Pseudocapacitance of Mesoporous Spinel-Type MCo2O4 (M = Co, Zn, and Ni) Rods Fabricated by a Facile Solvothermal Route

Investigation of non-precious metal cathode catalysts for direct borohydride fuel cells

Borohydride crossover in anion exchange membrane (AEM) based direct borohydride fuel cells (DBFCs) impairs their performance and induces cathode catalyst poisoning. This study evaluates three non-precious metal catalysts, namely LaMn0.5Co0.5O3 (LMCO) perovskite, MnCo2O4 (MCS) spinel, and Fe-N-C, for their application as cathode catalysts in DBFCs. The rotating disk electrode (RDE) testing shows significant borohydride tolerance of MCS. Moreover, MCS has exhibited exceptional stability in accelerated durability tests (ADTs), with a minimal reduction of 10 mV in half-wave potential. DFT calculations further reveal that these catalysts predominantly adsorb over , unlike commercial Pt/C which preferentially adsorbs . In DBFCs, MCS can deliver a peak power density of 1.5 W cm-2, and a 3% voltage loss after a 5 hours durability test. In contrast, LMCO and Fe-N-C have exhibited significantly lower peak power density and stability. The analysis of the TEM, XRD, and XPS results before and after the single-cell stability tests suggests that the diminished stability of LMCO and Fe-N-C catalysts is due to catalyst detachment from carbon supports, resulting from the nanoparticle aggregation during the high-temperature preparation process. Such findings suggest that MCS can effectively mitigate the fuel crossover challenge inherent in DBFCs, thus enhancing its viability for practical application.

Silver-decorated SrTiO3 nanoparticles for high-performance supercapacitors and effective remediation of hazardous pollutants

SrTiO3/Ag nanocomposites were synthesized using a facile wet impregnation method, employing rigorous experimental techniques for comprehensive characterization. XRD, FTIR, UV, PL, FESEM, and HRTEM were meticulously utilized to elucidate their structural, functional, morphological, and optical properties. The electrochemical performance of the SrTiO3/Ag nanocomposite was rigorously assessed, revealing an impressive specific capacitance of 850 F/g at a current density of 1 A. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of the SrTiO3/Ag nanocomposite was rigorously examined using methylene blue (MB) dye, and the results were outstanding. After 120 min of UV irradiation, the nanocomposite exhibited an exceptional MB dye degradation efficiency exceeding 88%. The SrTiO3/Ag nanocomposite represents an exemplary catalyst in terms of efficiency, cost-effectiveness, environmental compatibility, and reusability. The electron and superoxide radicals play a chief role in the MB dye degradation process. The inclusion of Ag within the SrTiO3 matrix facilitated the formation of a conductive nano-network, ultimately resulting in superior capacitive and photocatalytic performance.

Investigation of the Chemisorption-Catalysis Behavior of Sulfur Species on the Electrocatalysts Designed by Co-regulation Strategy of Anions and Cations

Li-S batteries possess high energy density and have been one of the most promising energy storage systems. For sulfur cathodes, the electrochemical performance is still seriously hindered by the polysulfide shuttling and sluggish conversion kinetics. It has been demonstrated to be one effective strategy to address the above issues via designing electrocatalysts with robust affinity and catalytic capacity towards polysulfides. However, it is still a great challenge to rapidly and economically discover high-performance electrocatalysts. Herein, using density functional theory calculation, we studied the chemisorption-catalysis behavior of sulfur species on a series of electrocatalysts (MCo2 X4 , M=Co, Zn, Cu, Ni, Fe, and Mn, X=O, S, and Se) to assess the effect of the anions and cations co-regulation on their electronic structure, chemisorption behavior, and catalytic property. FeCo2 Se4 and CuCo2 Se4 combined appropriate chemisorption with superior electronic conductivity and sulfur reduction catalytic capacity have been predicted as novel electrocatalysts for high-performance Li-S batteries. This study gives theoretical guidance for rapid discovery of high-efficient electrocatalyst to boost the electrochemical performance of sulfur cathodes.

