The present invention relates to a photocatalyst composition having visible light activity for hydrogen production through water splitting. More particularly, the present invention discloses a photocatalyst composition comprising a zinc oxide nanoparticles and a conjugated organic moiety selected from the group consisting of oligothiophenes, azo dyes, and perylenes.

Provided is a method of preparing an intermetallic catalyst which includes applying ultrasonic wave to a precursor mixture solution including a noble metal precursor, a transition metal precursor, and a carbon support having an average pore size of about 6 nm to about 15 nm and a specific surface area of about 200 m.sup.2/g to about 2000 m.sup.2/g to form alloy particles in pores of the carbon support, and annealing the alloy particles in the pores of the carbon support to form intermetallic alloy particles.

A method for dehydrocoupling silanes and amines. The method comprises contacting: (a) an aliphatic amine; (b) a silane; and (c) a catalyst which is ZnX.sub.2, wherein X is alkyl, chloride, bromide, iodide, trifluoromethanesulfonate, bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonamide, tosylate, methanesulfonate or O.sub.3S(CF.sub.2).sub.xCF.sub.3 wherein x is an integer from 1 to 10.

Disclosed are a chemochromic nanoparticle, a method for manufacturing the chemochromic nanoparticle, and a hydrogen sensor comprising the chemochromic nanoparticle. In particular, the chemochromic nanoparticle has a core-shell structure such that the chemochromic nanoparticle and comprises a core comprising a hydrated or non-hydrated transition metal oxide; and a shell comprising a transition metal catalyst.

Disclosed are a chemochromic nanoparticle, a method for manufacturing the chemochromic nanoparticle, and a hydrogen sensor comprising the chemochromic nanoparticle. In particular, the chemochromic nanoparticle has a core-shell structure such that the chemochromic nanoparticle and comprises a core comprising a hydrated or non-hydrated transition metal oxide; and a shell comprising a transition metal catalyst.

Methods for preparing a catalyst system, include providing a catalytic substrate comprising a catalyst support having a surface with a plurality of metal catalytic nanoparticles bound thereto and physically mixing and/or electrostatically combining the catalytic substrate with a plurality of oxide coating nanoparticles to provide a coating of oxide coating nanoparticles on the surface of the catalytic nanoparticles. The metal catalytic nanoparticles can be one or more of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum, rhenium, copper, silver, and gold. Physically combining can include combining via ball milling, blending, acoustic mixing, or theta composition, and the oxide coating nanoparticles can include one or more oxides of aluminum, cerium, zirconium, titanium, silicon, magnesium, zinc, barium, lanthanum, iron, strontium, and calcium. The catalyst support can include one or more oxides of aluminum, cerium, zirconium, titanium, silicon, magnesium, zinc, barium, iron, strontium, and calcium.

An efficient photocatalyst nanocomposite comprising reduced graphene oxide, noble metal, and a metal oxide prepared by a one-step method that utilizes date seed extract as a reducing and nanoparticle determining size agent. The photocatalyst of the invention is a more effective sunlight photocatalyst than that prepared by traditional method in the photo decomposition of organic compounds in contaminated water.

A process for preparing a catalyst material, said catalyst material comprising a support material, a first metal and one or more second metals, wherein the first metal and the second metal(s) are alloyed and wherein the first metal is a platinum group metal and the second metal(s) is selected from the group of transition metals and tin provided the second metal(s) is different to the first metal is disclosed. The process comprises depositing a silicon oxide before or after deposition of the second metal(s), alloying the first and second metals and subsequently removing silicon oxide. A catalyst material prepared by this process is also disclosed.

Provided are a high-performance desulfurizing agent for gases and a gas desulfurization method that provide a high desulfurization performance even at low temperatures and can maintain its desulfurization performance for a long period of time. The desulfurizing agent is characterized in that it includes a zinc oxide, an aluminum oxide and copper, the agent further including nickel by from 1.0 mass % to 10 mass % and ruthenium by from 0.1 mass % to 1.0 mass %. The gas desulfurization method is characterized in that the desulfurizing agent is brought into contact with the gas in the coexistent of hydrogen, thus decomposing/removing sulfur compound contained in the gas.

A method for producing a hydrofluoroolefin is provided. The formation of by-products of an over-reduced product having hydrogen added to a material chlorofluoroolefin and an over-reduced product having not only chlorine atoms but also fluorine atoms in the chlorofluoroolefin replaced with hydrogen atoms is suppressed in the method. The method includes reacting a specific chlorofluoroolefin with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst supported on a carrier to obtain the hydrofluoroolefin. The catalyst is a catalyst composed of an alloy containing at least one platinum group element of palladium and platinum, and at least one second element of copper, gold, lithium, potassium, silver, zinc, tin, lead, and bismuth.