The influence of surface area, porous structure, and surface state on the supercapacitor performance of titanium oxynitride: implications for a nanostructuring strategy.

A recent surge of interest in metal (oxy)nitride materials for energy storage devices has given rise to the rapid development of various nanostructuring strategies for these materials. In supercapacitor applications, early transition metal (oxy)nitrides have been extensively explored, among which titanium oxynitride stands out due to its great potential for charge storage. Despite recent advances in supercapacitors based on titanium oxynitride, many underlying factors governing their capacitive performance remain elusive.

Control of morphology and defect density in zinc oxide for improved dye-sensitized solar cells.

While zinc oxide (ZnO) with a mesoporous network has long been explored for adsorption of dyes and as an electron-transporting medium in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the performance of ZnO-based DSSCs remains unsatisfactory. Despite the importance of understanding the surface characteristics of ZnO in DSSC applications, most of the studies relevant to ZnO-based DSSCs are focused on the synthesis of unique nanostructures of ZnO. In this study, we not only introduce a novel disk-shaped ZnO nanostructure, but also provide insight into the distinctive surface properties of ZnO and its influence on DSSC performance.