Textured gadolinium nitride (GdN) thin films grown on (100) lanthanum aluminum oxide substrates were prepared by chemical vapor deposition with gadolinium chloride and ammonia. The films were found to have a (100) planar orientation and a growth rate of 102±5nm/min. X‐ray diffraction patterns show that the (200) reflection peaks from these GdN films have full widths at half maximum of ca. 1.2°.

A hybrid catalyst composed of phosphotungstic acid coated cerium oxide nanoparticles was demonstrated to catalyze the one-pot conversion of cellobiose, the disaccharide unit of cellulose, to a monosaccharide mixture of glucose and mannose. A high % conversion of cellobiose (up to 99%) was achieved resulting in a yield of mannose up to 15.8%. The yield of mannose from a glucose starting material was 22.8%, exceeding those of previous ceriumbased glucose epimerization catalysts. The components of the hybrid material were revealed to function synergistically via a two-step process. Cellobiose was hypothesized to be first hydrolyzed to glucose, which was subsequently epimerized to mannose by the cerium ions leached from the catalyst. The 13 C NMR spectroscopic study suggested that the epimerization likely occurred by the way of a 1,2-carbon shift reaction mechanism.

The ability to control the morphology of fluorite-structured cerium oxide nanomaterials is an important step in the design of cerium oxide-based catalysts. Herein, we report an additivefree synthesis of cerium oxide nanorods with highly tunable aspect ratios from~6:1 to 40:1. The use of a microwave hydrothermal method allows for both rapid synthesis and temperature control. The ability to control the length of the nanorods from <51 nm to >1.7 lm by varying only the reaction temperature was demonstrated over a temperature range of 80°C to 200°C. The formation of the resulting nanorods was investigated using selected-area electron-diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The surface area of nanorod products was found to decrease from 117 to 22 m 2 /g as the reaction temperature increased from 80°C to 200°C, complementing the general trend of the increasing aspect ratios of these products.

Environmentally benign and easily recoverable magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4NPs) were demonstrated to catalyze the one-pot conversion of cellobiose, a glucose disaccharide, to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF). The conversion was achieved in water under hydrothermal conditions. The catalytic activity of Fe3O4NPs surpassed those of iron (II) and iron (III) chlorides in this reaction. Optimized cellobiose conversion reactions catalyzed with Fe3O4NPs gave the highest 5-HMF yields of 23.4 ± 0.6% at 160°C for 24 hours. After three reuses, the Fe3O4NP catalyst retained its catalytic activity with similar 5-HMF yields, demonstrating the recyclability of this eco-friendly catalyst in water.