Ferroelectric Interfaces for Dendrite Prevention in Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Aqueous rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are increasingly recognized as promising energy storage systems for mini-grid and mini-off-grid applications due to their advantageous characteristics such as high safety, affordability, and considerable theoretical capacity. However, the long-term cycling performance of ZIBs is hampered by challenges including the uncontrolled dendrite formation, the passivation, and the occurrence of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on the Zn anode. In this study, enhancing ZIB performance by implementing oxide material coatings on Zn metal, serving as a physical barrier at the electrode-electrolyte interfaces to mitigate dendrite growth and suppress the HER is concentrated.

Advanced Porous Gold-PANI Micro-Electrodes for High-Performance On-Chip Micro-Supercapacitors.

The downsizing of microscale energy storage devices is crucial for powering modern on-chip technologies by miniaturizing electronic components. Developing high-performance microscale energy devices, such as micro-supercapacitors, is essential through processing smart electrodes for on-chip structures. In this context, we introduce porous gold (Au) interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) as current collectors for micro-supercapacitors, using polyaniline as the active material.

Planar Zn-Ion Microcapacitors with High-Capacity Activated Carbon Anode and VO (B) Cathode.

The downsizing of microscale energy storage devices plays a crucial role in powering modern emerging devices. Therefore, the scientific focus on developing high-performance microdevices, balancing energy density and power density, becomes essential. In this context, we explore an advanced Microplotter technique to fabricate hybrid planar Zn-ion microcapacitors (ZIMCs) that exhibit dual charge storage characteristics, with an electrical double layer capacitor type activated carbon anode and a battery type VO (B) cathode, aiming to achieve energy density surpassing supercapacitors and power density exceeding batteries.

Photothermal Enhancement of Prussian Blue Cathodes for Li-Ion Batteries.

Photoenhanced batteries, where light improves the electrochemical performance of batteries, have gained much interest. Recent reports suggest that light-to-heat conversion can also play an important role. In this work, we study Prussian blue analogues (PBAs), which are known to have a high photothermal heating efficiency and can be used as cathodes for Li-ion batteries.

A paper-based dual functional biosensor for safe and user-friendly point-of-care urine analysis.

Safe, accurate, and reliable analysis of urinary biomarkers is clinically important for early detection and monitoring of the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), as it has become one of the world's most prevalent non-communicable diseases. However, current technologies for measuring urinary biomarkers are either time-consuming and limited to well-equipped hospitals or lack the necessary sensitivity for quantitative analysis and post a health risk to frontline practitioners. Here we report a robust paper-based dual functional biosensor, which is integrated with the clinical urine sampling vial, for the simultaneous and quantitative analysis of pH and glucose in urine.

Dendrite-Free Zinc Anodes Enabled by Exploring Polar-Face-Rich 2D ZnO Interfacial Layers for Rechargeable Zn-Ion Batteries.

Zinc metal is a promising candidate for anodes in zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs), but its widespread implementation is hindered by dendrite growth in aqueous electrolytes. Dendrites lead to undesirable side reactions, such as hydrogen evolution, passivation, and corrosion, causing reduced capacity during prolonged cycling. In this study, an approach is explored to address this challenge by directly growing 1D zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) and 2D ZnO nanoflakes (NFs) on Zn anodes, forming artificial layers to enhance ZIB performance.

Hydrogenated VO with Improved Optical and Electrochemical Activities for Photo-Accelerated Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Solar power represents an abundant and readily available source of renewable energy. However, its intermittent nature necessitates external energy storage solutions, which can often be expensive, bulky, and associated with energy conversion losses. This study introduces the concept of a photo-accelerated battery that seamlessly integrates energy harvesting and storage functions within a single device.

Interrogating the Light-Induced Charging Mechanism in Li-Ion Batteries Using Optical Microscopy.

Photobatteries, batteries with a light-sensitive electrode, have recently been proposed as a way of simultaneously capturing and storing solar energy in a single device. Despite reports of photocharging with multiple different electrode materials, the overall mechanism of operation remains poorly understood. Here, we use optical reflection microscopy to investigate light-induced charging in LiVO electrodes.

