Disclosed is a method for preparing a carbon-supported metal oxide and/or alloy nanoparticle catalyst. According to the method, a carbon-supported metal oxide and/or alloy nanoparticle catalyst is prepared by depositing metal oxide and/or alloy nanoparticles on a water-soluble support and dissolving the metal oxide and/or alloy nanoparticles deposited on the water-soluble support in an anhydrous polar solvent containing carbon dispersed therein to support the metal oxide and/or alloy nanoparticles on the carbon. The anhydrous polar solvent has much lower solubility for the water-soluble support than water and is used to dissolve the water-soluble support. The use of the anhydrous polar solvent instead of water can prevent the water-soluble support present at a low concentration in the solution from impeding the support of the nanoparticles on the carbon, thus providing a solution to the problems of environmental pollution, high cost, and complexity encountered in conventional chemical and physical synthetic methods.

The nanocomposites that include CuO/Cu.sub.2O are described. The nanocomposites can utilized as a photocatalyst and can be incorporated into photoelectrochemical devices. The described devices, systems, and methods can be used for converting CO.sub.2 into one or more alcohols with the use of solar energy and electricity.

A polymer-catalyst assembly includes polarized polymeric nanofibers retaining a plurality of catalytic metallic nanoparticles. A method of making the polarized polymer-catalyst assembly may include providing a fiber mat having polymeric nanofibers retaining a plurality of catalytic metallic nanoparticles, stretching the fiber mat in a uniaxial direction, simultaneous with the step of stretching, thermally heating the fiber mat, simultaneous with the steps of stretching and thermally heating, subjecting the fiber mat to an electric field, whereby the simultaneous steps of stretching, thermally heating, and subjecting thereby form a polarized fiber mat.

The present invention discloses a core-shell structure supported tungsten composite catalyst and a preparation method and use thereof. Most of the existing synthesis methods of the main ring of quinolone drugs have the defects of many synthesis steps, cumbersome operation, large amount of three wastes, higher costs and the like. The present invention prepares a magnetic separable core-shell supported tungsten composite catalyst, WO.sub.3/SiO.sub.2/Fe.sub.3O.sub.4, by preparing Fe.sub.3O.sub.4 colloid and SiO.sub.2/Fe.sub.3O.sub.4 composite nano-particles. This magnetic separable core-shell supported tungsten composite catalyst, WO.sub.3/SiO.sub.2/Fe.sub.3O.sub.4, is used to catalyze and synthesize quinolone compounds. The present invention provides an efficient preparation method of quinolone compounds using a catalyst which can be recovered by magnetic separation and recycled. The catalyst prepared by the present invention can be reused in the preparation of quinolone compounds and still retains the original activity without deactivation, which not only greatly improves the production efficiency, but also reduces the environmental pollution.

A water treatment system with a photocatalytic nanocomposite sheet, an adsorbent layer, and a fibrous filter, wherein the photocatalytic nanocomposite sheet comprises polymethylmethacrylate and silver phosphate, the adsorbent layer comprises plasma activated carbon nanotubes, and the fibrous filter is a composite of polymethylmethacrylate, polyvinylidene fluoride, and polyvinylpyrrolidone polymer fibers, with carbon nanotubes that are dispersed within the polymer fibers and silver nanoparticles that are deposited on the polymer fibers. Various embodiments of the water treatment system and methods of fabricating the photocatalytic nanocomposite sheet, the adsorbent layer, and the fibrous filter are also provided.

A method of and apparatus for optimizing a hydrogen producing system is provided. The method of optimizing the hydrogen producing system comprises producing hydrogen gas using a hydrogen producing formulation and removing a chemical substance that reduces the hydrogen gas producing efficiency. Further, the hydrogen producing system comprises a hydrogen producing catalyst, a hydrogen generating voltage applied to the hydrogen producing catalyst to generate hydrogen gas, and a catalyst regenerating device to regenerate the hydrogen producing catalyst to a chemical state capable of generating the hydrogen gas when a hydrogen generating voltage is applied.

A nano-nickel catalyst and a hydrogenation device of carbon oxides are provided. The hydrogenation device is configured to reduce the carbon oxides to form low carbon hydrocarbons. The nano-nickel catalyst has a metallic nickel body and a plurality of microstructures connecting with at least one surface of the metallic nickel body. The microstructures are sharp, and have a length-diameter ratio ranging from 2 to 5.

A method of transferring a single metal atom from a first location to a second location on the surface of a metal oxide is disclosed. The method includes obtaining a material having a first metal atom deposited on a first oxygen atom vacancy of the metal oxide and transferring the first metal atom of the metal on the first oxygen atom vacancy to a second location on the metal oxide by applying a voltage to the first metal atom. The second location can be a second metal atom on a second oxygen atom vacancy of the metal oxide, where the first and second metal atoms form a first metal atom-second metal atom species, or a metal atom of the metal oxide, where the first metal atom and the metal atom of the metal oxide forms a first metal atom-metal atom of the metal oxide species.

A reactor system for dehydrogenation of alkanes in a given temperature range upon bringing a reactant stream including alkanes into contact with a catalytic mixture. The reactor system includes a reactor unit arranged to accommodate the catalytic mixture, where the catalytic mixture includes catalyst particles and a ferromagnetic material. The catalyst particles are arranged to catalyze the dehydrogenation of alkanes. The ferromagnetic material is ferromagnetic at least at temperatures up to an upper limit of the given temperature range. The reactor system moreover includes an induction coil arranged to be powered by a power source supplying alternating current and being positioned so as to generate an alternating magnetic field within the reactor unit upon energization by the power source, whereby the catalytic mixture is heated to a temperature within the temperature range by means of the alternating magnetic field. Also, a catalytic mixture and a method of dehydrogenating alkanes.

A catalytically active material is provided. The material includes a mixed oxide having a first metal selected from group 4 of the periodic table of elements and/or a second metal, and at least one further metal selected from group 11 of the periodic table of elements, wherein the macroscopic composition of the material given by the chemical formula corresponds to the composition of the material at a molecular level. A coating made of such a material is also provide, as is an article having such a coating, and a method for producing such a material.