Photonic crystal sensing is an emerging technique that directly indicates the physicochemical changes with the change of structural color. However, there are still challenges in material synthesis, ease of use, and reproducibility of detection for traditional photonic crystal (PC) sensors. Here, a phenylboronic-acid functionalized SiO₂ liquid photonic crystal (PBA-LPC) reagent was developed for reliable detection of glucose concentration. It is convenient to prepare/use the LPC reagent because people only need to mix the responsive substance or the analyte solution with the LPCs in synthesis/detection. The sensing was based on the mechanism that the mixing of PBA-LPC reagent with glucose could release H⁺ cations from PBA, which inhibited the deprotonation of the silanol group, weakened the particle surface charge, and blue-shifted the reflection of LPC. The PBA-LPC reagents responded to the glucose in different concentration ranges depending on the dosage of PBA, which ensured both a broad range detection and an accurate detection within a specific range. Meanwhile, it reported reproducible results due to the precise introduction of PBA and its sufficient interaction with glucose. Furthermore, the PBA-LPC reagent showed a selective response to glucose and good anti-interference capability against the presence of NaCl, CaSO₄, KH₂PO₄, and Vitamin C. Due to these properties, the PBA-LPC reagent could serve as a new material for blood sugar tests and it also demonstrated the great potential of LPCs in sensing applications.

The catalytic performance of TiO₂ in photoreduction of CO₂ is limited by its weak absorption in the visible range. In this work, a photonic crystal supported blue TiO₂ photocatalyst (BTPC) was prepared to demonstrate a 5–6 times higher activity and improved CH₄ selectivity compared to the BT catalysts deposited on quartz plate. By investigating the influence of the reflection intensity and wavelength of PC support, the superior catalytic performance was found to be originated from the enhanced light absorption of BT and the increased surface electron density brought by the PC support. Based on the study of BT loading on support, multilayer BTPC catalyst was designed to take the most advantage of the transmitted light and achieve a higher conversion of CO₂ in the unit area of irradiation.

Carbon-based materials with tunable properties have emerged as promising candidates to replace Pt-based catalysts for accelerating oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells or metal-air batteries. In this work, we constructed a carbon hybrid which consists of one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanotubes and flake-like carbons by pyrolysis of leaf-like metal-organic frameworks. The optimal hybrid electrocatalyst of Fe_7%-L-CNT-900 possesses the desired features for ORR, including active Fe species, high degree of graphitization, large specific surface area, and hierarchical porous structures. Consequently, Fe_7%-L-CNT-900 performs a high electrocatalytic activity for ORR with a half-wave potential of 0.88 V, which is comparable to that of Pt/C (20 wt.%). This strategy provides an insight into the investigation of highly efficient and low-cost composite electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction.

Highly dispersed Ni catalyst and alkaline promoters supported by mesoporous SiO₂ nanospheres were synthesized and applied as an active and stable catalyst for dry reforming of methane (DRM). The as-prepared Ni/MgO-mSiO₂ catalyst showed stable conversions of CH₄ and CO₂ around 82% and 85% in 120 h of DRM reaction, which was superior in performance compared to similar catalysts in literatures. Based on the transmission electron microscope (TEM) images, energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), CO-pulse adsorption, temperature programmed reduction of the oxidized catalysts by hydrogen (H₂-TPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed desorption of CO₂ (CO₂-TPD), and thermal gravitational analysis (TGA), the promotion effect of MgO on the Ni catalyst was systematically studied. The introduction of Mg²⁺ in synthesis enhanced the interaction between Ni²⁺ and mSiO₂, which led to a high dispersion of active centers and a strong “metal–support” interactions to inhibit the sintering and deactivation of Ni at reaction temperatures. On the other hand, Ni and MgO nanoparticles formed adjacently on mSiO₂, where the “Ni-MgO” interface not only improved the Ni⁰ distribution and promoted the cracking of CH₄ but also promoted the activation of CO₂ and the elimination of carbon deposits. A high and stable conversion of CH₄ and CO₂ were then achieved through the synergistic effect of Ni catalyst, MgO promoter, and mSiO₂ support.

Mesoporous g-C₃N₄ nanorods (NRs) are synthesized through the nano-confined thermal condensation of cyanamide in silica nanotubes (NTs) with porous shells. The gas bubbles retained during condensation and the limited cyanamide precursor inside the silica NTs lead to the formation of mesoporous g-C₃N₄. This nano-confined reaction is an alternative method to the traditional templating process for the synthesis of mesoporous materials. The as-prepared mesoporous g-C₃N₄ NRs exhibit remarkably improved photocatalytic activity and high stability in water splitting and degradation of Rhodamine B compared with bulk g-C₃N₄.

Cluster-like Ag₃PO₄ nanostructures including nanoparticles, trisoctahedrons, tetrahedrons and tetrapods have been prepared by the synergetic reaction of Ag nanocrystals, phosphate anions and hydrogen peroxide. The acidity and alkalinity of the reaction solution are tuned to adjust the oxidizing ability of H₂O₂, and thus control the final morphology. Ag nanocrystals function as a sacrificial precursor, leading to the generation of cluster-like nanostructures. Through a kinetic study, the formation of Ag₃PO₄ nanocrystal clusters can be understood as the conversion from Ag to Ag₃PO₄ nanocrystals assisted by H₂O₂, followed by the oriented attachment of nanocrystals into cluster-like colloids with specific shapes. The as-prepared Ag₃PO₄ nanostructures have higher photocatalytic activity than commercial TiO₂ and some reported Ag₃PO₄ microcrystals in the degradation of dyes. The catalytic activity decreases in the order nanoparticles > trisoctahedrons > tetrahedrons > tetrapods, while the stability increases in the order nanoparticles < tetrahedrons < trisoctahedrons < tetrapods, which can be explained by the extent of absorption of visible light and structural factors, including size and exposed crystal facets.