3D Framework Carbon for High-Performance Zinc-Ion Capacitors.

Given the rapid progress and widespread adoption of advanced energy storage devices, there has been a growing interest in aqueous capacitors that offer non-flammable properties and high safety standards. Consequently, extensive research efforts have been dedicated to investigating zinc anodes and low-cost carbonaceous cathode materials. Despite these efforts, the development of high-performance zinc-ion capacitors (ZICs) still faces challenges, such as limited cycling stability and low energy densities.

Photo-enhanced lithium-ion batteries using metal-organic frameworks.

The development of photo-enhanced lithium-ion batteries, where exposing the electrodes to light results in higher capacities, higher rate performance or self-charging, has recently gained substantial traction. The challenge in these devices lies in the realisation of photo-electrodes with good optical and electrochemical properties. Herein, we propose copper-hexahydroxybenzene as the active photo-electrode material which both harvests light and stores energy.

Porous Carbon Coated on Cadmium Sulfide-Decorated Zinc Oxide Nanorod Photocathodes for Photo-accelerated Zinc Ion Capacitors.

The development of devices with dual solar energy-harvesting and storage functionalities has recently gained significant traction for off-grid power supply. In their most compact embodiment, these devices rely on the same electrode to harvest and store energy; however, in this approach, the development of energy-efficient photoelectrodes with intrinsic characteristics of good optical and electrochemical activities remains challenging. Here, we propose photoelectrodes with a porous carbon coated on a zinc oxide-cadmium sulfide heterostructure as an energy-efficient photocathode for photo-accelerated zinc ion capacitors (Photo-ZICs).

Photo-Enhanced Magnesium-Ion Capacitors Using Photoactive Electrodes.

Off-grid power sources are becoming increasingly important for applications ranging from autonomous sensor networks to fighting energy poverty. Interactions of light with certain classes of battery and capacitor materials have recently gained attention to enhance the rate performance or to even charge energy storage devices directly with light. Interestingly, these devices have the potential to reduce the volume and cost of autonomous power sources.

Vanadium dioxide-zinc oxide stacked photocathodes for photo-rechargeable zinc-ion batteries.

The development of batteries that can be recharged directly by light, without the need for external solar cells or external power supplies, has recently gained interest for powering off-grid devices. Vanadium dioxide (VO) has been studied as a promising photocathode for zinc-ion batteries because it can both store energy and harvest light. However, the efficiency of the photocharging process depends on electrode structure and charge transport layers.

Molybdenum Disulfide-Zinc Oxide Photocathodes for Photo-Rechargeable Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Systems for harvesting and storing solar energy have found practical applications ranging from solar farms to autonomous smart devices. Generally, these energy solutions consist of solar cells for light harvesting and rechargeable batteries to match the solar energy supply to consumption demands. Rather than having a separate energy harvesting and storing device, we report photo-rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ν-ZIBs) using a photoactive cathode composed of layer-by-layer grown zinc oxide and molybdenum disulfide.

Light Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries Using VO Cathodes.

Solar energy is one of the most actively pursued renewable energy sources, but like many other sustainable energy sources, its intermittent character means solar cells have to be connected to an energy storage system to balance production and demand. To improve the efficiency of this energy conversion and storage process, photobatteries have recently been proposed where one of the battery electrodes is made from a photoactive material that can directly be charged by light without using solar cells. Here, we present photorechargeable lithium-ion batteries (Photo-LIBs) using photocathodes based on vanadium pentoxide nanofibers mixed with P3HT and rGO additives.

Photo-Rechargeable Zinc-Ion Capacitor Using 2D Graphitic Carbon Nitride.

Off-grid energy storage devices are becoming increasingly important to power distributed applications, such as the Internet of things, and smart city ubiquitous sensor systems. To date, this has been achieved by combining an energy storage device, e.g.

Zinc oxide ultraviolet photodetectors: rapid progress from conventional to self-powered photodetectors.

