Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity of Microwave Mediated Solvothermal Synthesized CeO2/g-C3N4 Nanocomposite.

Electrocatalytic active species like transition metal oxides have been widely combined with carbon-based nanomaterials for enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) studies because of the synergistic effect arising between different components. The aim of the present study is to synthesize CeO2/g-C3N4 system and compare the ORR activity with bare CeO2. Ceria (CeO2) embedded on g-C3N4 nanocomposite was synthesized by a single-step microwave-mediated solvothermal method. This cerium oxide-based nanocomposite displays enhanced ORR activity and electrochemical stability as compared to bare ceria.

Synthesis and characterisation of polyol-capped transition metal oxide nanoparticles.

In-situ capped nanocrystalline gamma-Fe2O3, Co3O4, and Cu2O were prepared in 1,4-butanediol in aerobic conditions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that the synthesised samples are nanocrystalline cubic oxides with crystallite sizes 9.5 nm, 13.4 nm, and 11 nm, respectively. Raman spectroscopy shows peaks at 350 cm(-1), 500 cm(-1), and 700 cm(-1), indicating that the iron oxide is gamma-Fe2O3; Mössbauer spectroscopy shows the presence of two Fe3(3+) sites. Transmission electron microscopy images show that the particle sizes of gamma-Fe2O3 and Co3O4 samples are 8.9 nm and 7 nm, respectively. The absence of agglomeration indicates that the synthesised nanoparticles are capped. FT-IR spectra show the presence of an organic moiety in the sample which acts as a capping agent. Thermogravimetry shows that the capping is stable up to 873 K in gamma-Fe2O3, and up to 400 K in Co3O4. The samples are soluble in water to form stable hydrosols. During synthesis of gamma-Fe2O3 a 6-line ferrihydrite is formed as an intermediate, which is stable in solution up to 473 K, and transforms to gamma-Fe2O3 at 483 K, by rapid dissolution-reprecipitation. In the syntheses of Co3O4 and Cu2O, no intermediates are formed.

Magnetic properties of single-crystalline CoSi nanowires.

We have observed unusual ferromagnetic properties in single-crystalline CoSi nanowire ensemble, in marked contrast to the diamagnetic CoSi in bulk. High-density freestanding CoSi nanowires with B20 crystal structure are synthesized by a vapor-transport-based method. The reaction of cobalt chloride precursor with a Si substrate produces high-aspect-ratio CoSi nanowires. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction studies reveal superlattice structure in CoSi nanowires with twice the lattice parameter of simple cubic CoSi lattice. The zero-field-cooled and field-cooled (ZFC-FC) measurements from the nanowire ensemble show freezing of the disordered surface spins at low temperatures. The magnetoresistance (MR) measurements of single nanowire devices show a negative MR whose magnitude gets larger at lower temperatures.