One Precursor, Two Different Outcomes: SnO-Graphite Composite and Anion-Doped SnO with Ester Surface Functionality.

The technological importance of SnO and SnO has invited scientists to explore various aspects, including their synthesis in the nanosize regime, surface functionalization, and composite formation. In the present work, a binuclear Sn-EDTA complex has been demonstrated to produce a SnO-graphite composite and C, N-codoped SnO nanocrystals with ester functionality in quantitative yields by thermal and solvothermal dissociation processes. The products were characterized extensively.

Quasi-2D BiLnO (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu): reversible iodine intercalation and their evaluation as the anode in the lithium-ion battery system.

Layered materials with a robust structure and reversible intercalation behavior are highly sought-after in applications involving energy conversion and storage systems, energy converting devices, supercapacitors, batteries, superconductors, photonic materials, and catalysis involving hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), solar cells and sensors. In the current study, quasi-2D rhombohedral BiLnO (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, and Eu) samples, synthesized by a solution combustion route, have been demonstrated to intercalate iodine reversibly. A solid-vapor reaction was employed to intercalate iodine at moderate temperatures, and deintercalation occurred on heating at higher temperatures.

Metal Coated Polypropylene Separator with Enhanced Surface Wettability for High Capacity Lithium Metal Batteries.

Lithium metal batteries are among the strong contenders to meet the increasing energy demands of the modern world. Metallic lithium (Li) is light in weight, possesses very low standard negative electrochemical potential and offers an enhanced theoretical capacity (3860 mA h g). As a negative electrode Li paves way to explore variety of elements including oxygen, sulfur and various other complex oxides as potential positive electrodes with a promise of much higher energy densities than that of conventional positive electrodes.

An insight into the origin of room-temperature ferromagnetism in SnO and Mn-doped SnO quantum dots: an experimental and DFT approach.

SnO and Mn-doped SnO single-phase tetragonal crystal structure quantum dots (QDs) of uniform size with control over dopant composition and microstructure were synthesized using the high pressure microwave synthesis technique. On a broader vision, we systematically investigated the influence of dilute Mn ions in SnO under the strong quantum confinement regime through various experimental techniques and density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations to disclose the physical mechanism governing the observed ferromagnetism. DFT calculations revealed that the formation of the stable (001) surface was much more energetically favorable than that of the (100) surface, and the formation energy of the oxygen vacancies in the stable (001) surface was comparatively higher in the undoped SnO QDs.

Influence of lithium concentration on the structure and Li+ transport properties of cubic phase lithium garnets.

To understand the influence of lithium concentration on the structure and Li(+) transport properties of cubic lithium garnets, systematic AC impedance, Raman and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) investigations have been carried out on lithium garnets with nominal compositions LixA3B2O12 (A = Y(3+), La(3+), Sr(2+), Ba(2+); B = Te(6+), Ta(5+), Zr(4+) and 3 ≤x≤ 7.5). The size of the three dimensional A3B2O12 frame is found to be an important factor in determining the capacity of housing and the nature of distribution of lithium atoms among available tetrahedral and octahedral sites in the cubic LixA3B2O12 lithium garnets.

Effect of simultaneous substitution of Y and Ta on the stabilization of cubic phase, microstructure, and Li(+) conductivity of Li7La3Zr2O12 lithium garnet.

Garnet-type lithium stuffed oxide Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZ) in the cubic phase has received significant attention because of its high Li(+) conductivity at room temperature and excellent stability against lithium metal anodes. In addition to the high Li(+) conductivity, the dense microstructure is also a critical issue for the successful application of LLZ as a solid electrolyte membrane in all-solid-state lithium and lithium-air batteries. The stabilization of LLZ in the cubic phase with dopants indicated a reduction in sintering temperature with La(3+) site doping and improved conductivity by doping the Zr(4+) site.

Green grasses as light harvesters in dye sensitized solar cells.

Chlorophylls, the major pigments presented in plants are responsible for the process of photosynthesis. The working principle of dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is analogous to natural photosynthesis in light-harvesting and charge separation. In a similar way, natural dyes extracted from three types of grasses viz.

Structure and Li+ dynamics of Sb-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 fast lithium ion conductors.

Antimony-doped lithium stuffed garnets Li(7-x)La3Zr(2-x)Sb(x)O12 (x = 0.2-1.0) prepared using a conventional solid state reaction method are characterized using Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Analysis by X-ray (EDAX), AC Impedance spectroscopy, Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (MAS NMR) and Raman spectroscopic techniques.

Performance of dye-sensitized solar cells fabricated with extracts from fruits of ivy gourd and flowers of red frangipani as sensitizers.

Natural dyes extracted from fruits of ivy gourd and flowers of red frangipani were used as sensitizers to fabricate dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) studies indicated the presence of β-carotene in the fruits of ivy gourd and anthocyanins in the flowers of red frangipani. The extract of the flowers of red frangipani exhibits higher photosensitized performance compared to the fruits of ivy gourd and this is due to the better charge transfer between the dyes of flowers of red frangipani and the TiO(2) photoanode surface.