Engineering nanostructured Ag doped α-MnO2 electrocatalyst for highly efficient rechargeable zinc-air batteries

Recent advances and various detection strategies of deep eutectic solvents for zinc air batteries

Sustainable technology in energy-related applications will be crucial in the coming decades. As a result, developing new materials for existing processes has presently arisen as a major research priority. Recently, Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been expected as low-cost task-specific solvents for zinc-air batteries (ZABs). Here in, initially the various preparation methods of DESs their detection strategies, and the fundamental characteristics of DESs are summarized. Then, the recent utilization of DESs on ZABs has been reviewed. After that, the chemical and physical characteristics of DESs including phase behavior, viscosity, density, ionic conductivity, refractive index, pH, surface tension and stability have been studied. Lastly, the challenges, limitations, and possible upcoming research fields of DESs for ZABs were discussed.

Engineering of Co3O4 electrode via Ni and Cu-doping for supercapacitor application

Although cobalt oxides show great promise as supercapacitor electrode materials, their slow kinetics and low conductivity make them unsuitable for widespread application. We developed Ni and Cu-doped Co3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) via a simple chemical co-precipitation method without the aid of a surfactant. The samples were analyzed for their composition, function group, band gap, structure/morphology, thermal property, surface area and electrochemical property using X-ray diffraction (XRD), ICP-OES, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and/or Differential thermal analysis (DTA), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Cyclic voltammetry (CV), respectively. Notably, for the prepared sample, the addition of Cu to Co3O4 NPs results in a 11.5-fold increase in specific surface area (573.78 m2 g-1) and a decrease in charge transfer resistance. As a result, the Ni doped Co3O4 electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 749 F g-1, 1.75 times greater than the pristine Co3O4 electrode's 426 F g-1. The electrode's enhanced surface area and electronic conductivity are credited with the significant improvement in electrochemical performance. The produced Ni doped Co3O4 electrode has the potential to be employed in supercapacitor systems, as the obtained findings amply demonstrated.

Investigation of the Defect and Intensity-Dependent Optical Limiting Performance of MnO2 Nanoparticle-Filled Polyvinylpyrrolidone Composite Nanofibers

To enhance the optical limiting behavior triggered by nonlinear absorption (NA), wide-band gap MnO2 nanoparticles were incorporated into polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer nanofibers at various concentrations. SEM images of the composite nanofibers showed that MnO2 nanoparticles are well entrapped in the nanofibers. With an increase in MnO2 nanofiller concentration, a widened optical band gap energy and an increased Urbach energy were observed. As the concentration of MnO2 nanofiller in PVP increased, the NA behavior became more pronounced but weakened with higher input intensity. This behavior was attributed to the filling of the localized defect states by one photon absorption (OPA). The NA mechanisms of the composite nanofibers were examined, considering their band gap energies and localized defect states. Although all of the composite nanofibers had OPA, sequential/simultaneous two photon absorption (TPA), and excited state absorption mechanisms, the higher concentration of the MnO2 nanofiller led to stronger NA behavior due to its more defective structure. The highest optical limiting behavior was observed for composite nanofibers with the highest concentration of MnO2 nanofiller. The results obtained show that these composite nanofibers with a high linear transmittance and an extended band gap energy can be used in optoelectronic applications that can operate in a wide spectral range. Furthermore, their robust NA behavior, coupled with their promising optical limiting characteristics, positions them as strong contenders for effective optical limiting applications.

Binary glycerol-based deep eutectic solvents containing zinc nitrate hexahydrate salt for rechargeable zinc air batteries applications with enhanced properties

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have attracted interest due to their unique and favorable electrochemical characteristics. This study reported a novel binary glycerol-zinc salt deep eutectic solvents were prepared with a combination of hydrogen bond donor (glycerol (Gly)) and hydrogen bond acceptor (Zinc nitrate hexahydrate (ZNH)) at different molar ratios of 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, and 1:6. The various physicochemical properties including viscosity, refractivity index, conductivity, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance (EIS) were measured. The results showed that among the various combinations tested, DES 1:2 resulted in a low viscosity value of 690, 500, 310, 220, and 160 mPa (mPa s) at shear rate (_S^-1) values of 20, 30, 60, 100, and 200 respectively. Moreover, DES 1:2 resulted in more electrochemically stable solvents with a lower refractive index value of 1.446, and a higher conductivity (σ) of 4.41 mS/cm. The findings found disclose the features, nature and of properties of prepared DESs as a potential solvents for different electrochemical storage applications.

Enhancing pseudocapacitive properties of cobalt oxide hierarchical nanostructures via iron doping

Through co-precipitation and post-heat processing, nanostructured Fe-doped Co₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) were developed. Using the SEM, XRD, BET, FTIR, TGA/DTA, UV-Vis, and techniques were examined. The XRD analysis presented that Co₃O₄ and Co₃O₄ nanoparticles that had been doped with 0.25 M Fe formed single cubic phase Co₃O₄ NPs with average crystallite sizes of 19.37 nm and 14.09 nm, respectively. The as prepared NPs have porous architectures via SEM analyses. The BET surface areas of Co₃O₄ and 0.25 M Fe-doped Co₃O₄ NPs were 53.06 m²/g and 351.56 m²/g, respectively. Co₃O₄ NPs have a band gap energy of 2.96 eV and an extra sub-band gap energy of 1.95 eV. Fe-doped Co₃O₄ NPs were also found to have band gap energies between 2.54 and 1.46 eV. FTIR spectroscopy was used to determine whether M-O bonds (M = Co, Fe) were present. The doping impact of iron results in the doped Co₃O₄ samples having better thermal characteristics. The highest specific capacitance was achieved using 0.25 M Fe-doped Co₃O₄ NPs at 5 mV/s, which corresponding to 588.5 F/g via CV analysis. Additionally, 0.25 M Fe-doped Co₃O₄ NPs had energy and power densities of 9.17 W h/kg and 472.1 W/kg, correspondingly.