2D Materials-based Electrochemical Triboelectric Nanogenerators

The integration of 2D materials in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is known to increase the mechanical-to-electrical power conversion efficiency. 2D materials are used in TENGs with multiple roles as triboelectric material, charge-trapping fillers, or as electrodes. Here, novel TENGs based on few-layers graphene (FLG) electrodes and stable gel electrolytes composed of liquid phase exfoliated 2D-transition metal dichalcogenides and polyvinyl alcohol are developed. TENGs embedding FLG and gel composites show competitive open-circuit voltage (≈ 300 V), instant peak power (530 mW m^-2 ), and stability (> 11 months). These values correspond to a seven-fold higher electrical output compared to TENGs embedding bare FLG electrodes. It is demonstrated that such a significant improvement depends on the high electrical double-layer capacitance (EDLC) of FLG electrodes functionalized with the gel composites. The wet encapsulation of the TENGs is shown to be an effective strategy to increase their power output further highlighting the EDLC role. It is also shown that the EDLC is dependent upon the transition metal (W vs Mo) rather than the relative abundance of 1T or 2H phases. Overall, this work lays down the roots for novel sustainable electrochemical-(e)-TENGs developed exploiting strategies typically used in electrochemical capacitors.

Adsorption and dissociation of O2 on MoO2(1̄11) surfaces: a DFT study

The adsorption and dissociation of O₂ on MoO₂(1̄11) surfaces were studied by density functional theory (DFT).

Electronic Properties of the Active Sites Present at the (011) Surface of MoO2

The DFT method was used to describe the electronic structure of the catalytically interesting (011) surface of molybdenum dioxide, with attention being particularly focused on the properties of the active sites, both molybdenum and oxygen, present at this surface. In addition, a comparison of (011)MoO2 and (100)MoO3 surfaces was undertaken since both surfaces contain not only differently coordinated oxygen sites but also the bare molybdenum centres. The electronic structures of both surfaces were obtained using the cluster method and DFT approach. The local properties of the different surface sites exposed at the (011)MoO2 surface, viz. five- and six-fold coordinated Mo atoms and nucleophilic O sites with different coordination numbers, have been discussed using charge densities, bond-order indices and molecular orbital diagrams.

Core-level photoemission spectra of Mo0.3Cu0.7Sr2ErCu2Oy, a superconducting perovskite derivative. Unconventional structure–property relationships

The correlation between the critical temperature, T_c, and the apical oxygen distance, the buckling angle and the charge transfer energy (Δ) with the oxidation, in the family of materials: Mo_0.3Cu_0.7Sr₂ErCu₂O_y.