Highly sensitive detection of H2S gas at low temperature based on ZnCo2O4 microtube sensors

It is extremely necessary to detect Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) due to the hazardous nature. Thus, it is required to design a material which can detect H₂S gas at low temperature. In this work, ZnCo₂O₄ microtubes are prepared by using absorbent cotton as template, combining immersion method in metal salt solution (Zn:Co=1:2) with calcination treatment in air. The influence of calcination temperature on the particle size and sensing property was also discussed. The diameter of particles on the ZnCo₂O₄ microtubes increases with increasing calcination temperature. The hollow microtubes of ZnCo₂O₄ materials calcined at 600 °C (ZCO-600) exhibit superb sensing performance to H₂S at 90 °C with the lowest detection limit of 50 ppb. The optimum operating temperature (90 °C) was lower than the other reported ZnCo₂O₄ sensors. ZCO-600 sensor also shows excellent selectivity, repeatability, stability, humidity resistance and the good linear relationship in ppb and ppm level H₂S. In addition, the feasible sensing mechanism of ZCO-600 to H₂S is explored on the basis of XPS analysis. Thus, ZnCo₂O₄ as a sensing material possesses widespread application prospects for the detection of trace H₂S gas.

The Roles of Composition and Mesostructure of Cobalt-Based Spinel Catalysts in Oxygen Evolution Reactions

By using the crystalline precursor decomposition approach and direct co-precipitation the composition and mesostructure of cobalt-based spinels can be controlled. A systematic substitution of cobalt with redox-active iron and redox-inactive magnesium and aluminum in a cobalt spinel with anisotropic particle morphology with a preferred 111 surface termination is presented, resulting in a substitution series including Co₃ O₄ , MgCo₂ O₄ , Co₂ FeO₄ , Co₂ AlO₄ and CoFe₂ O₄ . The role of redox pairs in the spinels is investigated in chemical water oxidation by using ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN test), electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and H₂ O₂ decomposition. Studying the effect of dominant surface termination, isotropic Co₃ O₄ and CoFe₂ O₄ catalysts with more or less spherical particles are compared to their anisotropic analogues. For CAN-test and OER, Co³⁺ plays the major role for high activity. In H₂ O₂ decomposition, Co²⁺ reveals itself to be of major importance. Redox active cations in the structure enhance the catalytic activity in all reactions. A benefit of a predominant 111 surface termination depends on the cobalt oxidation state in the as-prepared catalysts and the investigated reaction.

Potato Chip-Like 0D Interconnected ZnCo2O4 Nanoparticles for High-Performance Supercapacitors

Zinc cobaltite (ZnCo2O4) is an emerging electrode material for supercapacitors due to its rich redox reactions involving multiple oxidation states and different ions. In the present work, potato chip-like 0D interconnected ZnCo2O4 nanoparticles (PIZCON) were prepared using a solvothermal approach. The prepared material was characterized using various analytical methods, including X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The possible formation mechanism of PIZCON was proposed. The PIZCON electrode material was systematically characterized for supercapacitor application. The areal capacitance of PIZCON was 14.52 mF cm−2 at 10 µA cm−2 of current density, and retention of initial capacitance was 95% at 250 µA cm−2 following 3000 continuous charge/discharge cycles. The attained measures of electrochemical performance indicate that PIZCON is an excellent supercapacitor electrode material.

In situ microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis via morphological transformation of ZnCo2O4 3D nanoflowers and nanopetals to 1D nanowires for hybrid supercapacitors

Over recent decades, the conversion of energy and its storage have been in the lime light due to the depletion of fossil resources. The electrochemical energy storage devices like supercapacitors and batteries, and their materials and fabrication methods have been extensively evaluated, which is the best solution for the energy crisis. Herein, zinc cobaltite (ZnCo2O4; ZCO) nanostructures grown on nickel (Ni) foam by microwave-assisted solvothermal fabrication for hybrid supercapacitors are reported. Two different structures/samples, ZCO-15/Ni (nanoflowers) and ZCO-30/Ni (nanowires), were obtained by simply adjusting the reaction time. The electrochemical and physicochemical properties of the as-prepared samples were systematically determined. Particularly, ZCO-15/Ni exhibits excellent structural stability due to its dual morphologies: nanoflowers and nanopetals, and exhibits a large electroactive surface area (25.61 m2 g-1), pore diameter (48.38 nm), and robust adhesion to Ni foam, enabling ion and electron transport. ZCO-15/Ni foam electrode delivers an excellent specific capacity of 650.27 C g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 and admirable cyclic performance of 91% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles compared to ZCO-30/Ni electrode. The excellent electrochemical performance of ZCO makes them promising electrode materials for batteries, hybrid supercapacitors, and other alternative energy storage applications.

