Electrochemical Behaviour

Sulphide oxidising bacteria (SOB) have the potential to be used for bioelectrochemical removal, i.e. oxidation, of sulphide from waste streams. In anaerobic conditions, SOB are able to spatially separate sulphide removal and terminal electron transfer to an electrode and act as a sulphide shuttle. However, it is not fully understood how SOB anaerobically remove sulphide and store charge equivalents, and where in this process sulphur is formed. Therefore, the redox behaviour of sulphide shuttling SOB was investigated at haloalkaline conditions using a glassy carbon rotating disc electrode (RDE) and cyclic voltammetry...

The development of a new generation of anticorrosion pigments for paints remains an important challenge to replace the usual sparingly-soluble pigments and thus avoid the dissemination of heavy metals in the environment and the formation of holes in polymer coatings. For this purpose, α-zirconium hydrogenophosphate (Zr(HPO4 )2 ·H2 O, denoted as α-ZrP) was intercalated with the corrosion inhibitor 2-aminobenzimidazole (ABIM). Various microstructural analyses have proven the insertion of ABIM in the interlayer space by an acid-base exchange reaction and allowed us to propose a structural model for the new ABIM-ZrP pigment...

Ion exchange is a powerful method to access metastable materials with advanced functionalities for energy storage applications. However, high concentrations and unfavourably large excesses of lithium are always used for synthesizing lithium cathodes from parent sodium material, and the reaction pathways remain elusive. Here, using layered oxides as model materials, we demonstrate that vacancy level and its corresponding lithium preference are critical in determining the accessible and inaccessible ion exchange pathways...

The process of blood coagulation, wherein circulating blood transforms into a clot in response to an internal or external injury, is a critical physiological mechanism. Monitoring this coagulation process is vital to ensure that blood clotting neither occurs too rapidly nor too slowly. Anticoagulants, a category of medications designed to prevent and treat blood clots, require meticulous monitoring to optimise dosage, enhance clinical outcomes, and minimise adverse effects. This review article delves into the various stages of blood coagulation, explores commonly used anticoagulants and their targets within the coagulation enzyme system, and emphasises the electrochemical methods employed in anticoagulant testing...

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are attractive post-lithium battery technologies for grid-scale energy storage because of their inherent safety, low cost and high theoretical capacity. However, their practical implementation in wide-temperature surroundings persistently confronts irregular zinc electrodeposits and parasitic side reactions on metal anode, which leads to poor rechargeability, low Coulombic efficiency and short lifespan. Here we report lamellar nanoporous Cu/Al2 Cu heterostructure electrode as a promising anode host material to regulate high-efficiency and dendrite-free zinc electrodeposition and stripping for wide-temperatures aqueous zinc-ion batteries...

The increase in greenhouse gas emissions has led to seawater acidification, increasing the corrosion rate of metal structures in marine applications. This paper indicates that the spraying of four types of coatings, namely Zn, Al, Zn-Al, and Al-Mg, using the arc-spraying technique on steel substrate S235JR, creates effective protective coatings that interact differently with various pH solutions exposed to varying levels of seawater acidification. The study analyses the structural properties of the coating materials using SEM and XRD techniques...

This theoretical investigation delves into the structural, electronic, and electrochemical properties of two hexagonal iron-arsenide monolayers, 1T-FeAs and 1H-FeAs, focusing on their potential as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Previous studies have highlighted the ferromagnetic nature of 1T-FeAs at room temperature. Our calculations reveal that both phases exhibit metallic behaviour with spin-polarized electronic band structures. Electrochemical studies show that the 1T-FeAs monolayer has better ionic conductivity for Li ions than the 1H-FeAs phase, attributed to a lower activation barrier of 0...

This research aimed to create a substrate-coating system based on zinc and an epoxy resin incorporating modified graphene oxide, which possesses two key characteristics: effective resistance against corrosion and the ability to harness photocatalytic properties. Furthermore, correlations between the anti-corrosion properties and the photocatalytic behaviour of the coatings were made. Thin epoxy (EP) layers embedding 0.1 wt% graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and modified graphene oxide with (3-aminopropyl)-triethoxysilane (APTES) or poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer were applied on a zinc (Zn) substrate using the dip-coating method...

N-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl-4-(8-hydroxyquinolin-6-yl)benzamide (ML324, HL) is a potent inhibitor of the iron-containing histone demethylase KDM4, a recognized potential target of cancer therapeutics. Herein, we report the proton dissociation and complex formation processes of ML324 with essential metal ions such as Fe(II), Fe(III), Cu(II) and Zn(II) using UV-visible, fluorescence, electron paramagnetic resonance and 1 H NMR spectroscopic methods. The electrochemical behaviour of the copper and iron complexes was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and spectroelectrochemistry...

Lithium-sulphur (Li-S) batteries offer high energy density compared to lithium-ion batteries, emerging as a promising technology for the next generation of energy storage systems. The ongoing challenge is to improve their electrochemical performance, extend their useful life and mitigate some problems that persist in this technology, by the investigation in materials with diverse properties. This work seeks to elucidate the importance and repercussions associated with functionalisation of graphene-based materials through nitrogen incorporation (more than 9 wt...

