Amorphous Carbon Nanotubes-Nickel Oxide Nanoflower Hybrids: A Low Cost Energy Storage Material.

Amorphous carbon nanotubes (a-CNTs) have been synthesized by a simple low-temperature process and have been grafted with chemically synthesized nickel oxide microflowers with different concentrations. The phase and morphology of the as-prepared pure and hybrid samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning and transmission electron microscopes. Thermal properties of the samples were estimated by using thermal gravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The optical properties of the sample were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopic, Raman spectroscopic, and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopic analysis. The electrochemical performance of all hybrid samples has been done in detail for different scan rates as well as from charge-discharge analysis. It has been seen that because of the nickel oxide grafting, the electrochemical performance of pure a-CNTs gets enhanced significantly. The value of the specific capacitance of the hybrid comes out to be around 120 F/g for the best sample, which is almost 12 times higher compared to that of the pure a-CNTs. The result has been explained in terms of change in effective surface area as well as change in conductivity of the hybrid samples.

Negative-charge-functionalized carbon nanodot: a low-cost smart cold emitter.

Cold emission properties of carbon nanodots (CNDs) evaluated using ANSYS Maxwell software are predicted to be size-dependent and then verified experimentally. In order to correlate the electron emission properties with the size of CNDs, the work function values were determined using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. This is the first report on theoretical calculations based on density functional theory and experimental results that confirm the work function dependency on the charge state of the functional group attached on the particle surface. The smallest CND (2.5 nm) has the highest percentage of negatively charged groups as well as the lowest work function (5.18 eV). The smallest dimension with the lowest work function assures that this sample is the best suited for field emission. It shows excellent field emission properties with a high current density of ∼1.45 mA cm-2 at 2 V µm-1 electric field, turn-on field as low as 0.04 V µm-1, very high field enhancement factor of 2.7 × 105 and high stability. Overall, the zero-dimensional CNDs showed superior field emission activity as compared to the higher dimensional carbon nanomaterials.

Novel Quaternary Chalcogenide/Reduced Graphene Oxide-Based Asymmetric Supercapacitor with High Energy Density.

In this work we have synthesized quaternary chalcogenide Cu2NiSnS4 (QC) nanoparticles grown in situ on 2D reduced graphene oxide (rGO) for application as anode material of solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs). Thorough characterization of the synthesized composite validates the proper phase, stoichiometry, and morphology. Detailed electrochemical study of the electrode materials and ASCs has been performed. The as-fabricated device delivers an exceptionally high areal capacitance (655.1 mF cm-2), which is much superior to that of commercial micro-supercapacitors. Furthermore, a remarkable volumetric capacitance of 16.38 F cm-3 is obtained at a current density of 5 mA cm-2 combined with a very high energy density of 5.68 mW h cm-3, which is comparable to that of commercially available lithium thin film batteries. The device retains 89.2% of the initial capacitance after running for 2000 cycles, suggesting its long-term capability. Consequently, the enhanced areal and volumetric capacitances combined with decent cycle stability and impressive energy density endow the uniquely decorated QC/rGO composite material as a promising candidate in the arena of energy storage devices. Moreover, Cu2NiSnS4 being a narrow band gap photovoltaic material, this work offers a novel protocol for the development of self-charging supercapacitors in the days to come.

An efficient on-board metal-free nanocatalyst for controlled room temperature hydrogen production.

Positively charged functionalized carbon nanodots (CNDs) with a variety of different effective surface areas (ESAs) are synthesized via a cheap and time effective microwave method and applied for the generation of hydrogen via hydrolysis of sodium borohydride. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of metal-free controlled hydrogen generation. Our observation is that a positively charged functional group is essential for the hydrolysis for hydrogen production, but the overall activity is found to be enhanced with the ESA. A maximum value of 1066 ml g-1 min-1 as the turnover frequency is obtained which is moderate in comparison to other catalysts. However, the optimum activation energy is found to be 22.01 kJ mol-1 which is comparable to well-known high cost materials like Pt and Ru. All of the samples showed good reusability and 100% conversion even after the 10th cycle. The effect of H+ and OH- is also studied to control the on-board and on-demand hydrogen production ("on-off switching"). It is observed that H2 production decreases inversely with NaOH concentration and ceases completely when 10-1 M NaOH is added. With the addition of HCl, H2 production can be initiated again, which confirms the on/off control over production.

Co3O4 Nanowires on Flexible Carbon Fabric as a Binder-Free Electrode for All Solid-State Symmetric Supercapacitor.

Developing portable, lightweight, and flexible energy storage systems has become a necessity with the advent of wearable electronic devices in our modern society. This work focuses on the fabrication of Co3O4 nanowires on a flexible carbon fabric (CoNW/CF) substrate by a simple cost-effective hydrothermal route. The merits of the high surface area of the prepared Co3O4 nanostructures result in an exceptionally high specific capacitance of 3290 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s, which is close to their theoretical specific capacitance. Furthermore, a solid-state symmetric supercapacitor (SSC) based on CoNW/CF (CoNW/CF//CoNW/CF) was fabricated successfully. The device attains high energy and power densities of 6.7 Wh/kg and 5000 W/kg. It also demonstrates excellent rate capability and retains 95.3% of its initial capacitance after 5000 cycles. Further, the SSC holds its excellent performance at severe bending conditions. When a series assembly of four such devices is charged, it can store sufficient energy to power a series combination of five light-emitting diodes. Thus, this SSC device based on a three-dimensional coaxial architecture opens up new strategies for the design of next-generation flexible supercapacitors.

Dual Effort to Correlate the Electron Field Emission Performance of Carbon Nanotubes with Synthesis As Well As Annealing Temperature: Theoretical Support of the Experimental Finding.

Here a dual approach has been adopted to study the effect of both synthesis as well as annealing temperature on the electron field emission property of differently synthesized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that include solid state chemical reaction as well as chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Experimental findings were supported by theoretical simulation. All the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XRD as well as TEM study confirms the amorphous nature (aCNTs) of the samples for both the synthesis techniques which is attributed to lower synthesis temperature. Prominent morphological differences of these two types of aCNTs are clearly observed from both FESEM and TEM images. It is found that electron field emission characteristics of aCNTs synthesized by CVD shows better field emission properties as compared to aCNTs synthesized by solid state reaction. Finite element based simulation shows that temperature has prominent effect on morphology, screening effect or degree of graphitization that leads to improved field emission characteristics for the CVD synthesized aCNTs.

Template free synthesis of mesoporous CuO nano architects for field emission applications.

Cupric oxide mesospheres composed of its nanoparticles have been synthesized by a simple template free chemical route at different temperatures. Thermal aging followed by higher temperature (350 degrees C, 6 hours) annealing on these architects transformed them into hollow mesospheres consisting of sharp needle like structures with high aspect ratio (- 10(3)). A detailed analysis of field emission scanning electron microscopy confirmed a uniform registry of the prepared nanostructures. High resolution transmission electron microscopy showed that the as-grown mesospheres have hollow inner cavity with a thin outer shell. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis showed no obvious changes in the chemical composition of the nanostructures after annealing, confirming that the elements in the final products were in the proper oxidation states. Electron emission under electric field was investigated from these interesting structures. It was found that both of these nanostructures showed electron emission, but emission performance of the hollow mesospheres consisting of nanoneedles exhibited excellent performance with turn-on field as low as 2.8 V/microm and high enhancement factor (beta) - 5537.