High Entropy and Low Symmetry: Triclinic High-Entropy Molybdates

Metal molybdates constitute a promising class of materials with a wide application range. Here, we report, to our knowledge for the first time, on the preparation and characterization of medium-entropy and high-entropy metal molybdates, synthesized by an oxalate-based coprecipitation approach. The high-entropy molybdate crystallizes in a triclinic structure, thus rendering it as high-entropy material with the lowest symmetry reported so far. This is noteworthy because high-entropy materials usually tend to crystallize into highly symmetrical structures. It is expected that application of the high-entropy concept to metal molybdates alters the material's characteristics and adds the features of high-entropy systems, that is, tailorable composition and properties. The phase purity and solid solution nature of the molybdates were confirmed by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, TEM, XPS, and ICP-OES.

Controlled synthesis of a hierarchical CuNi2O4@SnS nanocauliflower-like structure on rGO as a positive electrode material for an asymmetric supercapacitor

Hierarchical CuNi2O4@SnS@rGO/NF is a promising electrode material for building up an impressive supercapacitor.

Enhanced Supercapacitive Performance of Higher-Ordered 3D-Hierarchical Structures of Hydrothermally Obtained ZnCo2O4 for Energy Storage Devices

The demand for eco-friendly renewable energy resources as energy storage and management devices is increased due to their high-power density and fast charge/discharge capacity. Recently, supercapacitors have fascinated due to their fast charge-discharge capability and high-power density along with safety. Herein, the authors present the synthesis of 3D-hierarchical peony-like ZnCo2O4 structures with 2D-nanoflakes by a hydrothermal method using polyvinylpyrrolidone. The reaction time was modified to obtain two samples (ZCO-6h and ZCO-12h) and the rest of the synthesis conditions were the same. The synthesized structures were systematically studied through various techniques: their crystalline characteristics were studied through XRD analysis, their morphologies were inspected through SEM and TEM, and the elemental distribution and oxidation states were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). ZCO-12h sample has a larger surface area (55.40 m2·g-1) and pore size (24.69 nm) than ZCO-6h, enabling high-speed transport of ions and electrons. The ZCO-12h electrode showed a high-specific capacitance of 421.05 F·g-1 (31.52 C·g-1) at 1 A·g-1 and excellent cycle performance as measured by electrochemical analysis. Moreover, the morphologic characteristics of the prepared hierarchical materials contributed significantly to the improvement of specific capacitance. The excellent capacitive outcomes recommend the 3D-ZnCo2O4 hierarchical peony-like structures composed of 2D-nanoflakes as promising materials for supercapacitors with high-performance.

Spinel to Rock-Salt Transformation in High Entropy Oxides with Li Incorporation

High entropy oxides (HEOs) constitute a promising class of materials with possibly new and largely unexplored properties. The virtually infinite variety of compositions (multi-element approach) for a single-phase structure allows the tailoring of their physical properties and enables unprecedented materials design. Nevertheless, this level of versatility renders their characterization as well as the study of specific processes or reaction mechanisms challenging. In the present work, we report the structural and electrochemical behavior of different multi-cationic HEOs. Phase transformation from spinel to rock-salt was observed upon incorporation of monovalent Li+ ions, accompanied by partial oxidation of certain elements in the lattice. This transition was studied by X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy. In addition, the redox behavior was probed using cyclic voltammetry. Especially, the lithiated rock-salt structure HEOs were found to exhibit potential for usage as negative and positive electrode materials in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

Effect of Cation Substitution on the Gas-Sensing Performances of Ternary Spinel MCo2O4 (M = Mn, Ni, and Zn) Multishelled Hollow Twin Spheres

Advanced sensing materials are in high demand for sensitive, real-time, and continuous detection of gas molecules for gas sensors, which have been becoming an effective tool for environmental monitoring and disease diagnosis. Cobalt-containing spinel oxides are promising sensing materials for the gas-sensing reaction owing to their element abundance and remarkable activity. Structural and component properties can be modulated to optimize the sensing performances by substituting Co with other transition metals. Herein, a systematic study of spinel MCo₂O₄ oxides (M = Mn, Ni, and Zn) toward gas sensing is presented. Results show that ZnCo₂O₄ materials with a multishelled hollow twin-sphere structure obtained excellent sensing performances to formaldehyde and acetone at different temperatures. The replacement of Co with Zn in the lattice improves the oxygen-chemisorbing ability, which allows new opportunities to synthesize and design highly sensitive chemical sensors.

