Publications

Thermal vacuum deposition is a stimulating technique for upscaling perovskite solar cells. The operational complexity of multi-source vapor deposition (MSVD) in achieving stoichiometric perovskite layers may impede its implementation. The single-source vapor deposition (SSVD) method has recently emerged as an alternative for MSVD due to its inherent functionality. Here for the first time, we demonstrate the successful SSVD approach in fabricating pure CsFAPbI₃ and FAPbI₃ thin films from pre-synthesized perovskite powders. A series of structural, optoelectronic, and morphological investigations were carried out to optimize the phase purity and shelf-life of the deposited thin films. Furthermore, we probed the perovskite layer compatibility with various underlayers; we noted the organic underlayer displayed superiority over the metal oxide layer, suggesting the suitability of <em>p-i-n</em> devices over the <em>n-i-p</em>.

Abstract Iron is the cheapest and one of the most abundant transition metals. Natural [FeFe]‐hydrogenases exhibit remarkably high activity in hydrogen evolution, but they suffer from high oxygen sensitivity and difficulty in scale‐up. Herein, an FeP nanowire array was developed on Ti plate (FeP NA/Ti) from its β‐FeOOH NA/Ti precursor through a low‐temperature phosphidation reaction. When applied as self‐supported 3D hydrogen evolution cathode, the FeP NA/Ti electrode shows exceptionally high catalytic activity and good durability, and it only requires overpotentials of 55 and 127 mV to afford current densities of 10 and 100 mA cm 2 , respectively. The excellent electrocatalytic performance is promising for applications as non‐noble‐metal HER catalyst with a high performance–price ratio in electrochemical water splitting for large‐scale hydrogen fuel production.

CoTe nanoparticles embedded nitrogen-doped hollow carbon polyhedron (CoTe@NC) acts as a highly efficient 2e − O 2 reduction reaction electrocatalyst with a high selectivity of up to 92.6% at 0.3 V, significantly outperforming CoTe and NC counterparts.

A platinum oxide decorated amorphous cobalt oxide hydroxide nanosheet array has been prepared and used for alkaline hydrogen evolution.

For the synthesis of N′-benzylidene-2-(2-fluorobiphenyl)propanehydrazides, 2-(2-fluorobiphenyl-4-yl)propanoic acid was esterified to methyl 2-(2-fluorobiphenyl-4-yl)propanoate under microwave irradiation followed by hydrazinolysis. This hydrazide was then reacted in an ultrasonic bath with different benzaldehydes to afford a series of N′-benzylidene-2-(2-fluorobiphenyl)propanehydrazides. Comparison of both the conventional and ultrasound assisted reactions indicates a significant reduction in reaction times and improvement in yields. Besides chemical characterisation and X-ray crystallography, all the synthesised compounds were evaluated for their anti-oxidant potential (total anti-oxidant activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power and total phenolic content) and most of them were found to have useful potential for pharmaceutical applications especially derivative bearing 2-hydroxy substituents.