International audienceThe cobalt carbonyl [Co2(CO)8] complex is employed as a useful catalyst for the reduction of tertiary amides to the corresponding tertiary amines using 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDS) and poly(methylhydrosiloxane) (PMHS) as silane reagents under thermal (100 °C) or photo-assisted conditions (UV, 350 nm at room temperature). Of particular interest, a low catalytic amount (0.5 mol%) of [Co2(CO)8] is used to perform the reaction with 2.2 equiv. of PMHS at 100 °C for 3 h. This reaction is the first example of a cobalt-catalyzed hydrosilylation of amides

Hierarchical carbon fibers/carbon nanofibers composites, with high effective surface areas and controlled macroscopic shapes, were successfully synthesized through a combination of electrospinning and chemical vapour deposition.