Sustainable energy storage: Mangifera indica leaf waste-derived activated carbon for long-life, high-performance supercapacitors.

Biomass waste-derived activated carbon has a wide range of applications, including air and water purification, gas separation, energy storage, and catalysis. This material has become increasingly popular in recent years as a result of the growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly materials. In this study, Mangifera indica leaf waste-derived activated carbon has been investigated as an electrode material for high-performance supercapacitors. The dried Mangifera indica leaves were first carbonized using FeCl3 and then activated using KOH to increase their surface area and pore structure at different temperatures. The activated carbon prepared at 725 °C has shown a high specific capacitance of 521.65 F g-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g-1 and also achieved an energy density of 17.04 W h kg-1 at a power density of 242.50 W kg-1 in the 6 M KOH electrolyte. Significantly, it has demonstrated remarkable electrochemical cycling stability, retaining 96.60% of its initial capacity even after undergoing 10 001 cycles at a scan rate of 500 mV s-1. The superior electrochemical performance of the activated carbon can be attributed to its high surface area of 1232.63 m2 g-1, well-distributed pore size, and excellent degree of graphitization, which all facilitate the rapid diffusion of ions and enhance the accessibility of the electrolyte to the electrode surface. Hence, this study provides a promising route for utilizing waste biomass as a low-cost, sustainable electrode material for energy storage devices.

Elucidating the Role of Copper-Induced Mixed Phases on the Electrochemical Performance of Mn-Based Thin-Film Electrodes.

Manganese oxide is a fascinating material for use as a thin-film electrode in supercapacitors. Herein, the consequences of copper incorporation on spray pyrolyzed manganese oxide thin films and their electrochemical performance were investigated. The Cu-incorporated manganese oxide thin films were deposited by spray pyrolysis, and their structural and electrochemical properties were thoroughly evaluated. The formation of the spinel Mn3O4 phase with effective Cu incorporation was confirmed by X-ray diffraction investigation. Through Raman studies, it was noticed that mixed phases of manganese oxide tend to form after Cu incorporation, and this result was also reflected in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies. The surface morphology and roughness were also altered by the addition of copper. However, electrochemical measurements implied a reduction in the specific capacitance upon copper inclusion. The cyclic voltammetry test indicated a specific capacitance of 132 F/g for Mn3O4 electrodes, but a substantial drop for copper-incorporated samples due to the mixed manganese phase. The decremental tendency was further supported by galvanostatic charge-discharge studies and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic measurements. These results provide valuable insights into the effects of copper addition in manganese oxide thin-film-based electrodes for energy storage applications.

Polypyrrole functionalized Cobalt oxide Graphene (COPYGO) nanocomposite for the efficient removal of dyes and heavy metal pollutants from aqueous effluents.

A cobalt oxide graphene nanocomposite functionalized with polypyrrole (COPYGO) having a heterogenous porous structure was synthesized using hydrothermal method. Microscopic imaging of the COPYGO surface revealed its highly porous and ordered features. The adsorption performance of the COPYGO composite was systemically investigated for Methylene Blue (MB), Congo red (CR) dyes and toxic lead (Pb(II)) and Cadmium (Cd(II)) metals. These were selected as they are the common pollutants in industrial wastewater. The COPYGO was found to be thermally stable up to 195 oC with a specific surface area of 133 m2 g-1. Experimental data indicates that the COPYGO follows Langmuir and Temkin adsorption isotherm. The COPYGO was efficient in removing MB (92.8%), CR (92.2%), Pb(II) (93.08%) and Cd(II) (95.28%) pollutants at pH 7.2, 5.0, 5.5 and 6.1 respectively from the simulated effluents. The maximum adsorption capacity (Qmax) observed for MB 663.018 mg g-1, CR 659.056 mg g-1, Pb(II) 780.363 mg g-1 and Cd(II) 794.188 mg g-1 pollutants. The thermodynamic analysis of the COPYGO indicates that the adsorption is endothermic and spontaneous in nature. COPYGO showed very high efficient removal rate for the pollutants in simulated effluents which guaranteed its benefits and efficacy in industrial wastewater treatment.

Customizable Ceramic Nanocomposites Using Carbon Nanotubes.

