Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Junfei Fang, Wenlei Lv, Yilong Lei, Jianping Deng, Pengchao Zhang, Wendeng Huang
Summary: This study compares the performance of CdSSe alloy and CdS/CdSe core/shell structures in QDSSCs, prepared using the same SILAR process. The CdS/CdSe core/shell structures showed significantly higher power conversion efficiency compared to the CdSSe alloy structures, attributed to enhanced absorption intensity and reduced interfacial charge recombination rate, prolonging electron lifetime.
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tianyou Chen, Yan Peng, Meishuang Qiu, Changfeng Yi, Zushun Xu
Summary: Immobilizing transition metal catalysts onto supports improves recycling and performance. Protein supports stabilize catalysts and incorporate biocompatibility and enzymatic catalysis. Engineering of protein-supported transition metal catalysts (PTMCs) improves performance and widens applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yixuan Zou, Zekun Zhang, Jiawen Yan, Linhan Lin, Guan-Yao Huang, Yidong Tan, Zheng You, Peng Li
Summary: This study reports a high-temperature photodetector with unconventional negative photoconductivity and high photoresponsivity. The device demonstrates excellent performance in harsh environments, showing both high temperature endurance and flexibility, which is promising for future development of optoelectronic devices.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ichiro Yamane, Kota Sato, Ryoichi Otomo, Takashi Yanase, Akira Miura, Taro Nagahama, Yuichi Kamiya, Toshihiro Shimada
Summary: A study on processing Cu-benzenetricarboxylic acid metal-organic framework under ultrahigh pressure and high temperature revealed that the decomposition temperature of the MOF significantly decreased at 5 GPa, resulting in smaller Cu nanoparticles obtained in a carbon matrix. Catalytic activity tests for Huisgen cycloaddition showed that the sample processed at 5 GPa exhibited better performance compared to those prepared without high pressure.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Vasile I. Parvulescu, Florence Epron, Hermenegildo Garcia, Pascal Granger
Summary: This review examines the use of catalytic processes in water treatment, exploring their advantages in terms of kinetics of transformation, selectivity, and energy saving. However, implementing these technologies at an industrial scale still faces controversies and limitations. The focus is on solar-driven catalytic technologies and other emerging processes, while also identifying the challenges involved, such as the complexity of systems and the coexistence of various interfaces.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Huilong Liu, Shubhra Bansal
Summary: Photocatalytic CO2 reduction using metal halide perovskite (MHP) nanocrystals is a promising technology for solar fuel production. The review summarizes the fundamentals, properties, recent progress, and structural modifications of MHP nanocrystals for enhanced photocatalytic performance. The obstacles in practical application, such as reaction systems/platforms and the toxicity of lead, are discussed along with the latest breakthroughs in the development of novel photocatalytic systems and lead-free MHP nanocrystal photocatalysts. The future outlook of MHP nanocrystals for photocatalytic CO2 reduction is highlighted.
MATERIALS TODAY ENERGY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Amrita Dey, Junzhi Ye, Apurba De, Elke Debroye, Seung Kyun Ha, Eva Bladt, Anuraj S. Kshirsagar, Ziyu Wang, Jun Yin, Yue Wang, Li Na Quan, Fei Yan, Mengyu Gao, Xiaoming Li, Javad Shamsi, Tushar Debnath, Muhan Cao, Manuel A. Scheel, Sudhir Kumar, Julian A. Steele, Marina Gerhard, Lata Chouhan, Ke Xu, Xian-gang Wu, Yanxiu Li, Yangning Zhang, Anirban Dutta, Chuang Han, Ilka Vincon, Andrey L. Rogach, Angshuman Nag, Anunay Samanta, Brian A. Korgel, Chih-Jen Shih, Daniel R. Gamelin, Dong Hee Son, Haibo Zeng, Haizheng Zhong, Handong Sun, Hilmi Volkan Demir, Ivan G. Scheblykin, Ivan Mora-Sero, Jacek K. Stolarczyk, Jin Z. Zhang, Jochen Feldmann, Johan Hofkens, Joseph M. Luther, Julia Perez-Prieto, Liang Li, Liberato Manna, Maryna Bodnarchuk, Maksym Kovalenko, Maarten B. J. Roeffaers, Narayan Pradhan, Omar F. Mohammed, Osman M. Bakr, Peidong Yang, Peter Muller-Buschbaum, Prashant Kamat, Qiaoliang Bao, Qiao Zhang, Roman Krahne, Raquel E. Galian, Samuel D. Stranks, Sara Bals, Vasudevanpillai Biju, William A. Tisdale, Yong Yan, Robert L. Z. Hoye, Lakshminarayana Polavarapu
Summary: Metal-halide perovskites have emerged as promising materials with exciting properties and great potential for applications in fields like photovoltaics and optoelectronics. Researchers have made significant progress in the synthesis, properties, and shape-controlled synthesis of perovskite nanocrystals.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Timur Ashirov, Ali Coskun