Currently, the development of ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs) has attracted the attention of the research community because of the vast range of applications of photodetectors in modern society. A variety of wide-band gap nanomaterials have been utilized for UV detection to achieve higher photosensitivity. Specifically, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanomaterials have attracted significant attention primarily due to their additional properties such as piezo-phototronic and pyro-phototronic effects, which allow the fabrication of high-performance and low power consumption-based UV PDs.

Flexible Array of Microsupercapacitor for Additive Energy Storage Performance Over a Large Area.

An on-chip microsupercapacitor (MSC) pattern is obtained by layer-by-layer spray deposition of both manganese dioxide (MnO) nanoparticle-coated carbon nanotubes (MnO-CNTs) and MnO nanosheet-decorated reduced graphene oxide (MnO-rGO) on mechanically robust, flexible polyethylene terephthalate. Layer-by-layer patterning of MSC electrodes offers rapid in-plane diffusion of electrolyte ions in electrodes the layered electrode and hence ultrahigh capacitance and energy density of 7.43 mF/cm (32300 mF/cm) and 0.

Synergistic effect in the heterostructure of ZnCoO and hydrogenated zinc oxide nanorods for high capacitive response.

Herein, a novel heterostructure was fabricated by combining electrochemically and optically active materials to achieve a high capacitive response of 896 F g at 5 A g. A network of ZnCoO nanorods (NRs) was directly grown on a three-dimensional matrix of H : ZnO NRs (ZnCoO/H : ZnO NRs) that offered synergistic advantages by providing an optimum ion/charge transportation path, large electrochemically active surface area, and stable capacitive response during the electrolytic process. Furthermore, the fabricated solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor ZnCoO/H : ZnO NRs//activated carbon induced a large potential window of 1.

Surface photo-charge effect in doped-ZnO nanorods for high-performance self-powered ultraviolet photodetectors.

The unique photo-charge characteristics of chlorine-doped zinc oxide nanorods (Cl-ZnO NRs) are explored for the first time in ultraviolet (UV) photodetector (PD) that offers an outstanding self-powered photoresponse towards low UV illumination signals. A self-powered Cl-ZnO NRs PD exhibits superior photon detection speed of the order of a few ms with high sensitivity and photoelasticity. Therefore, the presented PD opens up a novel route to fabricate highly efficient self-powered PDs on a large scale without employing complex multilayer systems.

Influence of charge traps in carbon nanodots on gas interaction.

The nonlinear electrical characteristic of carbon nanodots (CNDs) has revealed important physical phenomena of charge trapping playing a dominant role in surface interactions. Functional groups on the surface of CNDs attract ambient water molecules which in turn act as charge traps and give rise to electrical hysteresis that plays a dominant role in understanding charge transport in CNDs on surface interactions. Hysteresis in the current-voltage response is further utilized to study the interaction of the CNDs with nitrogen dioxide gas as an external stimuli.

Conjugated assembly of colloidal zinc oxide quantum dots and multiwalled carbon nanotubes for an excellent photosensitive ultraviolet photodetector.

Conjugation of highly dense colloidal zinc oxide quantum dots (ZnO QDs) on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (ZnO QDs@MWCNTs) is achieved for high performance ultraviolet (UV) photodetection. Significant improvement in the photoresponse of the ZnO QDs@MWCNTs photodetector (PD) is established as compared to a pristine ZnO QDs PD. The conjugation of two constituents allows the direct transfer of photoinduced charge carriers in ZnO QDs to MWCNTs for an efficient electrical path that considerably reduces charge recombination during UV exposure.

Energy-Efficient Hydrogenated Zinc Oxide Nanoflakes for High-Performance Self-Powered Ultraviolet Photodetector.

Light absorption efficiency and doping induced charge carrier density play a vital role in self-powered optoelectronic devices. Unique vanadium-doped zinc oxide nanoflake array (VZnO NFs) is fabricated for self-powered ultraviolet (UV) photodetection. The light harvesting efficiency drastically improved from 84% in ZnO NRs to 98% in VZnO NFs.