Publications

Industrial production of NH3 from N2 and H2 significantly relies on Haber–Bosch process, which suffers from high energy consume and CO2 emission. As a sustainable and environmentally-benign alternative process, electrochemical artificial N2 fixation at ambient conditions, however, is highly required efficient electrocatalysts. In this study, we demonstrate that hexagonal boron nitride nanosheet (h-BNNS) is able to electrochemically catalyze N2 to NH3. In acidic solution, h-BNNS catalyst attains a high NH3 formation rate of 22.4 μg·h–1·mg–1cat. and a high Faradic efficiency of 4.7% at–0.75 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, with excellent stability and durability. Density functional theory calculations reveal that unsaturated boron at the edge site can activate inert N2 molecule and significantly reduce the energy barrier for NH3 formation.

Electrochemical water splitting has been considered as a promising strategy for hydrogen production, but the sluggish anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) limits the efficiency of overall water splitting. In this communication, we report a facile strategy to realize energy-saving hydrogen generation by replacing OER with a thermodynamically more favorable aloe extract (AE) oxidation reaction (AOR). An Fe-doped CoP nanosheet array (Fe-CoP/CC) is used as a bifunctional catalyst for both AOR and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The Fe-CoP/CC∥Fe-CoP/CC couple requires a cell voltage of 1.51 V to drive 20 mA cm^-2 in 1.0 M KOH containing AE; however, a cell volatge of 1.63 V is required to drive the same current density in the absence of AE. Fe-CoP/CC also exhibits strong long-term electrochemical durability and nearly 100% faradaic efficiency.

New heterometallic complex [NiCu(NO3)2(H2O)2] (1) was prepared via the reaction of aqueous solutions of (oxalic acid, nickel nitrate and copper nitrate). Mixed oxide CuO-NiO was successfully obtained with different morphological structures (2) and (3) through the annealing of 1 at different temperature 300 °C and 600 °C, respectively. The materials were characterized using FT-IR, TGA, XRD and SEM. As showed from XRD data, with increasing the calcination temperature the crystallinity of CuO-NiO in sample 3 was improved and the diffraction peaks exhibited narrower and stronger than CuO-NiO in sample 2. The average size of CuO-NiO crystals obtained was calculated from Debye-Scherrer equation and found to be 16.65 nm. To assemble the working electrode of 2-aminophenol (2-AP) chemical sensor, a thin layer of CuO-NiO NPs was deposited on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with conducting binder and used to detect 2-AP in aqueous medium successfully. The chemical sensor is exhibited the higher stability, good sensitivity (20.2729 μAmM−1 cm−2) and enhanced electrochemical activity at room conditions. Therefore, the fabricated chemical sensor with active CuO-NiO NPs may be an effective and sensitive sensor for detection of hazardous materials by reliable I–V method for broad scales environmental safety of and healthcare sectors.

In the title compound, [RuCl2(C6H16N2)(CO)2], the geometry around the RuII atom is a distorted RuC2N2Cl2 octa­hedron, with pairs of C and Cl atoms trans to each other and the N atoms of the bidentate ligand in a cis conformation. The five-membered chelate ring is puckered on the C—C bond.

This review summarizes recent advances in and future prospects of iron-based phosphides as electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction, providing an in-depth understanding of two important aspects to boost catalytic performances.

New hybrid nanocomposites (NCs) based poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), mixed SnZnOx nanocube and single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNTs) have been fabricated by solution dispersion method with the help of ultrasonic irradiation. A fixed amount of SnZnOx and different loading of SWCNTs nanoparticles (NP)s are added successfully during the fabrication process. The SnZnOx nanocubes are synthesized using the wet-chemical procedure. Here, results from XRD, FTIR, TEM, and FE-SEM techniques are examined to provide the fundamental information necessary to fabricate PVA-PVC and their NCs. Morphology findings of SnZnOx and SWCNTs incorporated in the PVA-PCV matrix prove the appearance of nanoparticle in the films. Additionally, thermal and electrochemical behavior of the fabricated NCs have been studied by thermogravimetric technique and electrochemical measurements, respectively. An effectual electrochemical sensor using PVA-PVC/SnZnOx/SWCNTs(3)/binder/GCE assembly selective to Sn2+ ion is fabricated with conductive nafion (5%). The PVA-PVC/SnZnOx/SWCNTs(3) NCs give a good detection of Sn2+ ion and it shows a linear response over the large linear dynamic range (LDR) concentration of 0.1 nM ~ 0.01 mM . The linear relationship slope of (current vs. concentration) is examined to calculate the sensitivity (42.11 µAµM−1cm−2) and detection limit (44.36 ± 2.22 pM) of proposed Sn2+ ionic sensor probe. It has been significantly detected the selective Sn2+ ion from environmental real samples. The insights stated in this manuscript provide a clear understanding of the variable keys involved in the improvement of heavy metal ionic sensor for the application of safety environment in broad scale.

Breath analysis for non-invasive clinical diagnostics and treatment progression has penetrated the research community owing to the technological developments in novel sensing nanomaterials. The trace level selective detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath facilitates the study of physiological disorder and real-time health monitoring. This review focuses on advancements in chemiresistive gas sensor technology for biomarker detection associated with different diseases. Emphasis is placed on selective biomarker detection by semiconducting metal oxide (SMO) nanostructures, 2-dimensional nanomaterials (2DMs) and nanocomposites through various optimization strategies and sensing mechanisms. Their synergistic properties for incorporation in a portable breathalyzer have been elucidated. Furthermore, the socio-economic demands of a breathalyzer in terms of recent establishment of startups globally and challenges of a breathalyzer are critically reviewed. This initiative is aimed at highlighting the challenges and scope for improvement to realize a high performance chemiresistive gas sensor for non-invasive disease diagnosis.

It is highly desired but still challenging to develop active nonprecious metal hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts operating under all pH conditions. Herein, the development of three-dimensional N-doped carbon-coated tungsten oxynitride nanowire arrays on carbon cloth as a highly efficient and durable HER cathode was explored. The material delivers current densities of 10 and 100 mA cm(-2) at overpotentials of 106 and 172 mV, respectively, in acidic medium, and it also performs well in neutral and basic electrolytes.

Copper(I) halide complexes having thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) and phosphorescence have attracted much attention. Here, a series of four-coordinate dinuclear copper(I) halide complexes, [CuX(bpbp)]2 (bpbp = 2,2′-bis(diphenylphosphino)biphenyl, X = I (1), Br (2) and Cl (3)), were synthesized, and their molecular structures and photophysical properties were investigated. The structural analysis reveals that two copper(I) centers are bridged by two halogen ligands to form a dinuclear structure with a four-membered Cu2X2 ring. These complexes exhibit yellow to blue emission in the solid state at room temperature and have peak emission wavelengths at 575–487 nm with microsecond lifetimes (τ = 6.2–19.8 μs) and low emission quantum yields (<0.01%). The emissions of 1–3 originate from MLCT, XLCT, and IL (intraligand) transitions. Three complexes displayed good thermal stability.