Summary: Membranes are crucial in gas separation for their low cost, energy efficiency, and durability. Researchers have developed a new concept to enhance selectivity of graphene-based membranes by depositing microislands of Pd and Ni on the support layer, enabling efficient separation of specific gases like H2 and CO2. This approach may offer a promising alternative for economical gas separation by selectively targeting individual gases in a membrane setting through adsorptive separation at room temperature.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiqing Cheng, Xirong Zhou, Zhiping Zheng, Qin Kuang
Summary: Transition metal-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) nanozymes have attracted extensive attention due to their unique porous structure and promising applications. However, the lack of understanding the catalytic mechanisms of MOF-based nanozymes makes it difficult to construct high-performance MOF-based nanozymes. This study developed a metal node engineering strategy to construct highly efficient 1D substrate transport and catalytic sub-nanochannels within Fe-based (MIL-53(Fe)) nanozymes, showing improved sensitivity and selectivity for the detection of H2O2 and glutathione.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jonathan E. Thai, Robert R. Tuttle, Jacob DeRoo, Jamie Cuchiaro, Melissa M. Reynolds
Summary: Metal-organic framework nanosheets (MOFNs) are promising materials for heterogeneous catalysis systems due to their active metal sites positioned on particle exterior surfaces. This study successfully synthesized water-stable CuBDTri nanosheets using a three-layer method. The CuBDTri nanosheets exhibited higher catalytic activity in a standardized test reaction compared to previously studied octahedral particles. This supports the superiority of MOFNs over particles with other morphologies in reactions where catalytic activity is limited to particle exterior surfaces.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jonathan E. Thai, Robert R. Tuttle, Jacob DeRoo, Jamie Cuchiaro, Melissa M. Reynolds
Summary: Metal-organic framework nanosheets (MOFNs) show promise for heterogeneous catalysis systems due to their increased external surface area and density of metal active sites. However, developing diverse MOFNs through synthetic methods remains an experimental challenge.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Zixin Wang, Hui Wang
Summary: The synthesis of Ru nanocrystals in metastable crystal phases has been achieved through one-pot thermal reduction of appropriate Ru(III) precursors in a polyol solvent with the assistance of polydopamine (PDA). The phase-controlled synthesis of capping ligand-free Ru nanocrystals allows for a systematic comparison of their catalytic activities towards the oxidation of TMB, revealing the influence of crystalline structures and other factors on reaction rates and kinetic features.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jiatao Chen, Kongjun Zhu, Penghua Liang, Meng Wu, Yu Rao, Hongjuan Zheng, Jinsong Liu, Kang Yan, Jing Wang
Summary: In this study, a hierarchical porous CoMoO4-CoO/S@rGO nano polyhedron structure was successfully synthesized via a metal-organic framework-engaged strategy with sulfur doping, leading to improved electrode performance. The porous structure alleviated volume expansion and exposed more active sites, resulting in ultrahigh specific capacity and excellent rate capacity of the electrode. This work demonstrates that rational structural design and insights into anionic doping have guiding significance for other metal oxides with high capacity and high-rate capability.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Thangavel Kavinkumar, Ganghyun Jang, Amarnath T. Sivagurunathan, Do-Heyoung Kim
Summary: In this study, a porous NiFeP/MoO2@Co3O4 core-shell heterostructure was constructed on a nickel foam using a hydrothermal route, phosphorization treatment and atomic layer deposition. The resulting NiFeP/MoO2@Co3O4 cuboids exhibited lower charge transfer resistance, rich electroactive sites, and shorter ion diffusion paths. The excellent supercapacitive performance of the cuboids was attributed to the rich active sites and strong electronic interaction between Co and Ni/Fe/Mo species. Furthermore, a hybrid device with a NiFeP/MoO2@Co3O4 cathode and a graphene anode achieved a high energy density and exceptional capacity retention.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ning Li, Jianguo Wu, Shibiao Ren, Jingchong Yan, Zhiping Lei, Zhicai Wang, Zhanku Li, Shigang Kang, Honglei Yan, Hengfu Shui
