One-pot synthesis of TEA functionalized and NiSe embedded rGO nanocomposites for supercapacitor application

NiSe and NG-NiSe (triethanolamine functionalized and NiSe embedded rGO), as electrode materials for supercapacitor application, were prepared by a hydrothermal technique. XRD confirmed the formation of pure NiSe and NG-NiSe nanocomposites, which showed a hexagonal crystalline structure of NiSe. The structural morphology and particle size of NiSe and NG-NiSe were measured using FESEM and HRTEM analysis, respectively. The oxidation states and elemental compositions of NG-NiSe were investigated by XPS. The electrochemical behaviours of the materials were studied using CV, GCD, and EIS spectra. NG-NiSe showed higher capacitance performance compared to pure NiSe, due to the synergetic effects on the rGO/TEA/NiSe nanocomposite during one-pot synthesis. The energy density and power density of a N-rGO//NG-NiSe asymmetric cell were 28.25 W h kg^-1 and 700 W kg^-1, respectively.

Effect of GO Additive in ZnO/rGO Nanocomposites with Enhanced Photosensitivity and Photocatalytic Activity

Zinc oxide/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites (ZnO/rGO) are synthesized via a simple one-pot solvothermal technique. The nanoparticle-nanorod turnability was achieved with the increase in GO additive, which was necessary to control the defect formation. The optimal defect in ZnO/rGO not only increased ZnO/rGO surface and carrier concentration, but also provided the alternative carrier pathway assisted with rGO sheet for electron-hole separation and prolonging carrier recombination. These properties are ideal for photodetection and photocatalytic applications. For photosensing properties, ZnO/rGO shows the improvement of photosensitivity compared with pristine ZnO from 1.51 (ZnO) to 3.94 (ZnO/rGO (20%)). Additionally, applying bending strain on ZnO/rGO enhances its photosensitivity even further, as high as 124% at r = 12.5 mm, due to improved surface area and induced negative piezoelectric charge from piezoelectric effect. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity with methylene blue (MB) was studied. It was observed that the rate of MB degradation was higher in presence of ZnO/rGO than pristine ZnO. Therefore, ZnO/rGO became a promising materials for different applications.

Nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon nanospheres for highly efficient oxidation of ethylbenzene

A facile synthesis of well-distributed N and S co-doped carbon spheres and their enhanced activity towards the selective oxidation of ethylbenzene.