In this Review, we aim to provide an updated summary of the research related to hollow micro- and nanostructures, covering both their synthesis and their applications. After a brief introduction to the definition and classification of the hollow micro-/nanostructures, we discuss various synthetic strategies that can be grouped into three major categories, including hard templating, soft templating, and self-templating synthesis. For both hard and soft templating strategies, we focus on how different types of templates are generated and then used for creating hollow structures. At the end of each section, the structural and morphological control over the product is discussed. For the self-templating strategy, we survey a number of unconventional synthetic methods, such as surface-protected etching, Ostwald ripening, the Kirkendall effect, and galvanic replacement. We then discuss the unique properties and niche applications of the hollow structures in diverse fields, including micro-/nanocontainers and rea...

Synthesis, Properties, and Applications of Hollow Micro-/Nanostructures

Solar energy utilization is one of the most promising solutions for the energy crises Among all the possible means to make use of solar energy, solar water splitting is remarkable since it can accomplish the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy The produced hydrogen is clean and sustainable which could be used in various areas For the past decades, numerous efforts have been put into this research area with many important achievements Improving the overall efficiency and stability of semiconductor photocatalysts are the research focuses for the solar water splitting Tantalum-based semiconductors, including tantalum oxide, tantalate and tantalum (oxy)nitride, are among the most important photocatalysts Tantalum oxide has the band gap energy that is suitable for the overall solar water splitting The more negative conduction band minimum of tantalum oxide provides photogenerated electrons with higher potential for the hydrogen generation reaction Tantalates, with tunable compositions, show high activities owning to their layered perovskite structure (Oxy)nitrides, especially TaON and Ta3N5, have small band gaps to respond to visible-light, whereas they can still realize overall solar water splitting with the proper positions of conduction band minimum and valence band maximum This review describes recent progress regarding the improvement of photocatalytic activities of tantalum-based semiconductors Basic concepts and principles of solar water splitting will be discussed in the introduction section, followed by the three main categories regarding to the different types of tantalum-based semiconductors In each category, synthetic methodologies, influencing factors on the photocatalytic activities, strategies to enhance the efficiencies of photocatalysts and morphology control of tantalum-based materials will be discussed in detail Future directions to further explore the research area of tantalum-based semiconductors for solar water splitting are also discussed

Tantalum-based semiconductors for solar water splitting

Novel inorganic electron transport layers for planar perovskite solar cells: Progress and prospective

One-step template-free fabrication of mesoporous ZnO/TiO2 hollow microspheres with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Mesoporous sulfur (S)-doped Ta2O5 nanocomposites have been synthesized for the first time through the sol-gel reaction of tantalum chloride and thiourea in the presence of a F127 triblock copolymer as structure directing agent. The as-formed mesophase S-doped Ta2O5 hybrid gels were calcined at 700°C for 4h to obtain mesoporous S-Ta2O5 nanocomposites. The experimental results indicated that the surface area of the S-doped Ta2O5 was up to 50m(2)g(-1) and the pore diameter was controllable in the range of 3-7.7nm. The S-doped Ta2O5 nanocomposites behave as superior visible light-sensitive photocatalysts and the 1.5at.% S-doped Ta2O5 (S1.5) photocatalyst exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity of ∼92% for the photodegradation of methylene blue, identical to 80% TOC removal after three hours illumination under visible light. The photodegradation rate of S1.5 photocatalyst showed 3.4 times higher than the undoped Ta2O5 due to their narrow bandgap, large surface area, mesostructure and well crystalline state. The S1.5 photocatalyst could be recycled at least five times without an apparent decrease in its photocatalytic efficiency, indicating its high stability for practical applications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that demonstrates one-step synthesis of mesoporous S-doped Ta2O5 nanocomposites as an efficient photocatalysts under visible light illumination.

Synthesis of mesoporous sulfur-doped Ta2O5 nanocomposites and their photocatalytic activities.

Synthesis of hollow spherical tantalum oxide nanoparticles and their photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production

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Synthesis of hollow spherical tantalum oxide nanoparticles and their photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production