Summary: The clean surface of metal nanoparticles is crucial for their catalytic applications, as it provides more active catalytic sites. This study proposes a general method for synthesizing aqueous soluble metal nanoparticles with a clean surface using clay nanosheets as both stabilizer and support. Pd nanoparticles showed excellent catalytic performance for the hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanone in water, while Ru, Pt, and Rh nanoparticles exhibited superior catalytic performance for the hydrogenation of toluene at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sanjit Mondal, Soumya Ranjan Das, Lipipuspa Sahoo, Sudipta Dutta, Ujjal K. Gautam
Summary: This article presents a unique property of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) that they can capture large amounts of molecular oxygen from the air and the quantity can be controlled by light irradiation. Research shows that the adsorption of oxygen by CQDs is tunable, and the oxygen enrichment enhances the photocatalytic efficiency of CQDs towards oxidation of benzylamines in the air compared to existing photocatalysts.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lipipuspa Sahoo, Reeya Garg, Komalpreet Kaur, C. P. Vinod, Ujjal K. Gautam
Summary: In this study, ultrathin twisty PdNi-alloy nanowires were found to exhibit a very low reaction overpotential and long-term stability in alkaline media, with a mass activity over 10 times higher than fresh commercial Pt/C. The introduction of Ni improves the catalytic performance of Pd, and the twisty nanowire morphology provides stability and prevents detachment.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sonika Chibh, Komalpreet Kaur, Ujjal K. Gautam, Jiban Jyoti Panda
Summary: This study presents the development of peptide-based self-assembled auto-fluorescent nanostructures that can shuttle between different morphologies, along with exploration of their cellular internalization efficiency and potential as drug delivery carriers. The findings suggest a complex interplay between particle morphology and cellular uptake behavior, providing initial insights into environment-responsive shape-shifting peptide-nano assemblies.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Adrija Ghosh, Sanchita Karmakar, Faruk Ahamed Rahimi, Raj Sekhar Roy, Sukhendu Nath, Ujjal K. Gautam, Tapas Kumar Maji
Summary: Insights into developing innovative routes for the stabilization of photogenerated charge-separated states by suppressing charge recombination in photocatalysts is a topic of immense importance. In this study, a metal-organic framework (MOF)-based composite was synthesized, where CdS nanoparticles (NPs) were confined inside the nanosized pores of Zr4+-based MOF-808. The confinement of the CdS NPs inside the MOF pores showed a higher rate of H-2 evolution from water compared to CdS NPs stabilized on the external surface of MOF-808.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Aisha Khatun, Payel Aich, D. Topwal
Summary: Comparative studies were conducted on the structure, magnetism, and magnetoresistance of A-site ordered NdBaMn2O6 (O-NB), A-site disordered NdBaMn2O6 (D-NB), and A-site disordered NdCaMn2O6 (D-NC). The study found that O-NB undergoes a structural transition with temperature, while D-NB does not show any structural change. However, D-NC exhibits structural transitions. Magnetization data showed that O-NB has an antiferromagnetic (AFM) ground state, while D-NB has a ferromagnetic (FM) ground state. D-NC exhibited an AFM ground state similar to O-NB. Both disorder compounds showed semiconductive transport characteristics. Resistivity data of the disorder compounds were fitted with different theoretical models to understand the conduction process. Additionally, the study revealed a three times higher magnetoresistance value in both disorder compounds compared to the ordered one, but the behavior of magnetoresistance with applied magnetic field was different for D-NB and D-NC, suggesting a different origin for their large magnetoresistance. We propose that the different magnetic ground states of D-NB and D-NC may be the possible origin of their distinct magnetoresistance behavior to the magnetic field.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Raj Sekhar Roy, Sanjit Mondal, Samita Mishra, Maqsuma Banoo, Lipipuspa Sahoo, Amit Kumar, C. P. Vinod, Arijit K. De, Ujjal K. Gautam
Summary: A strategy for covalently linking adjacent layers of g-C3N4 using diethylene glycol as a precursor is introduced to achieve a high surface area in a one-step process. The introduced linkers provide mechanical stability and increase the efficiency of photocatalytic water-splitting.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lipipuspa Sahoo, Aarti Devi, Amitava Patra
