| 1. |
- Ujan, Zaheer Ahmed, et al.
(author)
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The Crystal Disorder into ZnO with Addition of Bromine and Its Outperform Role in the Photodegradation of Methylene Blue
- 2022
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In: Journal of cluster science. - : SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS. - 1040-7278 .- 1572-8862. ; 33:1, s. 281-291
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this research work, bromine (Br) is successfully doped into ZnO nanostructures using solvothermal method. The morphology, crystalline features, and composition of Br doped ZnO nanostructures were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X ray spectroscopy (EDX) respectively. These newly prepared nanostructured materials were tested as photocatalysts for the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution under UV light. The kinetic rate constants were observed in the order (20% Br/ZnO > 15% Br/ZnO > 10% Br/ZnO > 5% Br/ZnO >pristine ZnO), thus they are indicating that the increasing Br dopant level has linear effect on the photodegradation of MB. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of 60% was achieved for the pristine ZnO during the irradiation of UV light for 5 h, however 20% Br doped ZnO nanostructures has shown enhanced degradation efficiency of 97.63% during the irradiation of UV light for short interval of time of 2.2 h. The 20% Br/ZnO describes the highest rate constant value of (24.13 x 10(-3) min(-1)), for time period of 2.2 h and this values is about 8 and 4 times higher than the pristine ZnO (3.72 x 10(-3) min(-1)) and 5% Br/ZnO (6.13 x 10(-3) min(-1)), respectively. The obtained results of 20% Br doped ZnO sample are superior or equal in performance than the recently reported works. The catalytic mechanism is also proposed and it indicates the role of electrons coming from the bromine ion might act as radical for the degradation of MB. The present approach is simpler, environment friendly, scalable and could be of great consideration for the diverse energy and environment related applications. Graphic
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| 2. |
- Bhatti, Adeel Liaquat, et al.
(author)
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An Efficient and Functional Fe3O4/Co3O4 Composite for Oxygen Evolution Reaction
- 2021
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In: Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. - : AMER SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHERS. - 1533-4880 .- 1533-4899. ; 21:4, s. 2675-2680
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The design of efficient, stable, durable and noble metal free electro catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are of immediate need, but very challenging task. In this study, iron induction into cobalt oxide (Co3O4) has resulted composite structure by wet chemical method. The iron impurity has brought an electronic disorder into Fe3O4/cobalt oxide composite thereby efficient oxygen evolution reaction is demonstrated. An addition of iron content into composite resulted the alternation of morphology from Nano rods to clusters of nanoparticles. The successive addition of iron into composite system reduced the onset potential of OER as compared to the pristine cobalt oxide. A Tafel slope of 80 mVdec(-1) indicates the favorable oxygen evolution reaction kinetics on the sample 4. An over-potential of 370 mV is required to reach a 10 mAcm(-2) current density which is acceptable for a nonprecious catalyst. The catalyst is highly durable and stable for 30 hours. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy further provided a deeper insight on charge transfer resistance and sample 4 has low charge transfer resistance that supported the OER polarization curves. The sample 4 has more electrochemical active surface area of 393.5 cm(2). These obtained results are exciting and highlighting the importance of composite structure and leave a huge space for the future investigations on composite materials for energy related applications.
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| 3. |
- Kumar, Shusheel, et al.
(author)
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Transforming NiCo2O4 nanorods into nanoparticles using citrus lemon juice enhancing electrochemical properties for asymmetric supercapacitor and water oxidation
- 2023
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In: RSC Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2046-2069. ; 13:27, s. 18614-18626
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recently, the nanostructured nickel–cobalt bimetallic oxide (NiCo2O4) material with high electrochemical activity has received intensive attention. Beside this, the biomass assisted synthesis of NiCo2O4 is gaining popularity due to its advantageous features such as being low cost, simplicity, minimal use of toxic chemicals, and environment-friendly and ecofriendly nature. The electrochemical activity of spinel NiCo2O4 is associated with its mixed metal oxidation states. Therefore, much attention has been paid to the crystal quality, morphology and tunable surface chemistry of NiCo2O4 nanostructures. In this study, we have used citrus lemon juice consisting of a variety of chemical compounds having the properties of a stabilizing agent, capping agent and chelating agent. Moreover, the presence of several acidic chemical compounds in citrus lemon juice changed the pH of the growth solution and consequently we observed surface modified and structural changes that were found to be very effective for the development of energy conversion and energy storage systems. These naturally occurring compounds in citrus lemon juice played a dynamic role in transforming the nanorod morphology of NiCo2O4 into small and well-packed nanoparticles. Hence, the prepared NiCo2O4 nanostructures exhibited a new surface-oriented nanoparticle morphology, high concentration of defects on the surface (especially oxygen vacancies), sufficient ionic diffusion and reaction of electrolytic ions, enhanced electrical conductivity, and favorable reaction kinetics at the interface. The electrocatalytic properties of the NiCo2O4 nanostructures were studied in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at a low overpotential of 250 mV for 10 mA cm−2, Tafel slope of 98 mV dec−1, and durability of 40 h. Moreover, an asymmetric supercapacitor was produced and the obtained results indicated a high specific capacitance of (Cs) of 1519.19 F g−1, and energy density of 33.08 W h kg−1 at 0.8 A g−1. The enhanced electrochemical performance could be attributed to the favorable structural changes, surface modification, and surface crystal facet exposure due to the use of citrus lemon juice. The proposed method of transformation of nanorod to nanoparticles could be used for the design of a new generation of efficient electrocatalyst materials for energy storage and conversion uses.
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