Self-Powered Water Splitting of Ni3FeN@Fe24N10 Bifunctional Catalyst Improved Catalytic Activity and Durability by Forming Fe24N10 on Catalyst Surface via the Kirkendall Effect.

Highly efficient water splitting electrocatalyst for producing hydrogen as a renewable energy source offers potential to achieve net-zero. However, it has significant challenges in using transition metal electrocatalysts as alternatives to noble metals due to their low efficiency and durability, furthermore, the reliance on electricity generation for electrocatalysts from fossil fuels leads to unavoidable carbon emissions. Here, a highly efficient self-powered water splitting system integrated is designed with triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and Ni3FeN@Fe24N10 catalyst with improved catalytic activity and durability. First, the durability of the Ni3FeN catalyst is improved by forming N, P carbon shell using melamine, polyetherimide, and phytic acid. The catalyst activity is improved by generating Fe24N10 in the carbon shell through the Kirkendall effect. The synthesized Ni3FeN@Fe24N10 catalyst exhibited excellent bifunctional catalytic activity (ηOER = 261.8 mV and ηHER = 151.8 mV) and remarkable stability (91.7% in OER and 90.5% in HER) in 1 m KOH. Furthermore, to achieve ecofriendly electricity generation, a rotation-mode TENG that sustainably generate high-performance is realized using butylated melamine formaldehyde. As a result, H2 is successfully generated using the integrated system composed of the designed TENG and catalyst. The finding provides a promising approach for energy generation to achieve net-zero.

Wafer-Scale Atomic Assembly for 2D Multinary Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for Visible and NIR Photodetection.

The tunable properties of 2D transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMDs) materials are extensively investigated for high-performance and wavelength-tunable optoelectronic applications. However, the precise modification of large-scale systems for practical optoelectronic applications remains a challenge. In this study, a wafer-scale atomic assembly process to produce 2D multinary (binary, ternary, and quaternary) TMDs for broadband photodetection is demonstrated. The large-area growth of homogeneous MoS2, Ni0.06Mo0.26S0.68, and Ni0.1Mo0.9S1.79Se0.21 is carried out using a succinct coating of the single-source precursor and subsequent thermal decomposition combined with thermal evaporation of the chalcogen powder. The optoelectrical properties of the multinary TMDs are dependent on the combination of heteroatoms. The maximum photoresponsivity of the MoS2-, Ni0.06Mo0.26S0.68-, and Ni0.1Mo0.9S1.79Se0.21-based photodetectors is 3.51 × 10-4, 1.48, and 0.9 A W-1 for 532 nm and 0.063, 0.42, and 1.4 A W-1 for 1064 nm, respectively. The devices exhibited excellent photoelectrical properties, which is highly beneficial for visible and near-infrared (NIR) photodetection.

Promoted Overall Water Splitting Catalytic Activity and Durability of Ni3 Fe Alloy by Designing N-Doped Carbon Encapsulation.

Combining an electrochemically stable material onto the surface of a catalyst can improve the durability of a transition metal catalyst, and enable the catalyst to operate stably at high current density. Herein, the contribution of the N-doped carbon shell (NCS) to the electrochemical properties is evaluated by comparing the characteristics of the Ni3 Fe@NCS catalyst with the N-doped carbon shell, and the Ni3 Fe catalyst. The synthesized Ni3 Fe@NCS catalyst has a distinct overpotential difference from the Ni3 Fe catalyst (ηOER = 468.8 mV, ηHER = 462.2 mV) at (200 and -200) mA cm-2 in 1 m KOH. In stability test at (10 and -10) mA cm-2 , the Ni3 Fe@NCS catalyst showed a stability of (95.47 and 99.6)%, while the Ni3 Fe catalyst showed a stability of (72.4 and 95.9)%, respectively. In addition, the in situ X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) results show that redox reaction appeared in the Ni3 Fe catalyst by applying voltages of (1.7 and -0.48) V. The decomposition of nickel and iron due to the redox reaction is detected as a high ppm concentration in the Ni3 Fe catalyst through Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analysis. This work presents the strategy and design of a next-generation electrochemical catalyst to improve the electrocatalytic properties and stability.

Fabrication of phosphor in glass using waste glass for automotive lighting application.

