Self-templated hollow nanospheres of B-site engineered non-stoichiometric perovskite for supercapacitive energy storage via anion-intercalation mechanism.

The continual increase in energy demand and inconsistent supply have attracted attention towards sustainable energy storage/conversion devices, such as electrochemical capacitors with high energy densities and power densities. Perovskite oxides have received significant attention as anion-intercalation electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors. In this study, hollow nanospheres of non-stoichiometric cubic perovskite fluorides, KNi1-xCoxF3-δ (x = 0.2; δ = 0.33) (KNCF-0.2) have been synthesized using a localized Ostwald ripening. The electrochemical performance of the non-stoichiometric perovskite has been studied in an aqueous 3 M KOH electrolyte to categorically investigate the fluorine-vacancy-mediated charge storage capabilities. High capacities up to 198.55 mA h g-1 or 714.8 C g-1 (equivalent to 1435 F g-1) have been obtained through oxygen anion-intercalation mechanism (peroxide pathway, O-). The results have been validated using ICP (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) analysis and cyclic voltammetry. An asymmetric supercapacitor device has been fabricated by coupling KNCF-0.2 with activated carbon to deliver a high energy density of 40 W h kg-1 as well as excellent cycling stability of 98% for 10,000 cycles. The special attributes of hollow-spherical, non-stoichiometric perovskite (KNCF-0.2) have exhibited immense promise for their usability as anion-intercalation type electrodes in supercapacitors.

Eco-friendly synthesis of recyclable mesoporous zinc ferrite@reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for efficient photocatalytic dye degradation under solar radiation.

Zinc ferrite and graphene composites have attracted considerable attention in wastewater treatment. In this work, a magnetically separable mesoporous composite of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was prepared through a simple and eco-friendly method with pure water as solvent and without the need for subsequent thermal treatment. Uniformly dispersed ZnFe2O4 NPs on the surface of rGO sheets exhibited good crystallinity and a large BET specific surface area. These factors contributed to good photocatalytic performance of the composite for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under simulated solar-light radiation, increased adsorptivity, increased separation efficiency of the photo-excited charges on the surface of the catalyst, and broadened light-absorption range of the composite. Efficient interfacial interaction between the ZnFe2O4 NPs and rGO sheets resulted in synergistic effects. The magnetically separable ZnFe2O4@rGO nanocomposite proved an efficient and stable catalyst in three consecutive photodegradation cycles for MB dye in aqueous solution under solar radiation. In addition, the synthesis method proposed in this study could be scaled-up easily due to the simplicity of the process, the lack of a toxic reagent, and the use of low temperatures.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of nickel-cobalt-oxide@reduced graphene oxide//activated carbon asymmetric supercapacitors by the addition of a redox-active electrolyte.

Supercapacitors are an emerging energy-storage system with a wide range of potential applications. In this study, highly porous nickel-cobalt-oxide@reduced graphene oxide (Ni-Co-O@RGO-s) nanosheets were synthesized as an active material for supercapacitors using a surfactant-assisted microwave irradiation technique. The RGO-modified nanocomposite showed a larger specific area, better conductivity, and lower resistivity than the unmodified nanocomposite because the RGO facilitated faster ion diffusion/transport for improved redox activity. The synergistic effect of Ni-Co-O@RGO-s resulted in a high capacitance of 1903Fg-1 (at 0.8Ag-1) in a mixed KOH/redox active K3Fe(CN)6 electrolyte. The asymmetric Ni-Co-O@RGO-s//AC supercapacitor device yielded a high energy density and power density of 39Whkg-1 and 7500Wkg-1, respectively. The porous structure and combination of redox couples from both the electrode and electrolyte provided a highly synergistic effect, which improved the performance of the supercapacitor device.

Solubility of tetrafluoromethane in the ionic liquid [hmim][Tf2N].

Experimental results for the solubility of tetrafluoromethane (CF4, R14) in the ionic liquid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ([hmim][Tf2N]) are presented for temperatures between 293.3 and 413.3 K, at pressures (gas molalities) up to 9.6 MPa (0.22 mol kg-1). The experimental results were determined with a high-pressure view-cell technique operating on the synthetic method. The experimental data were used to determine Henry's constant of tetrafluoromethane in [hmim][Tf2N]. The results for the Henry's constant (at zero pressure) are correlated (on the molality scale) within the experimental uncertainty (i.e., about 1.1%) by ln(k(0)(H,CF4)/MPa) = 7.537 - 893.8/(T/K) - 0.003977(T/K). Henry's law was also extended to describe the gas solubility at higher pressures. Furthermore, a cubic equation of state was used to correlate the gas solubility over the entire range of experimentally investigated temperature and pressure. Both methods proved suited for a reliable correlation of the new experimental data.