Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hideaki Oka, Hiroaki Kadoura, Naoko Takechi Takahashi, Taiji Ikawa
Summary: Coating graphite negative electrodes with amorphous carbon layer can enhance the performance of lithium-ion batteries. The amorphous carbon coating affects the formation of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the graphite surface, reducing the specific surface area and irreversibility of the first charge/discharge cycle. The amorphous carbon coating increases the amounts of F and O atoms on the SEI surface and reduces capacitance C' and Faraday current at high temperatures.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Si-Woo Park, Byungkwon Jang, Han Kim, Jimin Lee, Ji Young Park, Sung-Oong Kang, Yong-Ho Choa
Summary: This study presents a method for producing water-dispersible graphene through in situ sulfate functionalization of graphite under alkaline electrochemical conditions, resulting in graphene with low oxygen content, high crystalline basal planes, and excellent dispersion stability.
FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhe Chen, Seong H. Kim
Summary: This study used atomic force microscopy to investigate the effect of water and n-pentanol adsorption on the nanoscale friction of graphite. The results showed that as the humidity increases, friction on the basal plane increases, while friction at the step edge first increases and then decreases. Additionally, adsorption of n-pentanol decreases friction on both the basal plane and step edge.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Linda Bertel, David A. Miranda, Jose Miguel Garcia-Martin
Summary: TiO2 electrochemical biosensors offer high selectivity and sensitivity for biomolecules recognition, requiring understanding of signal extraction and transducer properties. This review provides an overview of nanostructured TiO2 biosensors fabrication methods, detection techniques, and biomolecule functionalization strategies based on relevant literature published in the last decade.
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
L. Benoit-Marechal, M. E. Jabbour, N. Triantafyllidis
Summary: We study the evolution of step bunches on vicinal surfaces using a thermodynamically consistent step-flow model, which considers the dynamical and chemical effects to explain the onset of step bunching without recourse to the iES barrier. Numerical simulations show a power-law coarsening of the surface profile, with the bunch height growing as H similar to t(1/2) and the minimal interstep distance as l(min) similar to N-2/3, obtained in the absence of an iES barrier or adatom electromigration. The influence of the combined dynamical-chemical effect in the evolution of step bunches is highlighted, showing it can be interpreted as an effective iES barrier in the standard Burton-Cabrera-Frank theory.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Li-Hua Yu, Zhen-Feng Cai, Lander Verstraete, Yuanzhi Xia, Yuan Fang, Louis Cuccia, Oleksandr Ivasenko, Steven De Feyter
Summary: This study investigates the impact of covalent modification on the self-assembly of a quinonoid zwitterion derivative. It is found that covalent modification can induce the formation of self-assembled structures at low concentrations, where no self-assembly behavior is observed on the bare surface. The size of the self-assembled domains decreases with increasing the density of grafted molecules, and the dynamics of domains, including growth, shrinkage, and orientation conversion, are captured with molecular resolution.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Nicholas H. Bashian, Mateusz Zuba, Ahamed Irshad, Shona M. Becwar, Julija Vinckeviciute, Warda Rahim, Kent J. Griffith, Eric T. McClure, Joseph K. Papp, Bryan D. McCloskey, David O. Scanlon, Bradley F. Chmelka, Anton Van der Ven, Sri R. Narayan, Louis F. J. Piper, Brent C. Melot
Summary: The study demonstrates a complex structural transformation occurs following fluorination of the A-site vacant perovskite ReO3 to stabilize the resulting material. The mechanism by which fluoride ions react with the ReO3 electrode during oxidation is different from the most intuitive mechanism for charge compensation.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Ankul Chauhan, Swaleha Naseem, Jitendra Bahadur, B. R. Singh, Mohd. Shoeb, Shahid Husain, Wasi Khan
Summary: A cost-effective sol-gel method was used to synthesize graphene oxide (GO)/Mn3O4 nanocomposite, which showed good performance in XRD, FTIR, UV-visible spectroscopy, and electrochemical study, confirming its potential applications in supercapacitors.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE-MATERIALS IN ELECTRONICS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Freddy M. Sime, Jiaqi Jin, Xuming Wang, Collin D. Wick, Jan D. Miller
Summary: This study reports the surface topography, graphitic structure, and functional features of the highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) edge surface. Multiple analyses were carried out to explore the structural and surface properties of the graphite edge surface, providing a fundamental understanding of the behavior of carbonaceous material in sulfide flotation separations.