With advancement of technology, requirements for light-emitting devices are increasing. Various types of packaging technologies have been suggested to improve the performance of light-emitting diode (LED). Among them, phosphor in glass (PiG) is attracting attention due to its manufactural facility and easily tunable characteristics. As PiG draws increasing attention, research on glass materials is also being actively conducted. However, studies about glass in the field of phosphor are mainly conducted on fabrication. Only a few studies about recycling have been reported. Thus, the objective of this study was to recycle waste glass discarded in other fields due to breakage and failure and use it to fabricate phosphor in glass. Cylindrical waste glass was pulverized into powder with an average size of 12 µm, mixed with a phosphor and sintered to be reborn as a phosphor in glass to broaden the recycling route for waste glass.

Citrous Lime-A Functional Reductive Booster for Oil-Mediated Green Synthesis of Bioactive Silver Nanospheres for Healthcare Clothing Applications and Their Eco-Mapping with SDGs.

Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are most effective against pathogens and have widely been studied as antibacterial agents in commodity clothing, medical textile, and other hygiene products. However, prolonged utilization of silver and rapid mutation in bacterium stains has made them resistant to conventional silver agents. On the other hand, strict compliance against excessive utilization of toxic reagents and the current sustainability drive is forcing material synthesis toward green routes with extended functionality. In this study, we proposed an unprecedented chemical-free green synthesis of bioactive Ag-NPs without the incorporation of any chemicals. Cinnamon essential oil (ECO) was used as a bio-reducing agent with and without the mediation of lime extract. A rapid reaction completion with better shape and size control was observed in the vicinity of lime extract when incorporated into the reaction medium. The interaction of natural metabolites and citrus compounds with nanoparticles was established using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. The application of as-prepared nanoparticles on textiles encompasses extended bioactivity to treated fabric with infused easy-care performance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported instance of utilizing bioactive silver nanoparticles as a functional finish, both as an antimicrobial and as for easy care in the absolute absence of toxic chemicals. The easy-care performance of fabric treated with lime-mediated nanoparticles was found to be 141O, which is around 26% better than bare cotton without any significant loss in fabric strength. Furthermore, to enlighten the sustainability of the process, the development traits were mapped with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which show significant influence on SDGs 3, 8, 9, and 14. With the effective suspension of microorganisms, added functionality, and eco-mapping with SDGs with the chemical-free synthesis of nanoparticles, widespread utilization can be found in various healthcare and hygiene products along with the fulfillment of sustainability needs.

Fabrication of LuAG:Ce3+ Ceramic Phosphors Prepared with Nanophosphors Synthesized by a Sol-Gel-Combustion Method.

The aim of this study was to investigate properties of ceramic phosphors fabricated using nano Lu3Al5O12:Ce3+ phosphors produced with a sol-gel-combustion method. These nano Lu3Al5O12:Ce3+ phosphors had a size of about 200 nm, leading to high density when fabricated as a ceramic phosphor. We manufactured ceramic phosphors through vacuum sintering. Alumina powder was added to improve properties. We mounted the manufactured ceramic phosphor in a high-power laser beam projector and drove it to determine its optical performance. Ceramic phosphor manufactured according to our route will have a significant impact on the laser-driven lighting industry.

Preparation of high-quality YAG:Ce3+ ceramic phosphor by high-frequency induction heated press sintering methods.

This study investigates the characteristics of a ceramic phosphor (CP) for the converter of a high-power laser diode-based automobile headlamp synthesized by high-frequency induction heated press (HFP) sintering. The CP prepared by an HFP method exhibits remarkable optical properties that are comparable to spark plasma sintering. The effects of post-treatment process for controlling residual pores, as well as sintering temperature, sintering pressure and heating rate for optimization of the HFP sintering method, were studied. The HFP sintering process can be widely used in ceramics and lighting fields because it is designed relatively low cost compared to other techniques and exhibits excellent productivity.

Tannic acid modified antifreezing gelatin organohydrogel for low modulus, high toughness, and sensitive flexible strain sensor.

Current hydrogel strain sensors have met assorted essential requirements of wearing comfort, mechanical toughness, and strain sensitivity. However, an increment in the toughness of a hydrogel usually leads to an increase in elastic moduli that could be unfavorable for wearing comfort. In addition, traits of biofriendly and sustainability require synthesis of the hydrogels from natural polymer-based networks. We propose a novel strategy to fabricate an ionic conductive organohydrogel from natural biological macromolecule "gelatin" and polyacid "tannic acid" to resolve these challenges. Tannic acid modified the structure of the gelatin network in the ionic conductive organohydrogels, that not only led to an increase in toughness accompanying a decrease in elastic moduli but also headed to higher strain sensitivity and tunability. The proposed methodology exhibited tunable tensile modulus from 27 to 13 kPa, tensile strength from 287 to 325 kPa, elongation at fracture from 510 to 620%, toughness from 500 to 550 kJ/m3, conductivity from 0.29 to 0.8 S/m, and strain sensitivity (GF = 1.4-6.5). Moreover, the proposed organohydrogel exhibited excellent freezing tolerance. This study provides a facile yet powerful strategy to tune the mechanical and electrical properties of organohydrogels which can be adapted to various wearable sensors.

Copper nanoparticles induced, trimesic acid grafted cellulose-an effective, non-hazardous processing approach for multifunctional textile with low chemical induction.

Abstract: Cross-linkers have great importance in textile due to the widespread utilization of cellulosic fibers for clothing. Unfortunately, the acute toxicity of formaldehyde-based resins and the poor performance of non-formaldehyde resins still keep the research door open for scientists in this area. Herein, we demonstrated copper nanoparticles induced trimesic acid grafted cellulose as a sustainable solution for multifunctional easy-care clothing. Our treated fabric presents crease recovery angle value of 248° comparable to that of most promising citric acid-based cross-linkers at the chemical concentration of trimesic acid as low as 2% with a sweeping improvement of around 30% in strength retention, not reported earlier. The relatively low fabric stiffness, without any yellowing, is contributing to the comfort and aesthetic demand while nanoparticles induction promoting utmost antimicrobial need. For the first time, the superiority of the development was validated by interlacing the fabric/finish traits with sustainability building blocks that provide the step forward for rapid industrialization. Furthermore, environmental, health, and safety mapping comparison provides a better understanding of the intensity of hazards that different finishing crosslinkers pose on the environment and public health. With improved performance and superior sustainability, such fabric can act as a preferable alternative to the multifunctional easy-care fabric market. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10570-021-04251-5.

Strategic Customization of Polymeric Nanocomposites Modified by 2D Titanium Oxide Nanosheet for High-k and Flexible Gate Dielectrics.

Organic polymer-based dielectrics with intrinsic mechanical flexibility and good processability are excellent candidates for the dielectric layer of flexible electronics. These polymer films can become even more rigid and electrically robust when modified through cross-linking processes. Moreover, the composites formed by dispersing nanoscale inorganic fillers in a polymer matrix can exhibit further improved polarization property. However, these strategies can be challenging as homogeneous dispersion of nanomaterials in the matrix is difficult to achieve; thus, degradation of electrically insulating properties of nanocomposite layers is often observed. Here, a high-k, pinhole-free, and flexible poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based nanocomposite dielectric is presented, incorporating 2D TiO2 nanosheets (NSs) for the first time. Despite the attractive dielectric constant, exceptional flexibility, and electrically insulating property of PVA-TiO2 nanocomposites, only few studies on these materials have been reported. The organic/inorganic nanosheet hybrid layer, which reaches an unprecedentedly high dielectric constant of 43.8 (more than four times higher than that of cross-linked PVA), also exhibits an outstanding leakage current density as low as 10-9 A cm-2 . Furthermore, the repeated bending tests for nanocomposite capacitors reveal their capability of operating without any deterioration of their performances even after 1000 iterations of bending cycles at a bending radius of 3 mm.

Fabrication of Highly Stable Fully-Inorganic Halide Perovskite Films for Optoelectronic Application.

Despite the fact that stability is a critical issue affecting halide perovskite after the materials have been developed, these materials continue to be studied due to their outstanding optoelectronic characteristics such as narrow emission band width, high PLQY. Many methods are suggested and improved, but the limitations for the display and lighting applications are still remaining. Here, we propose the fabrication of stable cesium lead tri-halide (CsPbX3; X= Cl, Br, I) perovskite films using photocurable polyurethane material, norland optical adhesive 63 (NOA 63), to generate white LEDs by placing films on the InGaN 450 nm blue chip. Comparing with the conventional perovskites, fabricated films well maintained the luminescence properties such as full widths at half maximum (FWHM) of 18 nm and 31 nm for green and red films, respectively. For the stability issue, pristine perovskite without encapsulation is decomposed immediately at high humidity and temperature, but NOA 63 encapsulated perovskite maintained a PL emission property of 60% after four hours in artificial atmosphere. The CIE color triangle reached ~119% of the NTSC standard, exhibiting high color purity. From the results, we confirm that the NOA 63 encapsulated halide perovskites are beneficial when applied in optoelectronic applications due to their improved stability and maintained characteristics.

Sensory Adaptation and Neuromorphic Phototransistors Based on CsPb(Br1-xIx)3 Perovskite and MoS2 Hybrid Structure.

Sensory adaptation is an essential part of biological neural systems for sustaining human life. Using the light-induced halide phase segregation of CsPb(Br1-xIx)3 perovskite, we introduce neuromorphic phototransistors that emulate human sensory adaptation. The phototransistor based on a hybrid structure of perovskite and transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) emulates the sensory adaptation in response to a continuous light stimulus, similar to the neural system. The underlying mechanism for the sensory adaptation is the halide segregation of the mixed halide perovskites. The phase separation under visible-light illumination leads to the segregation of I and Br into separate iodide- and bromide-rich domains, significantly changing the photocurrent in the phototransistors. The devices are reversible upon the removal of the light stimulation, resulting in near-complete recovery of the photosensitivity before the phase segregation (sensitivity recovery of 96.65% for 5 min rest time). The proposed phototransistor based on the perovskite-TMD hybrid structure can be applied to other neuromorphic devices such as neuromorphic photonic devices, intelligent sensors, and selective light-detecting image sensors.

Flexible Graphite/PPG Hybrid Composite-Based Resistive Sensor for Sensing Organic Compounds.

Our objective in this study was to investigate a sensor for volatile organic compounds based on a graphite (G)/polypropylene glycol (PPG) hybrid composite (HC) for sensing hybrid elements. The G/PPG HC sensor films for organic-matter detection were successfully fabricated on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film with a simple blade-coating method. The sensing paste based on G/PPG (1:2) HC showed good dispersibility and stability. In addition, G/PPG HC sensor films with organic compounds showed different thickness changes as a function of the G/PPG ratio because of the swelling effect of the polymer. The observed differences in resistance of the G/PPG HC films corresponded to those of common organic compounds, suggesting that the disconnection of graphite caused by the swollen PPG matrix caused explosive resistance change. Moreover, we evaluated the sensitivity of typical hydrocarbon materials, such as benzene and toluene, in the sensor film as well as petroleum materials without moisture-induced malfunctions. This study could provoke knowledge about superior sensing with cost-effective and easily scalable materials using polymer/graphite composite-based sensors to improve the sensitivity, selectivity, and stability of chemical sensor applications.

Synthesis and Characterization of Co-Mn (O)OH Nanosheets Assembled Structure Covered of Reduced Graphene Oxide Hybrid Structures by Hydrothermal Method.

In this study, we prepared cobalt-manganese (oxy) hydroxide nanosheets assembled structure covered of reduced graphene oxide hybrid structure (Co-Mn (O)OH NAS@rGO HS) via reduction and hydroxylation of Mn1.5Co1.5[Co(CN)6]2@graphene oxide (GO). Obtained precursors were optimized at 15 mg GO, and these are hybrid structures in which nanocubes 200-400 nm in size were fully covered by multi-layered GO. The functional group (-COOH, -OH, C-O-C) of GO was removed through reduction by L-ascorbic acid. We obtained MnCOOH, Co(OH)2, and Co-Mn LDH synthesized by hydroxylation of Mn1.5Co1.5[Co(CN)6]2@GO via ion exchange between the CN group and OH-. The hybrid nanostructure between transition-metal oxide/hydroxide and reduced graphene oxide could be used in various fields, including lithium ion batteries, supercapacitors, and electrocatalyst for water splitting.

Millerite Core-Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Hollow Shell Structure for Electrochemical Energy Storage.

Nickel sulfides have drawn much attention with the benefits of a high redox activity, high electrical conductivity, low cost, and fabrication ease; however, these metal sulfides are susceptible to mechanical degradation regarding their cycling performance. Conversely, hollow carbon shells exhibit a substantial electrochemical steadiness in energy storage applications. Here, the design and development of a novel millerite core-nitrogen-doped carbon hollow shell (NiS-NC HS) structure for electrochemical energy storage is presented. The nitrogen-doped carbon hollow shell (NC HS) protects against the degradation and the millerite-core aggregation, giving rise to an excellent rate capability and stability during the electrochemical charging-discharging processes, in addition to improving the NiS-NC HS conductivity. The NiS-NC HS/18h supercapacitor electrode displays an outstanding specific capacitance of 1170.72 F g-1 (at 0.5 A g-1 ) and maintains 90.71% (at 6 A g-1 ) of its initial capacitance after 4000 charge-discharge cycles, owing to the unique core-shell structure. An asymmetric-supercapacitor device using NiS-NC HS and activated-carbon electrodes exhibits a high power and energy density with a remarkable cycling stability, maintaining 89.2% of its initial capacitance after 5000 cycles.