Kirkendall Growth and Ostwald Ripening Induced Hierarchical Morphology of Ni-Co LDH/MMoS x (M = Co, Ni, and Zn) Heteronanostructures as Advanced Electrode Materials for Asymmetric Solid-State Supercapacitors

By changing the mixed metal sulfide composition, morphology tuning of an active electrode material can be possible, which can have a huge impact on its electrochemical performance. Here, effective morphology tuning of Ni-Co layered double hydroxide (LDH)/MMoS _x (M = Co, Ni, and Zn) heteronanostructures is demonstrated by varying the composition of MMoS _x. Taking advantage of the benefits associated with Kirkendall growth and Ostwald ripening, tunable morphologies were successfully achieved. Among the Ni-Co LDH/MMoS _x (M = Co, Ni, and Zn) heteronanostructures, a Ni-Co LDH/NiMoS _x core-shell structured electrode delivered a high specific capacity of 404 mAh g^-1 at 3 mA cm^-2 and an extraordinary cycling stability (after 10 000 cycles) of 93.2% at 50 mA cm^-2. In addition, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device coupled with Ni-Co LDH/NiMoS _x as the cathode and Fe₂O₃/reduced graphene oxide as the anode exhibited excellent cell capacity and extraordinary cycling stability. Moreover, the ASC device provided a very high specific energy of 72.6 Wh kg^-1 at a specific power of 522.7 W kg^-1 and maintained the specific power of 23.5 Wh kg^-1 at 5357.6 W kg^-1, demonstrating its high applicability to energy storage devices.

In Operando analysis of the charge storage mechanism in a conversion ZnCo2O4 anode and the application in flexible Li-ion batteries

Intermediate phases of LiCo₂O₃, CoO and ZnO are evidenced during the 1^st lithiation of a ZnCo₂O₄ anode.

Hierarchical Nanosheet-Built CoNi2S4 Nanotubes Coupled with Carbon-Encapsulated Carbon Nanotubes@Fe2O3 Composites toward High-Performance Aqueous Hybrid Supercapacitor Devices

A hybrid supercapacitor system was designed with ternary Ni-Co sulfides (CoNi₂S₄) as cathode materials and Fe-based composites [carbon nanotubes (CNTs)@Fe₂O₃@C] as anode materials to achieve excellent overall electrochemical performance with high energy and power density as well as long lifespan. Here, hierarchical CoNi₂S₄ nanotubes were synthesized by a solvothermal route followed by sulfidation reaction for the first time, in which nanotubes were composed of interconnected ultrathin nanosheets. Consequently, such a unique nanosheet-built nanoarchitecture enables the CoNi₂S₄ cathode with multidimensional synergistic effect from one-dimensional nanotubes, two-dimensional nanosheets, and three-dimensional frameworks. Profiting from its structural merits, the as-prepared CoNi₂S₄ nanotubes deliver a high capacitance of 2552 F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1 with a high rate capacity of 81% at 25 A g^-1. In addition, the CNTs@Fe₂O₃@C anode materials-incorporating carbon-encapsulated ultrafine Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles into CNT matrices-were achieved by atomic layer deposition and acetylene thermal decomposition, which realize excellent electrochemical properties (678 F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1 and capacity retention of 82% at 25 A g^-1) that matched well with CoNi₂S₄ cathode materials. With the well-designed nanostructure and matching of materials and properties, the corresponding aqueous hybrid device exhibits a wide output voltage window of 0-1.75 V with a maximum energy density of 90.5 W h kg^-1 at a power density of 1.84 kW kg^-1. Meanwhile, a high energy density of 73.1 W h kg^-1 can be retained at an ultrahigh power density of 26.9 kW kg^-1. Moreover, the hybrid device has a stable cycling ability with 82.1% retention over 5000 cycles. This coordinative design strategy integrating the cathode and anode electrodes developed in this work provides a novel way to manufacture next-generation energy-storage device with high performance and safety.

High electrochemical performance of 3D highly porous Zn0.2Ni0.8Co2O4 microspheres as an electrode material for electrochemical energy storage

3D highly porous Zn_0.2Ni_0.8Co₂O₄ microspheres unveil superior electrochemical energy storage properties.