Exploring supercapacitance of solvothermally synthesized N-rGO sheet: role of N-doping and the insight mechanism.

We demonstrate the method of achieving excellent supercapacitance in nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) sheets by controlling the amount of N-content through the use of different ratios of GO and urea during solvothermal synthesis. Here, urea plays a dual role in reducing GO and simultaneously doping nitrogen into the GO flakes forming exfoliated N-rGO sheets. The nitrogen content in N-rGO samples rises with an increase in the amounts of urea and saturates at a value of ∼14% for the GO : urea ratios beyond 1 : 8.

Mechanistic insights into the optical limiting performance of carbonaceous nanomaterials embedded with core-shell type graphite encapsulated Co nanoparticles.

Globular amorphous carbonaceous materials embedded with graphite encapsulated metallic Co-nanoparticles with a high degree of crystallinity are synthesized by pyrolysis and demonstrated as excellent candidates for optical limiters. The amount of metal precursor (Co-acetylacetonate) used with toluene for pyrolysis is chosen as a strategy to control the degree of graphitization of graphene-like shells around the embedded Co-nanoparticles and also the crystallinity of these Co nanoparticles in the samples. The graphitic shell with an optimum amount of defects tunes the electronic properties of these nanomaterials, providing the electronic states required for the enhancement of nonlinear optical absorption (NLA) through an excited state absorption (ESA) process.

Low temperature dielectric properties and NTCR behavior of the BaFeNbO double perovskite ceramic.

The double perovskite-structured barium iron niobate (BaFeNbO, BFN), a lead-free ferroelectric, shows a very high dielectric constant value. We report here the temperature dependent dielectric permittivity, impedance and electric modulus behavior of the BFN ceramic studied between 300 K and 20 K. The phase-pure BFN powder sample was synthesized using a conventional solid state reaction route.

Enhancing absorption dominated microwave shielding in Co@C-PVDF nanocomposites through improved magnetization and graphitization of the Co@C-nanoparticles.

Using composites of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and carbon nanostructures embedded with Co-nanoparticles we demonstrate that electromagnetic shielding effectiveness depends strongly on the graphitic carbon concentration and the magnetic properties of Co-particles. Cobalt nanoparticles encapsulated by graphitic carbon embedded in an amorphous carbon-matrix were synthesized by a one-pot pyrolysis method at two different synthesis temperatures, TS = 800 °C (Co-800) and 1000 °C (Co-1000). We demonstrate that TS plays an important role in determining the structure, morphology and magnetic properties of the carbonaceous matrix, the graphite layer and the Co nanoparticles.

Structural transformations and physical properties of (1 - x) NaBiTiO - x BaTiO solid solutions near a morphotropic phase boundary.

Piezoelectric and other physical properties are significantly enhanced at (or near) a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) in ferroelectrics. MPB materials have attracted significant attention owing to both fundamental physics as well as the possibility of well-regulated energy and information storage devices which are dominated by lead (Pb)-based materials. Here, we report the crystal structure, Raman spectra, dielectric constant and polarization near the MPB of lead free (1  -  x) NaBiTiO  -  x BaTiO (0.

Carbon encapsulated nanoscale iron/iron-carbide/graphite particles for EMI shielding and microwave absorption.

Homogenously dispersed nanoparticles having a magnetic core and graphitic-carbon shells in amorphous carbon globules are prepared using a low-cost pyrolysis technique. Synergetic microwave absorption in carbon globules embedded with nanoscale iron/iron-carbide graphite (FeC) particles via dielectric, magnetic and Ohmic losses is emphasized in this work. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties of the FeC nanoparticles dispersed in polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) are studied in the 8-18 GHz frequency range and compared with those of PVDF composites containing similar weight fractions of conducting/magnetic phase micro-particles such as carbonyl iron (CI) or electrolytic iron (EI) or a similar amount of amorphous carbon phase such as amorphous carbon (a-C) globules.

Electromagnetically induced transparency with resonant nuclei in a cavity.

The manipulation of light-matter interactions by quantum control of atomic levels has had a profound impact on optical sciences. Such manipulation has many applications, including nonlinear optics at the few-photon level, slow light, lasing without inversion and optical quantum information processing. The critical underlying technique is electromagnetically induced transparency, in which quantum interference between transitions in multilevel atoms renders an opaque medium transparent near an atomic resonance.

Collective Lamb shift in single-photon superradiance.

Superradiance, the cooperative spontaneous emission of photons from an ensemble of identical atoms, provides valuable insights into the many-body physics of photons and atoms. We show that an ensemble of resonant atoms embedded in the center of a planar cavity can be collectively excited by synchrotron radiation into a purely superradiant state. The collective coupling of the atoms via the radiation field leads to a substantial radiative shift of the transition energy, the collective Lamb shift.