Applications of trivalent rare earth (RE3+)‐doped light sources in solid‐state laser technology, optical communications, biolabeling, and solar energy management have stimulated a growing demand for broadband emission with flexible tunability and high efficiency. Codoping is a conventional strategy for manipulating the photoluminescence of active RE3+ ions. However, energy transfer between sensitizers and activators usually induces nonradiative migration depletion that brings detrimental luminescent quenching. Here, a transparent framework is employed to assemble ordered RE3+‐doped emitters to extend the emission spectral range by extracting photons from a variety of RE3+ ions with sequential energy gradient. To block migration‐mediated depletion between different RE3+ ions, a nanoscopic heterogeneous architecture is constructed to spatially confine the RE3+ clusters via a “nanocrystals‐in‐glass composite” (NGC) structure. This bottom‐up strategy endows the obtained RE3+‐doped NGC with high emission intensity (nearly one order of magnitude enhancement) and broadband near‐infrared emission from 1300 to 1600 nm, which covers nearly the whole low‐loss optical communication window. Most crucially, NGC is a versatile approach to design tunable broadband emission for the potential applications in high‐performance photonic devices, which also provides new opportunities for engineering multifunctional materials by integration and manipulation of diverse functional building units in a nanoscopic region.

Hollow structured material (HSM) consisting of monodisperse hollow silica nanospheres (HSN) shows a promising potential for construction insulation due to its affordable cost and simple process. Yet the studies of high-yield and low-energy for the synthetic of HSN are still insufficient. This research reported the comparison of morphology and performance of synthesize HSN utilizing TEOS and Na 2 SiO 3 as silica source. The average yield of Na 2 SiO 3 -based samples can reach 93.75%, which is about 10 times higher that of TEOS-based samples. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results revealed that the shell morphology of TEOS-based samples was raspberry-like or smooth structure, while the shell of the Na 2 SiO 3 -based samples was round honeycomb-like structure. Hot Disk thermal constant analyzer results demonstrated that the thermal conductivity of the Na 2 SiO 3 -based samples was lower than that of the TEOS-based samples with similar inner-diameter and shell thickness. Thereafter, the influence mechanism of the morphology on thermal insulation performance was also investigated. The prepared HSN as filler significantly enhanced the thermal insulation of acrylic coating. This research confirms that the synthesis route with Na 2 SiO 3 was a greener method which can solve the low yield and high energy consumption caused using TEOS as a silica source. Excellent thermal insulation properties indicate HSN will have a broad application prospect in heat-insulating and energy-saving construction. KeywordsHollow silica nanospheres (HSN) • Sodium silicate (Na 2 SiO 3 ) • Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) • Thermal insulation

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized on a Ni catalyst−diatomite substrate using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. By controlling the synthesis conditions, we explored the influence of synthesis time and temperature on the synthesis of CNTs. The carbon yield and microstructure of the resulting CNTs were investigated by thermogravity (TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy analysis. Then, two kinds of purification methods, annealing and acid treatment, were used on the synthesis products, diatomite−CNT, and can effectively increase the specific surface area of the product. The adsorption behaviors of diatomite−CNT composite adsorbents for phenolic compounds have been investigated. The adsorption experiments showed that the adsorption process reached equilibrium quickly, while the adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order model and the adsorption isotherm followed the Langmuir model well, respectively. The thermodynamics parameters indicated that the adsorption behavior is an exothermic process performing spontaneously. The diatomite−CNT adsorbent will perform well for removal of phenolic compounds from wastewater.