The conversion of biomass into valuable chemicals has promise for application in biorefineries. Light-driven photoredox catalysis, with the typical features of green route and operation under mild conditions, is considered a promising strategy for renewable biomass or biomass-derived intermediates conversion into high-value-added chemical feedstocks. In this review, we strongly emphasize the recent advances in photocatalytic valorization of lignin model compounds and biomass-derived alcohols. We briefly summarize the advances in photocatalytic cleavage of the β-O-4 bond or C–C bond into usable chemicals in the lignin model. On the other hand, we clarify not only the hybrid system for cooperative biomass-relevant alcohols oxidation and hydrogen (H₂) evolution but also the tunable accessibility to variation of the target products from the same alcohol reactant by catalyst design and optimization of reaction conditions. It is hoped that this review will inspire the rational design of photoredox catalysis-based systems toward efficient biomass-derived platform molecules valorization to obtain target-oriented valuable products.

Propane oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) is an energy-efficient approach to produce propylene. However, ODH suffers from low propylene selectivity due to a relatively higher activation barrier for propylene formation compared with that for further oxidation. In this work, calculations based on density functional theory were performed to map out the reaction pathways of propane ODH on the surfaces (001) and (010) of nickel oxide hydroxide (NiOOH). Results show that propane is physisorbed on both surfaces and produces propylene through a two-step radical dehydrogenation process. The relatively low activation barriers of propane dehydrogenation on the NiOOH surfaces make the NiOOH-based catalysts promising for propane ODH. By contrast, the weak interaction between the allylic radical and the surface leads to a high activation barrier for further propylene oxidation. These results suggest that the catalysts based on NiOOH can be active and selective for the ODH of propane toward propylene.

Visible-light-driven CO₂ photoreduction to achieve renewable materials, such as syngas, hydrocarbons, and alcohols, is a key process that could relieve environmental problems and the energy crisis simultaneously. Reduction of syngas products with different H₂:CO proportions is highly expected to produce high value-added chemicals in the industry. However, the development of technologies employing long-wavelength irradiation to achieve CO₂ photoreduction and simultaneous tuning of the resultant H₂:CO proportion remains a challenging endeavor. In this work, we carried out interfacial engineering by designing a series of heterostructured layered double-hydroxide/MoS₂ nanocomposites via electrostatic self-assembly. The syngas proportion (H₂:CO) obtained from CO₂ photoreduction could be modulated from 1:1 to 9:1 by visible-light irradiation (λ > 400 nm) under the control of the interface-rich heterostructures. This work provides a cost-effective strategy for solar-to-fuel conversion in an artificial photosynthetic system and describes a novel route to produce syngas with targeted proportions.

γ-Al₂O₃ was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis using ρ-Al₂O₃ and urea as raw materials. In this work, the effects of the molar ratio of CO(NH₂)₂/Al and reaction temperature were investigated, and a Pt–Sn–K/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst was prepared. The ammonium aluminum carbonate hydroxide (AACH), γ-Al₂O₃, and Pt–Sn–K/γ-Al₂O₃ were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N₂ adsorption–desorption, thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis, and NH₃ temperature-programmed desorption techniques. The reactivity of Pt–Sn–K/γ-Al₂O₃ for propane dehydrogenation was tested in a micro-fixed-bed reactor. The results show that γ-Al₂O₃ with a specific surface area of 358.1 m²/g and pore volume of 0.96 cm³/g was obtained when the molar ratio of CO(NH₂)₂/Al was 3:1 and the reaction temperature was 140 °C. The alumina obtained by calcination of AACH has a higher specific surface area and larger pore volume than the industrial pseudo-boehmite does. The catalyst prepared from AACH as precursor showed high selectivity and conversion, which can reach 96.1% and 37.6%, respectively, for propane dehydrogenation.

FeO _x electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction were prepared via one-step synthesis using electron impact with cold plasma as the electron source. Given the low operation temperature, FeO _x by plasma technology showed a smaller particle size than that prepared via conventional calcination. Notably, electron impact produced more oxygen vacancies and a larger surface area on FeO _x, which increased active sites and electronic conductivity, than plasma. Electrochemical investigations indicated that FeO _x prepared by plasma exhibited remarkable oxygen reduction reaction activity toward the four-electron electrochemical reduction of oxygen. The results demonstrated that this facile fabrication method is a promising route for developing cost-effective and high-performance catalysts to be used in electrochemical applications.

Anisotropic MnO₂ nanostructures, including α-phase nanowire, α-phase nanorod, δ-phase nanosheet, α + δ-phase nanowire, and amorphous floccule, were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method through adjusting the pH of the precursor solution and using different counterions. The catalytic properties of the as-synthesized MnO₂ nanomaterials in the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BA) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) were evaluated. The effects of micromorphology, phase structure, and redox state on the catalytic activity of MnO₂ nanomaterials were investigated. The results showed that the intrinsic catalytic oxidation activity was mainly influenced by the unique anisotropic structure and surface chemical property of MnO₂. With one-dimensional and 2D structures exposing highly active surfaces, unique crystal forms, and high oxidation state of Mn, the intrinsic activities for MnO₂ catalysts synthesized in pH 1, 5, and 10 solutions (denoted as MnO₂-pH1, MnO₂-pH5, and MnO₂-pH10, respectively) were twice higher than those of other MnO₂ catalysts in oxidation of BA and HMF. With a moderate aspect ratio, the α + δ nanowire of MnO₂-pH10 exhibited the highest average oxidation state, most abundant active sites, and the best catalytic oxidation activity.

Supercapacitors, or electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), are the new generation of energy storage devices to store electrical charges and provide high power densities and long cyclic life compared to other storage devices. EDLC mainly consists of activated carbon electrodes and an electrolyte, and the performance of EDLC depends on the activated carbon electrodes. In this work, the structural changes of activated carbon electrodes are analyzed using commercial 2.7 V/9500F EDLCs in its manufacturing process. It is found that there is no significant change in morphology and crystal structure of the activated carbon, but its specific surface area (SSA) reduced greatly. The SSA of activated carbon was decreased by 23% after they were manufactured or converted into electrodes and finally retained only 40% of SSA after the capacitance test. Besides, the SSA of the positive electrodes was found to decrease critically than that of the negative electrodes. The SSA of the external positive electrodes is only 14.3% after floating test at 65 °C.

As a thermosetting resin with excellent properties, epoxy resin is used in many areas such as electronics, transportation, aerospace, and other fields. However, its relatively low thermal conductivity limits its wide application in more demanding fields. Here, a three-dimensional carbon (3DC) network was prepared through NaCl template-assisted in situ chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and used to reinforce epoxy resin for enhancing its thermal conductivity. The 3DC was prepared with a molar ratio of sodium atom to carbon atom of 100:20, and argon atmosphere in CVD led to an optimal improvement in the thermal conductivity of epoxy resin. The thermal conductivity of epoxy resin increased by 18% when the filling content was 3 wt.% of 3DC network because of the high contact area, uniform dispersion, and enhanced formation of conductive paths with epoxy resin. As the amount of 3DC addition increases, the thermal conductivity of composites also increases. As an innovative exploration, the work presented in this paper is of great significance for the thermal conductivity application of epoxy resin in the future.