Publications by authors named "Renjith Nadarajan"

Article Synopsis
  • Molybdenum disulfide (MoS) is being explored as a potent electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but faces challenges like low electrical conductivity and inactivity on its basal plane.
  • Researchers have developed a method to increase the HER activity by applying biaxial strain to CVD-grown MoS monolayers using patterned gold nanopillars, which allows for variations in inter-pillar spacing.
  • The effectiveness of this strain is further enhanced by exposing the strained MoS to oxygen plasma, creating sulfur vacancies, resulting in significant improvement in HER activity, especially in a specific configuration that achieved an overpotential of 53 mV in a suitable electrolyte.
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Highly active and earth-abundant electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are of great significance for sustainable hydrogen generation through alkaline water electrolysis. Here, with an aim to enhance the bifunctional electrocatalytic activity of cobalt molybdate towards overall water splitting, we demonstrate a simple method involving the modulation of the cobalt to molybdenum ratio and creation of phase-modulated heterointerfaces. Samples with varying Co/Mo molar ratios are obtained a microwave-assisted synthesis method using appropriate starting precursors.

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The extraordinary mechanical properties of two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides make them ideal candidates for investigating strain-induced control of various physical properties. Here we explore the role of nonuniform strain in modulating optical, electronic, and transport properties of semiconducting, chemical vapor deposited monolayer MoS, on periodically nanostructured substrates. A combination of spatially resolved spectroscopic and electronic properties explore and quantify the differential strain distribution and carrier density on a monolayer, as it conformally drapes over the periodic nanostructures.

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