SnO 2 /Graphene Nanocomposite Coated by Carbonized Polyacrylic Acid Hydrogel as a High‐Performance Anode for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Bactericidal Action and Industrial Dye Degradation of Graphene Oxide and Polyacrylic Acid-Doped SnO2 Quantum Dots: In Silico Molecular Docking Study

The present work demonstrates the systematic incorporation of different concentrations of graphene oxide (GO) into a fixed amount of polyacrylic acid (PAA)-doped SnO₂ quantum dots (QDs) through a co-precipitation approach. The research aimed to evaluate the catalytic and antibacterial actions of GO/PAA-SnO₂ QDs. Moreover, optical properties, surface morphologies, crystal structures, elemental compositions, and d-spacings of prepared QDs were examined. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the tetragonal configuration of SnO₂, and the crystallinity of QDs was suppressed upon dopants verified by the SAED patterns. Electronic spectra identified the blue shift by incorporating GO and PAA led to a reduction in band gap energy. Fourier transform infrared spectra showed the existence of rotational and vibrational modes associated with the functional groups during the synthesis process. A drastic increase in the catalytic efficacy of QDs was observed in the neutral medium by including dopants, indicating that GO/PAA-SnO₂ is a promising catalyst. GO/PAA-SnO₂ showed strong bactericidal efficacy against Escherichia coli (E. coli) at higher GO concentrations. Molecular docking studies predicted the given nanocomposites, i.e., SnO₂, PAA-SnO₂, and GO/PAA-SnO₂, as potential inhibitors of beta-lactamase_E. coli and DNA gyrase_E. coli.

High cell voltage and storage capacity of graphyne as the anode of K-ion batteries: computational studies

Li-ion batteries have many advantages, but these batteries suffer from safety problems, short lifetime, and a high cost. Nontoxicity, wide availability, and low cost of potassium offer the K-ion batteries (KIB) as a replacement to the Li-ion batteries. The B3LYP-gCP-D3 approach of density functional theory is applied to examine the probable application of graphyne in the anode of KIBs. It is found that a triangular hollow is the most favorable site for the K or K⁺ adsorption, releasing energies about 16.3 or 41.1 kcal/mol. The released energies for K and K⁺ have been reported to be about 16.8 and 34.2 kcal/mol for graphene sheet, respectively, which generate a cell voltage of 0.75 V. A high K storage capacity of 241 mAh/g and cell voltage of 1.08 V are predicted for graphyne. The maximum barrier energies for the displacement of K or K⁺ on the surface of graphyne are computed to be 2.8 (~ 3.4 for K/graphene) or 5.6 kcal/mol, representing an excellent ion mobility due to the low energy barriers. Consequently, we suggest the graphyne sheet as an anode material for the KIBs owing to its high diffusion ability, high cell voltage, and high storage capacity.