A novel tweakable nanocomposite was prepared by spark plasma sintering followed by systematic oxidation of carbon nanotube (CNT) molecules to produce alumina/carbon nanotube nanocomposites with surface porosities. The mechanical properties (flexural strength and fracture toughness), surface area, and electrical conductivities were characterized and compared. The nanocomposites were extensively analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) for 2D qualitative surface morphological analysis. Adding CNTs in ceramic matrices and then systematically oxidizing them, without substantial reduction in densification, induces significant capability to achieve desirable/application oriented balance between mechanical, electrical, and catalytic properties of these ceramic nanocomposites. This novel strategy, upon further development, opens new level of opportunities for real-world/industrial applications of these relatively novel engineering materials.

A study on the electro-reductive cycle of amino-functionalized graphene quantum dots immobilized on graphene oxide for amperometric determination of oxalic acid.

Amino-functionalized graphene quantum dots (NH2-GQD) are described for the amperometric determination of oxalic acid. The NH2-GQD were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using hexamethylenetetramine as the source for nitrogen. The average particle size of the GQD is ∼30 nm, which is also supported by TEM. Electrochemical analysis of the NH2-GQD-GO composite on a glassy carbon electrode at pH 7.4 showed a faint reduction peak at -0.6 V vs. SCE, which was enhanced in the presence of oxalic acid. This variation in cathodic current density is an interesting deviation from the usually studied anodic current density for the electrochemical sensors. This is also supported by cyclic voltammetry and time-based amperometric measurements. The electrode has a linear response in the 0.5-2.0 mM and 2.0-55 mM oxalate concentration ranges and a 50 µM detection limit (at S/N = 3). The electrode was successfully applied to the determination of oxalate in spiked urine samples. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of the fabrication of amino-functionalized graphene quantum dots and graphene oxide composite coated on glassy carbon electrode for utilizing the electro-reduction peak in cyclic voltammetry at around -0.6 V for the quantitative determination of oxalic acid.

Aggregative ways of graphene quantum dots with nitrogen-rich edges for direct emission spectrophotometric estimation of glucose.

We report a facile one step in-situ synthesis of amino-functionalized graphene dots. These quantum dots were employed for the detection of glucose in both standard aqueous solutions and commercially available fruit juice to assess its practicability. The characterization of the quantum dots revealed that they were decorated with amine functionality. Additionally, the interaction between glucose and amine functionalized graphene quantum dots gave enhancement in the UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL) due to aggregation of quantum dots via glucose link. Therefore, the quantum dots were able to detect the concentration of glucose in solution exhibiting linearity from 0.1 to 10 mM and 50-500 mM with a sensitivity transition from 10 mM to 50 mM. The limit of detection for the determination of glucose was found to be 10 µM. This determination was agreed from both UV-Vis absorption and PL spectroscopy. However, the PL emission method of determination was most suited with its very high accuracy of 98.04 ±â€¯1.96% and 97.33 ±â€¯2.67% for the linear range of glucose concentration within 0.1-10 mM and 50-500 mM, respectively. The PL enhancement was highly selective towards glucose in mixture of other form of sugars making it suitable for determining glucose in food samples.

Nickel hydroxide/cobalt-ferrite magnetic nanocatalyst for alcohol oxidation.

A magnetically separable, active nickel hydroxide (Brønsted base) coated nanocobalt ferrite catalyst has been developed for oxidation of alcohols. High surface area was achieved by tuning the particle size with surfactant. The surface area of 120.94 m2 g(-1) has been achieved for the coated nanocobalt ferrite. Improved catalytic activity and selectivity were obtained by synergistic effect of transition metal hydroxide (basic hydroxide) on nanocobalt ferrite. The nanocatalyst oxidizes primary and secondary alcohols efficiently (87%) to corresponding carbonyls in good yields.

Green approach to synthesize multi-walled carbon nanotubes by using metal formate as catalyst precursors.

The multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs) have been synthesized in large scale by using metal formate as catalyst precursors. The calcium carbonate is used as catalyst support, it is chosen because of its non toxic and easily soluble nature. The synthesis was carried out by chemical vapor deposition method for 15 min under optimized conditions. The products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. The purity of the as grown products and purified products were determined by thermal analysis. The obtained yield of MWNTs was about 8300 wt% relative to the nickel catalyst. This synthesis route avoids the lengthy process of calcination and reduction for the preparation of catalysts hence this method is more economical. This economical and environmental friendly synthesis route can be used for synthesizing MWNTs in large scale.