Hybridization of metal-organic frameworks and MXenes: Expanding horizons in supercapacitor applications.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and MXenes have gained prominence in the queue of advanced material research. Both materials' outstanding physical and chemical characteristics prominently promote their utilization in diverse fields, especially the electrochemical energy storage (EES) domain. The collective contribution of extremely high specific surface area (SSA), customizable pores, and abundant active sites propose MOFs as integral materials for EES devices. However, conventional MOFs endure low conductivity, constraining their utility in practical applications. The development of hybrid materials via integrating MOFs with various conductive materials stands out as an effective approach to improvising MOF's conductivity. MXenes, formulated as two-dimensional (2D) carbides and nitrides of transition metals, fall in the category of the latest 2D materials. MXenes possess extensive structural diversity, impressive conductivity, and rich surface chemical characteristics. The electrochemical characteristics of MOF@MXene hybrids outperform MOFs and MXenes individually, credited to the synergistic effect of both components. Additionally, the MOF derivatives coupled with MXene, exhibiting unique morphologies, demonstrate outstanding electrochemical performance. The important attributes of MOF@MXene hybrids, including the various synthesis protocols, have been summarized in this review. This review delves into the architectural analysis of both MOFs and MXenes, along with their advanced hybrids. Furthermore, the comprehensive survey of the latest advancements in MOF@MXene hybrids as electroactive material for supercapacitors (SCs) is the prime objective of this review. The review concludes with an elaborate discussion of the current challenges faced and the future outlooks for optimizing MOF@MXene composites.

Enhanced microwave absorption properties of conducting polymer@graphene composite to counteract electromagnetic radiation pollution: green EMI shielding.

Conducting polymers have been thoroughly investigated and found to have extensive applications in the fields of microwave absorption and electromagnetic (EM) shielding owing to their distinctive characteristics and adaptability. In the present work, conducting polymer (PEDOT and polyaniline) and graphene composites were prepared via an in situ chemical polymerization technique. Further, these composite materials were characterized to determine their potential to address the issue of EM radiation pollution in the microwave frequency (12.4 GHz to 18 GHz). The PEDOT/graphene composites exhibited significant shielding effectiveness of up to 46.53 dB, achieving a green index (gs) of 1.17. Also, absorption was observed to be the dominant shielding mechanism in all the samples owing to significant dielectric losses (ε''/ε' ≈ 1.9-3.1) and microwave conductivity (σs = 19.9-73.6 S m-1) in the samples at 18 GHz. Both dielectric loss and conduction loss occurred because of the strong interactions involving polarization, charge propagation, and the creation of conductive routes through the incorporation of graphene in the polymer matrix. These properties/shielding results indicate the potential of the composites to be used as lightweight EM shielding materials. These materials are suitable shield materials for electronic devices to protect them from harmful electromagnetic radiation, making them vital in various applications.

Investigation of electric transport in mixed conducting Na2O modified zinc borate glasses for electrode material using broadband dielectric spectroscopy.

The electrical conductivity of Na2O substituted zinc borate glasses has been studied in the frequency range of 10 mHz to 1 MHz and in the temperature range from 313 to 573 K. The conduction mechanism has been ascertained using the values of the frequency exponent (s) extracted from the fitting of experimental data of the real part of electric conductivity in light of the Almond-West equation. Depending on the glass composition, the ac conduction in the glasses happened via correlated barrier hopping and non-overlapping small polaron tunneling conduction models. The electric modulus studies support the assertion of composition dependent conduction mechanisms. Furthermore, electronic conduction and ionic conduction have been studied from impedance investigations. Equivalent circuit models were used to fit the Nyquist and Bode plots of each sample at the temperatures under consideration. It has been found that the activation energy values calculated from conductivity, electric modulus, and impedance measurements are more or less the same.

Emerging Two-Dimensional Materials for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Application.

Graphene is the first two-dimensional material that becomes the center material in various research areas of material science, chemistry, condensed matter, and engineering due to its advantageous properties, including larger specific area, lower density, outstanding electrical conductivity, and ease of processability. These properties attracted the attention of material researchers that resulted in a large number of publications on EMI shielding in a short time and play a central role in addressing the problems and challenges faced in this modern era of electronics by electromagnetic interference. After the popularity of graphene, the community of material researchers investigated other two-dimensional materials like MXenes, hexagonal boron nitride, black phosphorous, transition metal dichalcogenides, and layered double hydroxides, to additionally enhance the EMI shielding response of materials. The present article conscientiously reviews the current progress in EMI shielding materials in reference to two-dimensional materials and addresses the future challenges and research directions to achieve the goals.

Nanostructured graphene/Fe3O4 incorporated polyaniline as a high performance shield against electromagnetic pollution.

The development of high-performance shielding materials against electromagnetic pollution requires mobile charge carriers and magnetic dipoles. Herein, we meet the challenge by building a three-dimensional (3D) nanostructure consisting of chemically modified graphene/Fe3O4(GF) incorporated polyaniline. Intercalated GF was synthesized by the in situ generation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles in a graphene oxide suspension followed by hydrazine reduction, and further in situ polymerization with aniline to form a polyaniline composite. Spectroscopic analysis demonstrates that the presence of GF hybrid structures facilitates strong polarization due to the formation of a solid-state charge-transfer complex between graphene and polyaniline. This provides proper impedance matching and higher dipole interaction, which leads to the high microwave absorption properties. The higher dielectric loss (ε'' = 30) and magnetic loss (µ'' = 0.2) contribute to the microwave absorption value of 26 dB (>99.7% attenuation), which was found to depend on the concentration of GF in the polyaniline matrix. Moreover, the interactions between Fe3O4, graphene and polyaniline are responsible for superior material characteristics, such as excellent environmental (chemical and thermal) degradation stability and good electric conductivity (as high as 260 S m(-1)).

Microwave absorption behavior of core-shell structured poly (3,4-ethylenedioxy thiophene)-barium ferrite nanocomposites.

The present paper reports the complex permittivity, permeability, and microwave absorption properties of core shell type poly (3,4-ethylenedioxy thiophene) (PEDOT) nanocomposite with barium ferrite, synthesized by in situ emulsion polymerization, in the 12.4-18 GHz frequency range. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) studies reveal the formation of core-shell type morphology with ferrite particles (60-80 nm) as the center while the polymer (PEDOT) formulates the outer shell of the composite. The presence of barium ferrite nanoparticles in the polymer matrix includes the magnetic losses, which mainly arise from the magnetic hysteresis, domain-wall displacement, and eddy current loss. The higher dielectric (epsilon'' = 23.5) and magnetic loss (micro'' = 0.22) contributes to the microwave absorption value of 22.5 dB (>99% attenuation) and are found to increase with the amount of ferrite constituents. The polymer was further characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD).