Graphitic carbon-encapsulated V2O5 nanocomposites as a superb photocatalyst for crystal violet degradation.

To materialize the excellent photocatalyst for crystal violet dye-degradation, the graphitic carbon-encapsulated vanadium pentoxide (GC-V2O5) nanocomposites were synthesized through the simple sonication method by using the green tea waste-derived GC nanoflakes and the sonochemically synthesized V2O5 nanorods. The nanocomposites were confirmed to comprise an aggregated morphology, in which the orthorhombic V2O5 nanorods were well anchored with the intertwingled GC nanoflakes. Owing to the encapsulation of defective V2O5 by conductive GC, the GC-V2O5 nanocomposites exhibited the enhanced photocatalytic dye-degradation efficiency up to 98.4% within 105 min. Namely, the encapsulated GC nanosheets might compensate the native defects (i.e., charge traps) on the V2O5 surface; hence, the charge transport could be enhanced during the dye-degradation process while the photocarrier recombination could be suppressed. The results suggest the conducting layer-encapsulated semiconducting oxide nanocomposites (e.g., GC-V2O5) to be of good use for future green environmental technology, particularly, as a superb photocatalyst for dye degradation.

Stretchable and Self-Healable Poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) Elastomer with Metal-Ligand Coordination Complexes.

Recently, soft electronics have attracted significant attention for various applications such as flexible devices, artificial electronic skins, and wearable devices. For practical applications, the key requirements are an appropriate electrical conductivity and excellent elastic properties. Herein, using the cyano-silver complexes resulting from coordination bonds between the nitrile group of poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (SAN) and Ag ions, a self-healing elastomer demonstrating electrical conductivity is obtained. Because of these coordination complexes, the Ag-SAN elastomer possesses elasticity, compared with pristine SAN. The fracture strain of the Ag-SAN elastomers increased with the amount of added Ag ions, reaching up to 1000%. Additionally, owing to the presence of reversible coordination bonds, the elastomer exhibits self-healing properties at room temperature and electrical conductivity, thereby improving the possibility of its utilization in novel applications wherein elastic materials are generally exposed to external stimuli.

Graphene Oxide Monolayer as a Compatibilizer at the Polymer-Polymer Interface for Stabilizing Polymer Bilayer Films against Dewetting.

We investigate the effect of adding graphene oxide (GO) sheets at the polymer-polymer interface on the dewetting dynamics and compatibility of immiscible polymer bilayer films. GO monolayers are deposited at the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-polystyrene (PS) interface by the Langmuir-Schaefer technique. GO monolayers are found to significantly inhibit the dewetting behavior of both PMMA films (on PS substrates) and PS films (on PMMA substrates). This can be interpreted in terms of an interfacial interaction between the GO sheets and these polymers, which is evidenced by the reduced contact angle of the dewet droplets. The favorable interaction of GO with both PS and PMMA facilitates compatibilization of the immiscible polymer bilayer films, thereby stabilizing their bilayer films against dewetting. This compatibilization effect is verified by neutron reflectivity measurements, which reveal that the addition of GO monolayers broadens the interface between PS and the deuterated PMMA films by 2.2 times over that of the bilayer in the absence of GO.

Long-term stability of CdSe/CdZnS quantum dot encapsulated in a multi-lamellar microcapsule.

We developed a novel and easy encapsulation method for quantum dots (QDs) using a partially oxidized semi-crystalline polymeric material which forms a micron-sized granule with a multi-lamellar structure from a dilute solution. The QDs were highly dispersed in the granule in such a way that they were adsorbed on the lamella with ∼12 nm spacing followed by lamellar stacking. The QDs were heavily loaded into the granule to 16.7 wt% without aggregation, a process which took only a few minutes. We found that the quantum yield of the QDs was not degraded after the encapsulation. The encapsulated QD-silicone composite exhibited excellent long-term photo- and thermal stability with its initial photoluminescence intensity maintained after blue LED light radiation for 67 days and storage at 85 °C and 85% relative humidity for 119 days.

Competitive adsorption of metals onto magnetic graphene oxide: comparison with other carbonaceous adsorbents.

Competitive adsorption isotherms of Cu(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II) were examined on a magnetic graphene oxide (GO), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and powered activated carbon (PAC). A series of analyses confirmed the successful synthesis of the magnetic GO based on a simple ultrasonification method. Irrespective of the adsorbents, the adsorption was highly dependent on pH, and the adsorption was well described by the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacities of the adsorbents were generally higher in the order of Pb(II)>Cu(II)>Cd(II), which is the same as the degree of the electronegativity and the hydrated radius of the metals, suggesting that the metal adsorption may be governed by an ion exchange between positively charged metals and negatively charged surfaces, as well as diffusion of metals into the surface layer. The adsorption of each metal was mostly lower for multi- versus single-metal systems. The antagonistic effects were influenced by solution pH as well as the type of metals, and they were higher in the order of the magnetic GO>MWCNT>PAC. Dissolved HS played a greater role than HS adsorbed onto the adsorbents, competing with the adsorption sites for metal complexation.

Differences in cognitive function and daily living skills between early- and late-stage schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVES: Cognitive dysfunction is a core feature of schizophrenia; deficits often manifest prior to diagnosis and persist throughout the course of the illness. This study was performed to assess the difference in cognitive function and daily living skills between the early- and late-stage schizophrenia. METHODS: Fifty-five clinically stable patients with schizophrenia were recruited (25 with < 5-year and 30 with > 5-year disease durations). We evaluated subjects' clinical states, cognitive function, and psychosocial factors. The Korean versions of MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery and UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment were used for evaluating cognitive function and daily living skills. Chi-square, Wilcoxon rank sum, and t-tests were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The two groups did not differ for most demographic variables. No significant differences between groups were found for clinical symptoms, psychosocial factors, or non-social cognitive domains. However, the early-stage group had higher social cognition domain scores than the late-stage group (p = 0.01). Early-stage patients scored significantly higher than those in the late-stage group did in the communication and comprehension/planning domains (p = 0.037 and 0.027, respectively), and total score (p = 0.003) of the Performance-based Skills Assessment. CONCLUSIONS: We observed significant differences between patients with early- and late-stage illness with regard to social cognition and performance-based skills.

Morphology control of surfactant-assisted graphene oxide films at the liquid-gas interface.

Control of a two-dimensional (2D) structure of assembled graphene oxide (GO) sheets is highly desirable for fundamental research and potential applications of graphene devices. We show that an alkylamine surfactant, i.e., octadecylamine (ODA), Langmuir monolayer can be utilized as a template for adsorbing highly hydrophilic GO sheets in an aqueous subphase at the liquid-gas interface. The densely packed 2-D monolayer of such complex films was obtained on arbitrary substrates by applying Langmuir-Schaefer or Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Morphology control of GO sheets was also achieved upon compression by tuning the amount of spread ODA molecules. We found that ODA surfactant monolayers prevent GO sheets from sliding, resulting in formation of wrinkling rather than overlapping at the liquid-gas interface during the compression. The morphology structures did not change after a graphitization procedure of chemical hydrazine reduction and thermal annealing treatments. Since morphologies of graphene films are closely correlated to the performance of graphene-based materials, the technique employed in this study can provide a route for applications requiring wrinkled graphenes, ranging from nanoelectronic devices to energy storage materials, such as supercapacitors and fuel cell electrodes.

Construction of a uniform zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF-8) nanocrystal through a wet chemical route towards supercapacitor application.

Exploring larger surface area electrode materials is crucial for the development of an efficient supercapacitors (SCs) with superior electrochemical performance. Herein, a cost-effective strategy was adopted to synthesize a series of ZIF8 nanocrystals, and their size effect as a function of surface area was also examined. The resultant ZIF8-4 nanocrystal exhibits a uniform hexagonal structure with a large surface area (2800 m2 g-1) and nanometre size while maintaining a yield as high as 78%. The SCs performance was explored by employing different aqueous electrolytes (0.5 M H2SO4 and 1 M KOH) in a three-electrode set-up. The SC performance using a basic electrolyte (1 M KOH) was superior owing to the high ionic mobility of K+. The optimized ZIF8-4 nanocrystal electrode showed a faradaic reaction with a highest capacitance of 1420 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 of current density compared to other as-prepared electrodes in the three-electrode assembly. In addition, the resultant ZIF8-4 was embedded into a symmetric supercapacitor (SSC), and the device offered 350 F g-1 of capacitance with a maximum energy and power density of 43.7 W h kg-1 and 900 W kg-1 at 1 A g-1 of current density, respectively. To determine the practical viewpoint and real-world applications of the ZIF8-4 SSC device, 7000 GCD cycles were performed at 10 A g-1 of current density. Significantly, the device exhibited a cycling stability around 90% compared to the initial capacitance. Therefore, these findings provide a pathway for constructing large surface area ZIF8-based electrodes for high-value-added energy storage applications, particularly supercapacitors.

Synchronously enhancing thermal conductivity and dielectric properties in epoxy composites via incorporation of functionalized boron nitride.

Polymer-like dielectrics with superb thermal conductivity as well as high dielectric properties hold great promise for the modern electronic field. Nevertheless, integrating these properties into a single material simultaneously remains problematic due to their mutually limited physical connotations. In this study, we developed high-quality thermally conductive epoxy composites with excellent dielectric properties. This was achieved by incorporating surface-functionalized microscale hexagonal boron nitride (BN) along with N-[3-(Trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylene diamine (DN) and N-[3-(Trimethoxysilyl)propyl]aniline (PN). In the resulting epoxy composite, microscale BN serves as the primary building block for establishing the thermally conductive network, while silica particles act as bridges to regulate heat transfer and reduce interfacial phonon-scattering. The prepared composites were thoroughly examined across various filler contents (ranging from 10 to 80 wt%). Among them, the DNBN/epoxy composite exhibited higher thermal conductivity (in-plane: 47.03 W m-1 K-1) at 60 wt% filler content compared to BN/epoxy (39.40 W m-1 K-1) and PNBN/epoxy (33 W m-1 K-1) composites. These results highlight the usefulness of surface modification of BN in improving compatibility between fillers and epoxy, ultimately reducing composite viscosity. Furthermore, the DNBN/epoxy composite at 60 wt% demonstrated superb dielectric constant (∼6.15) without compromising on dissipation loss (∼0.06). The strategy adopted in this study offers significant insights into designing dielectric thermally conductive composites with superior performance outcomes.

Tunning the Zeolitic Imidazole Framework (ZIF8) through the Wet Chemical Route for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Utilizing zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) poses a significant challenge that demands a facile synthesis method to produce uniform and nanometer-scale materials with high surface areas while achieving high yields. Herein, we demonstrate a facile and cost-effective strategy to systematically produce ZIF8 nanocrystals. Typically, ZIF8 nanocrystal synthesis involves a wet chemical route. As the reaction time decreased (150, 120, and 90 min), the size of the ZIF8 crystals decreased with uniform morphology, and productivity reached as high as 89%. The composition of the product was confirmed through XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, EDS, and Raman spectroscopy. The ZIF8 synthesized with different reaction time was finally employed for catalyzing the electrochemical hydrogen evaluation reaction (HER). The optimized ZIF8-3 obtained at 90 min of reaction time exhibited a superior catalytic action on the HER in alkaline medium, along with a remarkably long-term stability for 24 h compared with the other ZIF8 nanocrystals obtained at different reaction times. Specifically, the optimized ZIF8-3 sample revealed an HER overpotential of 172 mV and a Tafel slope of 104.15 mV·dec-1. This finding, thus, demonstrates ZIF8 as a promising electrocatalyst for the production of high-value-added green and sustainable hydrogen energy.

Fabrication of Ru loaded MgB2 with guar gum hybrid for photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet.

Today, dyes/pigment-based materials are confronting a serious issue in harming marine ecology. Annihilate these serious water pollutants using photoactive 2D nanohybrid catalysts showed promising comparativeness over available photocatalysts. In the present work, a facile route to decorate Ruthenium (Ru) on 2D MgB2 flower-like nanostructures was developed via ecofriendly guar gum biopolymer substantial template (MgB2/GG@Ru NFS) and its photocatalytic performance was reported. Synthesis of MgB2@Ru, MgB2/GG@Ru NFS and commercial MgB2, was studied by FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, AFM, TEM, UV-vis spectra, and XPS analysis. From the results, the MgB2/GG@Ru NFS exhibited a superior photocatalytic performance (99.7 %) than its precursors MgB2@Ru (79.7 %), and MgB2 (53.7 %), with the degradation efficiency of the crystal violet (CV) within 100 min under visible light irradiation. The proposed photo-catalyst MgB2/GG@Ru NFS showed negligible loss of photocatalytic activity even after five successive cycles, revealing its reusability and enhanced stability due to the network structure. The photocatalytic mechanism for MgB2/GG@Ru NFS was evaluated by trapping experiment of active species, verifying that superoxide (O2-) and electron (e-) contributed significant role in the dye degradation.

Fabrication of Fe3O4-incorporated MnO2 nanoflowers as electrodes for enhanced asymmetric supercapacitor performance.

Manganese dioxide (MnO2) is considered a promising aspirant for energy storage materials on account of its higher theoretical capacitance along with low capital cost. However, its performance is generally limited by its poor lifespan and intrinsic conductivity. In this study, MnO2-incorporated iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoflowers were synthesized through a facile hydrothermal route and their electrochemical performance was probed. The surface composition and morphology of the as-synthesized samples were confirmed using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and field emission scanning microscopy. The nanoflower-like structure and synergistic effect between the two oxides of the as-prepared MnO2@Fe3O4 nanocomposite electrode result in desirable surface area and intrinsic conductivity. Owing to its higher surface area and electrical conductivity, the MnO2@Fe3O4 nanoflower-like nanocomposite exhibits an enhanced specific capacitance (Cs) of 1651 F g-1 (1 A g-1) in a three-electrode test cell, which is two-fold higher than those of pristine Fe3O4 and MnO2. In addition, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) was readily constructed by sandwiching a cellulose membrane (separator) between MnO2@Fe3O4 (cathode) and activated carbon (anode). Significantly, the ASC displayed a high Cs of 131 F g-1 (1 A g-1) along with a pretty high cycling stability of 96% over 5000 cycles at 15 A g-1 and a high energy density of 46.6 Wh kg-1 at 0.8 kW kg-1. These results demonstrate the significant potential of the MnO2@Fe3O4 nanoflower ASC device for state-of-the-art futuristic advanced energy storage applications.

Correction: Fabrication of Fe3O4-incorporated MnO2 nanoflowers as electrodes for enhanced asymmetric supercapacitor performance.

Correction for 'Fabrication of Fe3O4-incorporated MnO2 nanoflowers as electrodes for enhanced asymmetric supercapacitor performance' by Iqra Rabani et al., Dalton Trans., 2022, https://doi.org/10.1039/D2DT01942F.

A Facile Design of Solution-Phase Based VS2 Multifunctional Electrode for Green Energy Harvesting and Storage.

This work reports the fabrication of vanadium sulfide (VS2) microflower via one-step solvo-/hydro-thermal process. The impact of ethylene glycol on the VS2 morphology and crystal structure as well as the ensuing influences on electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and supercapacitor performance are explored and compared with those of the VS2 obtained from the standard pure-aqueous and pure-ethylene glycol solvents. The optimized VS2 obtained from the ethylene glycol and water mixed solvents exhibits a highly ordered unique assembly of petals resulting a highly open microflower structure. The electrode based on the optimized VS2 and exhibits a promising HER electrocatalysis in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 1 M KOH electrolytes, attaining a low overpotential of 161 and 197 mV, respectively, at 10 mA.cm-2 with a small Tafel slope 83 and 139 mVdec-1. In addition, the optimized VS2 based electrode exhibits an excellent electrochemical durability over 13 h. Furthermore, the superior VS2 electrode based symmetric supercapacitor delivers a specific capacitance of 139 Fg-1 at a discharging current density of 0.7 Ag-1 and exhibits an enhanced energy density of 15.63 Whkg-1 at a power density 0.304 kWkg-1. Notably, the device exhibits the capacity retention of 86.8% after 7000 charge/discharge cycles, demonstrating a high stability of the VS2 electrode.