MINERALS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yiwang Ding, Chang Yu, Jiangwei Chang, Xuedan Song, Jinhe Yu, Siyi Hou, Yuanyang Xie, Jieshan Qiu
Summary: The surface charge distribution of micro/nano-structured carbon materials at the nano-scale level is modulated and probed using a carbon quantum dot (CQD)-mediated interface-chemistry strategy. The local charge density on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is enriched, and its topography is visualized with nano-scale measurements. The modulated charge enrichment improves the intrinsic electrocatalytic properties of rGO.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qian Shan, Qihui Ding, Xiyan Wang, Wei Wu
Summary: In this study, a mixture of deep eutectic solvent and water was developed as an electrolyte for the efficient preparation of hydroxylated boron nitride nanosheets. These nanosheets were then used in the fabrication of a solid-state flexible supercapacitor, which exhibited excellent performance.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yi Zhang, Zhenyu Wang, Kai Hu, Jinghui Ren, Nengfei Yu, Xiang Liu, Guanglei Wu, Nian Liu
Summary: The deposition of silicon nanoparticles on the basal plane of graphite nanosheets via magnesiothermic reduction creates a three-phase heterostructure with an interfacial 3C-SiC layer, leading to improved cycling performance and Coulombic efficiency of lithium-ion battery anodes. The strong bonding between silicon and graphite nanosheets through the interfacial 3C-SiC layer allows for maintaining electrical connection despite volume changes during cycling, resulting in high initial and stable Coulombic efficiency.
ENERGY STORAGE MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sakthivel Srinivas, Sakkarapalayam Murugesan Senthil Kumar, Annamalai Senthil Kumar
Summary: In this study, anodized pencil graphite (PGE*) was used as an electrode to investigate its surface features and molecular level insights. The scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) technique and dopamine electrocatalytic oxidation reaction were used to study the surface of PGE*. The results showed that PGE* has a high electronic conductivity and a well-preserved surface. Physicochemical characterizations revealed a higher carbon-oxygen content on the PGE* surface, especially phenolic/alcoholic functional groups. Electrochemical oxidation of dopamine on PGE* demonstrated enhanced peak current signal and reduced oxidation potential. It was also shown that PGE* can be used as a working electrode for instant detection of dopamine-containing pharmaceutical samples.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jaewook Kim, Minho Shin, Soon Hyeong So, Soonhyun Hong, Dong Yoon Park, Chunjoong Kim, Chong Rae Park
Summary: The surface-structural parameter of graphite has a significant influence on the battery performance during fast charging of lithium-ion batteries. Edge selectively-oxidized graphite samples exhibited improved capacity retention and rate performance compared to bare graphite, showing a strong correlation with the edge surface area and type of oxygen-based functional groups.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Changhui Dai, Yijie Shen, Yifan Wei, Ping Liu, Peipei Sun
Summary: The dioxygenation of alkenes through the combination of electrochemical synthesis and aerobic oxidation presents a green and efficient method for the synthesis of alpha-oxygenated ketones. The protocol, which uses air as the oxygen source and excludes transition metals, is compatible with a wide range of alkenes and N-hydroxyimides, yielding moderate to high amounts of alpha-oxygenated ketones.
JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Natalia Garcia Domenech, Finn Purcell-Milton, Adrian Sanz Arjona, Maria-Luisa Casasin Garcia, Maeve Ward, Marc Brunet Cabre, Aran Rafferty, Kim McKelvey, Peter Dunne, Yurii K. Gun'ko
Summary: Nanotechnology has led to the development of sustainable water purification technologies, and two-dimensional nanomaterials show great promise as nanofiltration membranes. This study demonstrates the production and testing of a highly efficient nanofiltration membrane made from water-exfoliated boron nitride, which effectively removes water-soluble dyes. Comparison with membranes produced using different methods highlights the superior performance of water-exfoliated BN membranes.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Lucy M. Morgan, Mazharul M. Islam, Hui Yang, Kieran O'Regan, Anisha N. Patel, Abir Ghosh, Emma Kendrick, Monica Marinescu, Gregory J. Offer, Benjamin J. Morgan, M. Saiful Islam, Jacqueline Edge, Aron Walsh
Summary: This article reviews the latest research on NMCs, covering the phenomena of redox reactions at the atomic level and the transport of electrons and ions in devices. The changes in electronic and vibrational structures in the NMC compositional space and their connection to the continuous models of electrochemical charge-discharge cycling are discussed.
ACS ENERGY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Guohui Zhang, Youxin Cui, Anthony Kucernak
Summary: This work presents a custom-built gas accessible membrane electrode (GAME) system for studying the mechanism and dynamics of the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). The GAME system achieved high reduction currents by creating a three-phase boundary interface equipped with an efficient gas-circulation pathway. It also allowed for real-time and in situ product characterization using various analytical techniques.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Shiwen Li, Chao Wang, Caixia Meng, Yanxiao Ning, Guohui Zhang, Qiang Fu
Summary: This study explores the important processes of SEI formation and ion intercalation in rechargeable batteries under dynamic operating conditions, and finds that the choice of electrolyte significantly affects both processes, providing valuable strategies for the rational design and optimization of practical batteries in the future.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Marc Brunet Cabre, Aislan Esmeraldo Paiva, Matej Velicky, Paula E. Colavita, Kim McKelvey
Summary: This study demonstrates that defects at nanometer and sub-nanometer scales in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides can be detected electrochemically using scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM). By detecting anomalous electrochemical responses on mechanically exfoliated MoS2, the researchers found that these defects display faster electrochemical kinetics compared to the surrounding sample points. The analysis suggests that the defects are disk-shaped defects or one-dimensional defects with nanometer to sub-nanometer widths. This technique allows for the detection of features below the optical diffraction limit without the need for high-resolution electron microscopy or scanning tunneling microscopy.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Enrico Daviddi, Viacheslav Shkirskiy, Paul M. Kirkman, Mathew P. Robin, Cameron L. Bentley, Patrick R. Unwin
Summary: This study uses scanning electrochemical cell microscopy to investigate the effect of additives on the surface structure of polycrystalline copper and locates the most effective action sites in corrosion-related processes. This research is significant for future inhibitor design and modeling studies.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2022)
Article
Electrochemistry
Pooja Vadhva, Adam M. Boyce, Alastair Hales, Mei-Chin Pang, Anisha N. Patel, Paul R. Shearing, Gregory Offer, Alexander J. E. Rettie
Summary: This study constructed and validated a 2D electro-chemo-mechanical model to investigate the effect of volumetric expansions of negative electrode materials on the performance of solid-state batteries. The model was experimentally validated using various electrochemical tests. The results showed that increasing the relative electrode thickness led to higher volumetric expansion rates during cycling.
