Red Mud and Li-Ion Batteries: A Magnetic Connection.

Exceptional Li-ion battery performance is presented with the oxide component of the anode was extracted from red mud by simple magnetic separation and applied directly without any further processing. The extracted material has γ-Fe2 O3 as the major phase with inter-dispersed phases of Ti, Al, and Si oxides. In a half-cell assembly, the phase displayed a reversible capacity (∼697 mA h g(-1) ) with excellent stability upon cycling. Interestingly, the stability is rendered by the multiphase constitution of the material with the presence of other electrochemically inactive metal oxides, such as Al2 O3 , SiO2 , and Fe2 TiO4 , which could accommodate the strain and facilitate release during the charge-discharge processes in the electrochemically active maghemite component. We fabricated the full-cell assembly with eco-friendly cathode LiMn2 O4 by adjusting the mass loading. Prior to full-cell assembly, an electrochemical pre-lithiation was enforced to overcome the irreversible capacity loss obtained from the anode. The full-cell delivered a capacity of ∼100 mA h g(-1) (based on cathode loading) with capacity retention of ∼61 % after 2000 cycles under ambient conditions.

Starch (Tapioca) to carbon dots: an efficient green approach to an on-off-on photoluminescence probe for fluoride ion sensing.

Photoluminescent carbon dots of 4-5 nm size were prepared from starch (Tapioca Sago) through a solution method under mild conditions. The as-prepared carbon dots were used as photoluminescence probes for highly anion selective fluoride ion detection in aqueous solutions. A ready-to-use device is also demonstrated.

Large scale synthesis of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) from waste biomass and their use as an efficient and selective photoluminescence on-off-on probe for Ag(+) ions.

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are synthesized from bio-waste and are further modified to produce amine-terminated GQDs (Am-GQDs) which have higher dispersibility and photoluminescence intensity than those of GQDs. A strong fluorescence quenching of Am-GQDs (switch-off) is observed for a number of metal ions, but only for the Ag(+) ions is the original fluorescence regenerated (switch-on) upon addition of L-cysteine.

Hierarchically nanoperforated graphene as a high performance electrode material for ultracapacitors.

High performance is reported for a symmetric ultracapacitor (UC) cell made up of hierarchically perforated graphene nanosheets (HPGN) as an electrode material with excellent values of energy density (68.43 Wh kg⁻¹) and power density (36.31 kW kg⁻¹). Perforations are incorporated in the graphite oxide (GO) and graphene system at room temperature by using silica nanoparticles as template. The symmetric HPGN-based UC cell exhibits excellent specific capacitance (Cs) of 492 F g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹ and 200 F g⁻¹ at 20 A g⁻¹ in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte. This performance is further highlighted by galvanostatic charge-discharge study at 2 A g⁻¹ over a large number (1000) of cycles exhibiting 93% retention of the initial Cs. These property features are far superior as compared to those of symmetric UC cells made up of only graphene nanosheets (GNs), i.e. graphene sheets without perforations. The latter exhibit Cs of only 158 F g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹ and the cells is not stable at high current density.