Sonochemically exfoliated polymer-carbon nanotube interface for high performance supercapacitors.

Energy storage characteristics of organic molecules continue to attract attention for supercapacitor applications, as they offer simple processing and can be employed for flexible devices. The current study utilized the ultrasonically driven exfoliation to obtain poly diketo pyrrolopyrrole-thieno thiophene (PDPT) and multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) composite, subsequently fabricated a PDPT donor-π-acceptor heterojunction with CNT and investigated energy storage applications. The composite was characterized using series of standard analytical techniques. Morphology indicated well alighted CNT tubes on PDPT polymer nanosheets with an effective interface, providing efficient electrochemical regions, enabling fast charge transfer between PDPT and CNT. We also investigated the PDPT-CNT composite electrochemical behavior, achieving 319.2 and 105.7F.g-1 capacitances for PDPT-CNT and PDPT at 0.5 A.g-1 current density for three electrode configurations; and 126 and 42F.g-1 for symmetric structures, respectively. Experimental results confirmed that PDPT-CNT composite electrodes achieved two fold the capacitance compared with PDPT alone. The hypothesis and synthetic approach provide an excellent candidate for conjugated polymers with carbon nanotubes and energy related devices.

Visible light-driven photocatalytic rapid degradation of organic contaminants engaging manganese dioxide-incorporated iron oxide three dimensional nanoflowers.

Water pollution via hazardous organic pollutants poses a high threat to the environment and globally imperils aquatic life and human health. Therefore, the elimination of toxic organic waste from water sources is vital to ensure a healthy green environment. In the current work, we synthesized α-MnO2-Fe3O4 3D-flower like structure using a two-step hydrothermal method and explored the combination in a visible-light-assisted photocatalytic degrdation of dyes. The attained high specific surface area of 82 m2/g with mesoporous nature of α-MnO2 and Fe3O4 together can generate more active sites after exposure to visible light, leading to remarkable photodegradation performance. Significantly, twofold higher dye (methylene blue, MB (94.8%/120 min; crystal violet, CV (93.7%/120 min)) and drug (LVO 91%/90 min) photodegradations were observed with α-MnO2-Fe3O4 as catalyst than pure α-MnO2 and Fe3O4 at pH 6, respectively. This is attributed to the higher surface area and synergistic effect between Mn and Fe. More than 85% stability was observed with optimized catalysts employing MB and CV dyes, demonstrating the excellent reusability of the α-MnO2-Fe3O4. The underlying mechanism indicates that the formation of reactive oxygen species predominantly plays a role in the photodegradation of dyes under visible light. Consequently, these new insights will shed light on the practical applications of the α-MnO2-Fe3O4 3D-flower-like spherical structure for eco-friendly remediation via wastewater treatment.

Enhanced photocatalytic crystal-violet degradation performances of sonochemically-synthesized AC-CeO2 nanocomposites.

Semiconductor-based photocatalysis is one of the favorable techniques for the wastewater treatment. Herein, we synthesized the activated carbon-decorated cerium dioxide (AC-CeO2) nanocomposites via the facile ultrasonication method by using the biomass-derived AC nanoflakes and the sonochemically-synthesized CeO2 nanoparticles. The AC-CeO2 nanocomposites exhibited the aggregated morphology with the AC nanoflakes-anchored CeO2 nanoparticles. Since the hybridization of conductive AC and semiconductive CeO2 would lead to the increased photocarrier transport and the reduced photocarrier recombination, during the photocatalytic reaction, the AC-CeO2 nanocomposites showed the enhanced crystal violet dye-degradation efficiency up to 97.9 % within 135 min. The results suggest that the AC-CeO2 nanocomposites hold promise as a prominent photocatalyst for future green environmental technology.

Titanium dioxide incorporated in cellulose nanofibers with enhanced UV blocking performance by eliminating ROS generation.