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hugo Nolan, Christian Schroder, Marc Brunet-Cabre, Filippo Pota, Niall McEvoy, Kim McKelvey, Tatiana S. Perova, Paula E. Colavita
Summary: The study investigates the effects of N-functionalities on MoS2 supported on carbon for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance. It is found that the presence of pyridinic-N groups at the carbon support suppresses HER activity at high pH due to the modulation of deprotonation and lone-pair availability. This suggests important implications for the design of heterostructured electrocatalysts to control performance in HER electrocatalysis by exploiting synergistic/inhibitory behaviors.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shiwen Li, Guohui Zhang, Caixia Meng, Chao Wang, Xianjin Li, Hanbing Liu, Yanxiao Ning, Qiang Fu
Summary: The performance of batteries using regular- and high-concentration electrolytes was compared using surface science techniques. It was found that the SEI formed in high-concentration electrolytes provides better protection to the electrode and improves the reversibility and cycling stability of the battery. The battery performance can be tuned by switching electrolytes.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marc Brunet Cabre, Dahnan Spurling, Pietro Martinuz, Mariangela Longhi, Christian Schroder, Hugo Nolan, Valeria Nicolosi, Paula E. Colavita, Kim McKelvey
Summary: Through unique experimental configuration, researchers found that the pseudocapacitive charge storage in Ti3C2Tx MXenes in acid electrolytes involves proton intercalation/deintercalation, redox switching of the Ti centres, and protonation/deprotonation of oxygen functional groups. They also observed pseudocapacitive charging outside the electrochemical contact area, suggesting a fast transport of protons mechanism across the MXene surface. These findings provide new insights into the surface chemistry of MXenes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Chao Wang, Xianjin Li, Guiming Zhong, Caixia Meng, Shiwen Li, Guohui Zhang, Yanxiao Ning, Xianfeng Li, Qiang Fu
Summary: In-depth understanding of the electrolyte-dependent intercalation chemistry in batteries is crucial for high-performance battery development. This study investigated the effect of electrolyte coordination structure on intercalation processes in the Al/graphite battery using operando XPS and X-ray diffraction. The weaker anion-cation interaction in the HMI-based electrolyte led to a lower atomic ratio of co-intercalated N to intercalated Al, resulting in lower ionic diffusion rate, capacity, and cycling performance. These findings emphasize the critical role of electrolyte coordination structure in (co-)intercalation chemistry.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Li Zhang, Feng-jie Nie, Lei Gong, Xiao-yan Gan, Guo-hui Zhang, Xuan Liu, Wen-jing Yang, Lei Shi, Yu-chao Chen, Rui-xia Xie, Zhi-qian Guo, Yuxia Song
Summary: In this study, a highly-efficient anther culture system of tetraploid potatoes was established. The ideal hormone combination for anther callus induction was determined, and a promotive induction effect on anther callus was achieved using a specific medium. Through this system, 201 anther culture plantlets were differentiated and various ploidy levels were obtained, providing important guidance for potato ploidy breeding.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jingjing Li, Fuyi Huang, Guohui Zhang, Zixing Zhang, Xian Zhang
Summary: In recent years, the utilization of flow cytometry for quantitative microplastic analysis has gained prominence. This study aims to enhance the flow cytometry detection protocols for Nile red (NR) stained microplastics and validate their efficacy. By adjusting the DMSO concentration and staining concentration, the solubility and accuracy of microplastic detection were improved. The study also successfully separated and concentrated microplastics and nanoplastics using sequential sieving and demonstrated the efficiency of flow cytometry analysis.
FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Natalia Garcia Domenech, Aine Coogan, Finn Purcell-Milton, Maria Luisa Casasin Garcia, Adrian Sanz Arjona, Marc Brunet Cabre, Aran Rafferty, Kim McKelvey, Peter Dunne, Yurii K. Gun'ko
Summary: This study reports the preparation of nanofiltration membranes using partially oxidised boron nitride (BNOx) 2D nanosheets and their excellent performance in water purification and dye removal. The BNOx material was obtained by partially oxidising bulk h-BN powder and exfoliating it in water. The membranes showed outstanding retention values close to 100% and open up new opportunities for further advancements in nanofiltration and separation technologies.
NANOSCALE ADVANCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jacqueline S. Edge, Simon O'Kane, Ryan Prosser, Niall D. Kirkaldy, Anisha N. Patel, Alastair Hales, Abir Ghosh, Weilong Ai, Jingyi Chen, Jiang Yang, Shen Li, Mei-Chin Pang, Laura Bravo Diaz, Anna Tomaszewska, M. Waseem Marzook, Karthik N. Radhakrishnan, Huizhi Wang, Yatish Patel, Billy Wu, Gregory J. Offer
Summary: The article summarizes the degradation of lithium-ion batteries into three levels: mechanisms, observable consequences, and operational effects. It identifies five principal and thirteen secondary mechanisms leading to five observable modes, and presents a flowchart and table illustrating the feedback loops and experimental conditions for investigating battery degradation.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2021)