Keeping global warming at 2 degrees and below as stated in the "Paris Climate Agreement" and minimizing emissions can only be achieved by establishing a hydrogen (H) ecosystem. Therefore, H technologies stand out in terms of accomplishing zero net emissions. Although H is the most abundant element in the known universe, molecular H is very rare in nature and must be produced.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent advances in nanoparticle materials can facilitate the electro-reduction of carbon dioxide (CO) to form valuable products with high selectivity. Copper (Cu)-based electrodes are promising candidates to drive efficient and selective CO reduction. However, the application of Cu-based chalcopyrite semiconductors in the electrocatalytic reduction of CO is still limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhotoassisted energy storage systems, which enable both the conversion and storage of solar energy, have attracted attention in recent years. These systems, which started about 20 years ago with the individual production of dye-sensitized solar cells and capacitors and their integration, today allow more compact and cost-effective designs using dual-acting electrodes. Solar-assisted batterylike or hybrid supercapacitors have also shown promise with their high energy densities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHighly stable platinum (Pt) and ruthenium (Ru)-based catalysts on titanium oxide (TiO) nanoparticle support were prepared. The productivity of hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride (NaBH) hydrolysis was observed to be as high as 95%. The activation energies for the hydrolysis reaction in the presence of Ru/TiO in aqueous and alkaline solutions were 62.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, three different morphologies, nanoflower (NF), nano sponge (NS), and nano urchin (NU), of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were synthesized successfully via a mild hydrothermal method. After synthesis, the samples were annealed in the atmosphere at 300, 600, and 800 °C. Although annealing provides different degradation kinetics for different morphologies, ZnO NS performed significantly better than other morphologies for all annealing temperatures we used in the study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) powders in two different morphologies, nanowire (NW) and nanoflower (NF), have been synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The eligibility of the pristine ZnO nanopowders as a photo-active material has been revealed by designing P-SC devices via the facile drop-casting method on both glass and plastic substrates in large-area applications. The impact of physical properties and especially defect structures on photo-supercapacitor (P-SC) performance have been explored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
November 2020
The malfunctioning in the release of acetylcholine (ACh), leading to consequential damages in the neural system, has become an impulsion for the development of numerous progressive transport and detection gadgets. However, several challenges, such as laterality and complexity of transport devices, low precision of amperometric detection systems, and sumptuous, multistaged enzymatic quantification methods, have not yet been overcome. Herein, ionomers, because of their selective ion transporting nature, are chosen as suitable candidates for being implemented into both targeted ACh delivery and sensing systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were synthesized in the form of nanoparticles, nanoflowers and nanourchins. Structural, electronic and optical characterization of the samples was performed via standard techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence, Raman and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. Point defect structures which are specific to each morphology have been investigated in terms of their concentration and location via state-of-the-art electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this report, the growth of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystals with various morphologies, nanoflower, nanosheet, and nanorod, on flexible stainless steel (SS) foils to be utilized as photoanodes in photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cells has been presented. It has been aimed to provide flexibility and adaptability for the next generation systems with the incorporation of SS foils as electrode into PEC cells. Therefore, physical deformation tests have been applied to the prepared ZnO thin film photoanodes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThin-film ruthenium (Ru) and copper (Cu) binary alloys have been prepared on a Teflon™ backing layer by cosputtering of the precious and nonprecious metals, respectively. Alloys were then selectively dealloyed by sulfuric acid as an etchant, and their hydrogen generation catalysts performances were evaluated. Sputtering time and power of Cu atoms have been varied in order to tailor the hydrogen generation performances.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBy using an easy and effective method of depositing conjugated polymers (PEDOT:PSS) on flexible substrates, a new design for organic bioelectronic devices has been developed. The purpose was to build up a system that mimics the motion of neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft by obtaining an electrical to chemical signal transport. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Raman measurements have demonstrated that electrochemical overoxidation region which separates the pristine PEDOT:PSS electrodes and allows ionic conduction has been achieved successfully.
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