Noble-metal nanoframes consisting of interconnected, ultrathin ridges have received considerable attention in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. The enthusiasm arises from the high utilization efficiency of atoms for significantly reducing the material loading while enhancing the catalytic performance. In this review article, we offer a comprehensive assessment of research endeavors in the design and rational synthesis of noble-metal nanoframes for applications in catalysis. We start with a brief introduction to the unique characteristics of nanoframes, followed by a discussion of the synthetic strategies and their controls in terms of structure and composition. We then present case studies to elucidate mechanistic details behind the synthesis of mono-, bi-, and multimetallic nanoframes, as well as heterostructured and hybrid systems. We discuss their performance in electrocatalysis, thermal catalysis, and photocatalysis. Finally, we highlight recent progress in addressing the structural and compositional stability issues of nanoframes for the assurance of robustness in catalytic applications.

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The influence of inorganic filler TiO2 nanoparticles on the morphology and properties of polysulfone (PS) ultrafiltration membranes was investigated. PS/TiO2 composite membranes were prepared by a phase‐inversion method. TiO2 nanoparticles modified by sodium dodecyl sulfate were uniformly dispersed in an 18 wt % PS casting solution. The addition of TiO2 resulted in an increase in the pore density and porosity of the membrane skin layer. The pore size distribution changed from the log‐normal distribution to the bimodal distribution because of the presence of TiO2 nanoparticles, and some large pores were observed when the concentration of the filler was over 3 wt %. The skin layer was gradually thickened; meanwhile, the morphology sublayer changed from macrovoids to spongelike pores, in comparison with PS membranes without the filler. The addition of TiO2 also induced increases in the hydrophilicity, mechanical strength, and thermal stability. The ultrafiltration experiments showed when the concentration of TiO2 was less than 2 wt %, the permeability and rejection of the membrane was enhanced and then decreased drastically with a higher filler concentration (>3%). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 879–887, 2006

Our synthesized ball-cutting Na-FeHCF nanocubes by controlling the stirring speed as a cathode material for ammonium ion storage exhibit high capacity, excellent rate capability, and unparalleled cycling stability.