Bi-functional ZnO-RGO-Au substrate: photocatalysts for degrading pollutants and SERS substrates for real-time monitoring.

A ZnO-RGO-Au composite with bi-functional behavior was fabricated: it was employed both as a photocatalyst for degrading pollutants (Rhodamine 6G) and a SERS substrate for real-time monitoring of the degradation quantitatively.

Control over the crystal phase, crystallinity, morphology of AgVO3 via protein inducing process.

A facile and bio-inspired route for the preparation of pure and highly crystalline metastable α-AgVO(3) is presented. Three kinds of proteins (bovine hemoglobin, bovine serum albumin, and lysozyme) were employed as inducer, which had substantial effects on the nucleation and growth of α-AgVO(3). Moreover, the amount of proteins also played a key role over the morphology and crystalline of products. The VO(3)(-)/protein complex acted as a driver to induce the formation of metastable phase, which was confirmed by resonance Rayleigh scattering and UV-vis absorption spectra. The results indicated that tailoring an interaction between protein and inorganic molecules was the key in bio-inspired selective synthesis of metastable phase, which may find applications in the design of other new functional inorganic materials.

Mesoporous rare earth fluoride nanocrystals and their photoluminescence properties.

YF(3) and YF(3):Eu(3+) mesoporous hexagonal nanocrystals were successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal process based on the in situ assembly of the as-synthesized YF(3) and YF(3):Eu(3+) nanoparticles. The well defined mesoporous nanostructures are formed by phenanthroline assisted assembly of ∼20 nm nanoparticles, and 2-4 nm pores are contained as indicated by N(2) adsorption-desorption studies. The obtained YF(3):Eu(3+) mesoporous hexagonal nanoplates show a significant photoluminescence intensity enhancement compared with other shaped YF(3):Eu(3+) nanocrystals.