Innovatively Continuous Mass Production Couette-taylor Flow: Pure Inorganic Green-Emitting Cs4PbBr6 Perovskite Microcrystal for display technology.

We report for the first time the mass production of Cs4PbBr6 perovskite microcrystal with a Couette-Taylor flow reactor in order to enhance the efficiency of the synthesis reaction. We obtained a pure Cs4PbBr6 perovskite solid within 3 hrs that then realized a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 46%. Furthermore, the Cs4PbBr6 perovskite microcrystal is applied with red emitting K2SiF6 phosphor on a blue-emitting InGaN chip, achieving a high-performance luminescence characteristics of 9.79 lm/W, external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 2.9%, and correlated color temperature (CCT) of 2976 K; therefore, this perovskite is expected to be a promising candidate material for applications in optoelectronic devices.

Synergistically Active NiCo2 S4 Nanoparticles Coupled with Holey Defect Graphene Hydrogel for High-Performance Solid-State Supercapacitors.

Nickel cobalt sulfide nanoparticles embedded in holey defect graphene hydrogel (HGH) that exhibit highly porous structures and uniform nickel cobalt sulfide nanoparticle sizes are successfully prepared by a facile solvothermal-hydrothermal method. As an electrode material for supercapacitors, the as-prepared NiCo2 S4 @HGH shows ultra-high specific capacitances of 1000 F g-1 and 800 F g-1 at 0.5 and 6 A g-1 , respectively, owing to the outstanding electrical conductivity of HGH and high specific capacitance of NiCo2 S4 . After 2100 charge/discharge cycles at a current density of 6 A g-1 , 96.6 % of the specific capacitance was retained, signifying the superb durability of NiCo2 S4 @HGH. Moreover, remarkable specific capacitance (312.6 F g-1 ) and capacity retention (87 % after 5000 cycles) at 6 A g-1 were displayed by the symmetric solid-state supercapacitor fabricated by using NiCo2 S4 @HGH electrodes. These auspicious supercapacitor performances demonstrate that the as-developed solvothermal-hydrothermal approach can be widely used to prepare graphene-coupled binary metal sulfides for high-performance supercapacitor applications.

High-efficiency exfoliation of large-area mono-layer graphene oxide with controlled dimension.

In this work, we introduce a novel and facile method of exfoliating large-area, single-layer graphene oxide using a shearing stress. The shearing stress reactor consists of two concentric cylinders, where the inner cylinder rotates at controlled speed while the outer cylinder is kept stationary. We found that the formation of Taylor vortex flow with shearing stress can effectively exfoliate the graphite oxide, resulting in large-area single- or few-layer graphene oxide (GO) platelets with high yields (>90%) within 60 min of reaction time. Moreover, the lateral size of exfoliated GO sheets was readily tunable by simply controlling the rotational speed of the reactor and reaction time. Our approach for high-efficiency exfoliation of GO with controlled dimension may find its utility in numerous industrial applications including energy storage, conducting composite, electronic device, and supporting frameworks of catalyst.

An All Oxide-Based Imperceptible Thin-Film Transistor with Humidity Sensing Properties.

We have examined the effects of oxygen content and thickness in sputtered InSnO (ITO) electrodes, especially for the application of imperceptible amorphous-InGaZnO (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) in humidity sensors. The imperceptible a-IGZO TFT with 50-nm ITO electrodes deposited at Ar:O2 = 29:0.3 exhibited good electrical performances with Vth of -0.23 V, SS of 0.34 V/dec, µFE of 7.86 cm²/V∙s, on/off ratio of 8.8 × 107, and has no degradation for bending stress up to a 3.5-mm curvature. The imperceptible oxide TFT sensors showed the highest sensitivity for the low and wide gate bias of -1~2 V under a wide range of relative humidity (40-90%) at drain voltage 1 V, resulting in low power consumption by the sensors. Exposure to water vapor led to a negative shift in the threshold voltage (or current enhancement), and an increase in relative humidity induced continuous threshold voltage shift. In particular, compared to conventional resistor-type sensors, the imperceptible oxide TFT sensors exhibited extremely high sensitivity from a current amplification of >10³.