The preparation of sunblocks with dispersion stability, ultraviolet blocking, and photocompatibility remains a considerable challenge. Plant-derived natural polymers, such as cellulose nanofibers (CNF), show versatile traits, including long aspect ratio, hydrophilic nature, resource abundance, and low material cost. In the present study, a facile and cost-effective strategy is reported for the fabrication of nanostructured inorganic materials by incorporating natural polymers as interspersed, systematically nanosized titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles onto CNF. Among all experiments, the optimized TiO2@CNF3 showed higher ultraviolet blocking performance and less whitening effect. The outstanding performance is attributed to the engineering of equally dispersed nano-sized TiO2 particles on the CNF surface and stable dispersion. Significantly, TiO2@CNF3 exhibited excellent compatibility with avobenzone (80%), an oil-soluble ingredient used in sunblock products, illustrating the photoprotection enhancement under ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB). Moreover, only 14.8% rhodamine B (Rho-B) dye degraded through photocatalytic oxidation process with the TiO2@CNF3, which is negligible photocatalytic activity compared to that of TiO2 (95% dye degraded). Furthermore, commercial inorganic and organic sunblock products with SPF lifetimes of 35+ and 50+ were modified using CNF, significantly enhancing the transmittance performance compared to that of the pure sunblock. However, it was also observed that hydrophilic CNF tended to demulsify the creams due to electrostatic disequilibrium. This CNF-based modified TiO2 system is a new window to replace effective sunblock products in high-value-added applications, such as cosmetics.

A facile mechanochemical preparation of Co3O4@g-C3N4 for application in supercapacitors and degradation of pollutants in water.

Our study is aimed at synthesizing cobalt oxide (Co3O4) with graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) to form a Co3O4@g-C3N4 hybrid through a green mechanochemical one-pot synthetic approach for manufacturing efficient supercapacitor electrodes and photocatalysts. In the present study, the Co3O4@g-C3N4 hybrid revealed a significantly higher specific capacitance (Cs) (of ~ 457.2 Fg-1 at a current density of 1 Ag-1) than that of the pristine Co3O4, which proved its pseudocapacitive behavior, with a couple of redox peaks observed in three electrode measurements (obtained by using a 3.0-M KOH aqueous electrolyte). The optimized Co3O4@g-C3N4 hybrid was further embedded for a symmetric supercapacitor performance, delivering an excellent Cs of ~ 92 Fg-1 at a current density of 1 Ag-1; this was supplemented with a remarkable cycling stability (~ 92% over 5000 cycles). The Co3O4@g-C3N4 hybrid was further examined for photocatalysis activity using a rhodamine B (RhB) dye, and more than 95% RhB dye was degraded through the photocatalytic reduction process (after 60 min of UV irradiation). This Co3O4@g-C3N4 hybrid catalyst exhibited excellent reusability and stability and appears to be a highly efficient, cost-effective, eco-friendly, and reusable catalyst; the g-C3N4 present with the Co3O4 acted as a conductive nano-network, leading to a higher capacitive and photocatalytic performance.

Highly dispersive Co3O4 nanoparticles incorporated into a cellulose nanofiber for a high-performance flexible supercapacitor.

Transition metal oxides used as electrode materials for flexible supercapacitors have attracted huge attention due to their high specific capacitance and surface-to-volume ratio, specifically for cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanoparticles. However, the low intrinsic electronic conductivity and aggregation of Co3O4 nanoparticles restrict their electrochemical performance and prevent these electrode materials from being commercialized. Herein, a facile, advantageous, and cost effective sol-gel synthetic route for growing Co3O4 nanoparticles uniformly over a low cost and eco-friendly one-dimensional (1D) hydrophilic cellulose nanofiber (CNF) surface has been reported. This exhibits high conductivity, which enables the symmetric electrode to deliver a high specific capacitance of ∼214 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 with remarkable cycling behavior (∼94% even after 5000 cycles) compared to that of pristine CNF and Co3O4 electrodes in an aqueous electrolyte. Furthermore, the binder-free nature of 1D Co3O4@CNF (which was carbonized at 200 °C for about 20 min under a H2/Ar atmosphere) shows great potential as a hybrid flexible paper-like electrode and provides a high specific capacitance of 80 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 with a superior energy density of 10 W h kg-1 in the gel electrolyte. This study provides a novel pathway, using a hydrophilic 1D CNF, for realizing the full potential of Co3O4 nanoparticles as advanced electrode materials for next generation flexible electronic devices.