thin film is calcined into GQDs/metal composite thin film. The composite thin film material disclosed herein may be used to catalyse a wide range or reactions, including selective reduction of aromatic nitro compounds in water and electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol at ambient conditions.

Disclosed herein is a multi-layered composite thin film material formed from graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and metal nanocrystals in a layer-by-layer design, wherein the metal nanocrystals can be selected from the group consisting of Ru, Rh, Os, Ir, Pd, Au, Ag and Pt. In a preferred embodiment, the multi-layered composite thin film material is prepared via a facile, green, and easily accessible layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly strategy. In this strategy, positively charged GOQDs and negatively charged metal nanocrystals are alternately and uniformly integrated with each other in a “face-to-face” stacked fashion under substantial electrostatic attractive interaction, and then the obtained GOQDs/metal composite thin film is calcined into GQDs/metal composite thin film. The composite thin film material disclosed herein may be used to catalyse a wide range or reactions, including selective reduction of aromatic nitro compounds in water and electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol at ambient conditions.