Summary: The generation of green hydrogen through electrocatalytic water splitting is a promising approach for future energy devices. In this study, a water-soluble, atomically precise Ni nanocluster (NC)-modified MoSe2 nanosheet (NS) catalyst was developed to enhance the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance. The Ni/MoSe2 nanocomposite exhibited significantly improved HER efficiency, with an overpotential of 170 mV @ 10 mA/cm2, compared to bare MoSe2 NSs (350 mV). The incorporation of Ni NCs accelerated the HER kinetics of MoSe2, as indicated by the lower Tafel slope and reduced charge-transfer resistance in the nanocomposite. This work highlights the potential of combining non-precious metal NCs and transition-metal dichalcogenides to design efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts for HER.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Maqsuma Banoo, Jaspreet Kaur, Arjun Kumar Sah, Raj Sekhar Roy, Monika Bhakar, Bramhaiah Kommula, Goutam Sheet, Ujjal K. Gautam
Summary: Clean water, as a fundamental human right, is still inaccessible for millions of people. A new piezo-photocatalyst with structural diversity was developed for universal wastewater decontamination. This catalyst showed high efficiency in mineralizing various contaminants using piezocatalytic, photocatalytic, and piezo-photocatalytic approaches, surpassing most catalysts developed for single contaminants. The synergy of these approaches was explained using band bending models and improved charge transfer, leading to a significant improvement in efficiency.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Bramhaiah Kommula, Maqsuma Banoo, Raj Sekhar Roy, Supriya Sil, Arjun Kumar Sah, Bhawna Rawat, Sagnik Chakraborty, Pradhyuman Meena, Kamalakannan Kailasam, Ujjal K. Gautam
Summary: Recent discoveries using polyethylene-derived carbon dots not only provide solutions to plastic pollution, but also have great potential for various applications. These carbon dots can efficiently harvest oxygen from the air, allowing the use of air as an oxidant. They can also self-eliminate and be easily disposed of. Moreover, by inducing hypoxia, programmable oxygen concentrations can be achieved within a solution. The research shows that carbon dots can be obtained from different waste plastics with high conversion efficiencies, and the oxygen harvesting ability and hypoxia levels can be controlled based on their structure.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Reeya Garg, Mohit Jaiswal, Kaustubh Kumar, Komalpreet Kaur, Bhawna Rawat, Kamalakannan Kailasam, Ujjal K. Gautam
Summary: This study investigates an efficient composite material based on carbon nanostructures and non-noble metals, which exhibits high half-wave potential and electrocatalytic performance. The enhanced activity is attributed to the synergistic effect of high conductivity of carbon nanotubes and active Fe sites. In situ growth of CNTs prevents mass loss during catalyst material synthesis.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Reeya Garg, Mohit Jaiswal, Kaustubh Kumar, Komalpreet Kaur, Bhawna Rawat, Kamalakannan Kailasam, Ujjal K. Gautam
Summary: Achieving high electrocatalytic performance using a composite material of carbon nanotubes and non-noble metals can minimize metal loss and retain a high metal content, leading to efficient electrocatalysis.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Arjun Cherevotan, Bitan Ray, Anish Yadav, Debabrata Bagchi, Ashutosh Kumar Singh, Mohd Riyaz, Sathyapal R. Churipard, Vinay Naral, Komalpreet Kaur, Ujjal K. Gautam, Chathakudath P. Vinod, Sebastian C. Peter
Summary: Different Schiff base functionalized SBA-15 materials were synthesized for efficient CO2 capture. These materials were also used as supports for Pd-Ag and Pd-Ni bimetallic systems, with the Pd-Ni system showing enhanced CO2 to formic acid conversion activity.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
P. M. Sheverdyaeva, D. Pacile, D. Topwal, U. Manju, M. Papagno, V Feyer, M. Jugovac, G. Zamborlini, I Cojocariu, C. Tusche, X. L. Tan, K. Hagiwara, Y-J Chen, J. Fujii, P. Moras, L. Ferrari, E. Vescovo, G. Bihlmayer, C. Carbone
Summary: In this study, we investigated the electronic structure of an ordered array of Bi monomer and dimer chains on the Ag(110) surface. Our findings showed an unconventional spin texture that deviates from the predicted model.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Maqsuma Banoo, Kaustav Chatterjee, Sanjit Mondal, C. P. Vinod, Ujjal K. Gautam
Summary: This study presents a photocatalyst that continuously improves its activity during use, countering the common notion of photocatalyst degradation. By using inexpensive RhB and Bi3TaO7-Bi4TaO8Br heterostructures, pure Rh110 can be produced through a facile strategy. The catalyst demonstrates stability over 30 cycles and continuous activation, resulting in a reaction yield as high as 88%. The findings open up possibilities for large-scale production and isolation of Rh110, facilitating inexpensive biological essaying and device fabrication.