The sluggish conversion kinetics and notorious shuttle effect of polysulfides are critical hindrances to practical implementation of lithium-sulfur batteries. Herein, bimetallic oxyhydroxide (FeNiOOH) as a functional sulfur host is proposed to overcome these obstacles. The introduction of Ni sites can modulate the electronic structure of the active sites to implement strong soluble polysulfide species immobilization and accelerate the conversion reaction kinetics of polysulfides, resulting in improved sulfur utilization and reduced polarization during the electrochemical reaction process...

Supercapacitors (SCs) have emerged as attractive energy storage devices due to their rapid charge/discharge rates, long cycle life, and high-power density. However, the development of innovative electrode materials to achieve high-performance remains crucial to meet future requirements in supercapacitor technology. In this work, we have explored the potential of a microwave-engineered NiZrO3 @GNP composite as a promising electrode material for SCs. A microwave assisted hydrothermal approach was adopted for the fabrication of the NiZrO3 @GNP nanocomposite...

As a progressive electronic energy storage device, the flexible supercapacitor holds tremendous promise for powering wearable/portable electronic products. Of various pseudocapacitor materials, vanadium dioxide (VO2 ) has garnered extensive attention due to its impressive theoretical capacitance. However, the challenges of inferior cycling life and lower energy density to be addressed. Herein, we prepare VO2 nanorods with winding carbon nanotubes (CNT) via a facile solvothermal route, followed by in situ polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) shell...

The ability to endure extreme corrosion in challenging environments is reduced in stainless steel. This can be addressed by appropriate surface modification techniques to redefine the surface with the required properties. The characteristics of the atmospheric plasma sprayed AlCoCrFeNi High Entropy Alloy (HEA) on SS316l are presented in this study. The coating characterisation revealed uniform coating with homogeneous deposition of gas-atomized AlCoCrFeNi HEA spanning for 150 µm. The coated substrates were further annealed for 2 h at 400 °C, 550 °C, 700 °C and 850 °C and the annealing at 550 °C offered enhanced microstructure...

The rapid fabrication is described of binary electrocatalyst based on a highly porous metal-organic framework with zirconium metal core (Zr-MOF) decorated over the graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 ) nanosheets via facile ultrasonication method. It is used for the robust determination of antipsychotic drug chlorpromazine (CLP) from environmental samples. The electrochemical behaviour of 2D Zr-MOF@g-C3 N4 was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies...

The synthesis and extensive characterization of nine aryl sulfur diimides (SDIs, Ar-NSN-Ar) are presented with a robust computational and experimental investigation of the fundamental properties of these important members of the thiazyl family of compounds, with particular attention paid to their highly tunable electrochemical behaviour. This is the first work to undertake a systematic comparison of the electrochemical profiles of a coherent series of SDIs to demonstrate and quantify the response of their reduction potentials to substituent electron-donating and -withdrawing properties...

A lightweight AlSiBeTiV high entropy alloy (HEA) powder is synthesized by the ball milling process and is reinforced on SS410 through friction stir processing (FSP). Subsequently, the annealing process is conducted on the processed samples at 450, 600, and 750°C for 120 mins. The grains are refined at 600°C by 23.3% than the processed HEA sample. A higher microhardness of 672 HV is attained on the processed HEA sample annealed at 600°C due to the synergistic effect of FSP and annealing through refined grains...

Clozapine (CZ) is a prescribed benzodiazepine psychiatric drug that is often possessed as an illicit drug and is associated with drug-facilitated sexual assaults (DFSA) due to its strong sedative capabilities. Hence, we propose an electrified liquid-liquid interface (eLLI) based transducing element as an alternative electroanalytical platform for rapid screening of CZ in soft and hard drinks which is habitually associated with DFSA crimes. First, molecular partitioning and the effect of chemical composition, pH, and the presence of ethanol in the biphasic configuration of the aqueous phase on the interfacial behaviour and analytical performance of the CZ at the eLLI have been investigated with voltammetry...

Understanding the structural and dynamic properties of disordered systems at the mesoscale is crucial. This is particularly important in organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors (OMIECs), which undergo significant and complex structural changes when operated in an electrolyte. In this study, we investigate the mesoscale strain, reversibility and dynamics of a model OMIEC material under external electrochemical potential using operando X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. Our results reveal that strain and structural hysteresis depend on the sample's cycling history, establishing a comprehensive kinetic sequence bridging the macroscopic and microscopic behaviours of OMIECs...

Bismuth telluride (Bi2 Te3 ) nanomaterials have attracted considerable attention owing to their intriguing physicochemical properties and wide-ranging potential applications arising from their distinctive layered structure and nanoscale size effects. However, synthesizing sub-100 nm ultra-small Bi2 Te3 nanocrystals remains a formidable challenge. To date, there has been little investigation on the performance of these ultra-small Bi2 Te3 nanocrystals in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). This study presents a general strategy for synthesizing ultra-small Bi2 Te3 nanocrystals on reduced graphene oxide (Bi2 Te3 /rGO) through a nanoconfinement approach...