A MoS 2 /AlOOH composite was synthesized by calcining the reaction product of Na 2 MoO 4 , Na 2 S, HCl and basic Al 2 O 3 . The obtained composite was characterized using thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy. The degradation reaction of methyl orange was used to evaluate the photocatalytic properties of the composite. The results showed that alumina existed in the form of AlOOH with the deposited nano-MoS 2 on the surface. The composite contained an intensive absorption between 380 and 450 nm and presented excellent photocatalytic properties. In addition, the composite still retained a high catalytic activity after repeatedly used for three times. The catalytic activity of the composite was influenced by the initial concentration of methyl orange, the amount of the catalyst, the pH value, and the temperature. The composite was a promising photocatalyst for the removal of organic chemicals from wastewater.

The photoinduced chemoselective transfer hydrogenation of unsaturated carbonyls to allylic alcohols has been accomplished using cluster-based MOFs as bifunctional visible photocatalysts.

Uniform 3D flower-like β-In2S3 microstructures were synthesized using InCl3·4H2O and KSCN as starting reagents in ethylene glycol at 200-220°C for 30h under solvothermal conditions. The prepared products were characterized by various techniques, such as XRD, XPS, FESEM, TEM and ED. FESEM and TEM observation reveals that the as-prepared flower-like β-In2S3 microstructures are assembled by plate-like nanocrystals with average thickness of 10nm. These nanoplates interconnect with each other to form an entangled network-like architecture with irregular-shaped pore in the flower-like β-In2S3 microstructures. Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum indicates that the synthesized β-In2S3 porous micro spheres have shown considerably greater quantum size effects.

Cauliflower-like ZnO superstructures composed of nanoparticles in large scale were successfully synthesized only using Zn(CH3COO)2•2H2O and triethanolamine (TEA) aqueous solution mixtures via a template-free sonochemical process at the ambient condition. A number of techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV-visible absorption and photoluminescence (PL) were used to characterize the obtained ZnO products. It has been interestingly found that UV-Vis absorption spectrum shows not only a weak and sharp peak at 367 nm in ultraviolet region but also a strong and broad band centered at 564 nm in visible region. The possible formation mechanism of ZnO cauliflower-like structure is also proposed.