All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries are promising choices to resolve high lithium-ion conductivity safety problems; however, they still have severe bottlenecks hindering their potential to be fully commercialized. This paper addresses interfacial resistance and a strong tendency to react with air and humidity. For this purpose, a Ga–Ta co-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) is dip-coated in an alcoholic zinc acetate solution to produce a thin zinc oxide (ZnO) layer after calcination to investigate any possible effects on reducing the interfacial resistance between electrolyte and anode. Furthermore, the effect of the ZnO layer on lithium deterioration (producing Li2CO3 or LiOH during air exposure) is examined by Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) after exposing both coated and uncoated LLZO to relatively humidified air for 30 days. Results indicate that LLZO electrolyte coated with ZnO in the thickness range of 400–600 nm obtained the highest ionic conductivity, i.e. 41% and 52% increase for Au/LLZO/Au and Li/LLZO/Li cells, respectively, compared to the pristine sample. After 30 days of exposure to humidified air, the coated electrolyte shows way better electrochemical results (0.62 mS/cm rather than 0.01 mS/cm for the uncoated sample) and a lower amount of Li2CO3 than the uncoated one.

This study reported the synthesis of ERGO-MnTMPyP and its electrochemical detection performance for dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA). The nanocomposite was based on the electrostatic interaction between graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and manganese porphyrins (MnTMPyP). The material was characterized using various techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), demonstrating successful synthesis. Various electrochemical tests, including cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), were performed to analyze the electrochemical characteristics of modified glass carbon electrodes (GCE). The modified electrode exhibited a significant reduction in electron transfer resistance, decreasing to 100.9 Ω. Compared with previous studies, the modified electrode reveals a unique performance to effectively detect DA (208 mV) and UA (328 mV) simultaneously with the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) interference. The detection peaks of DA and UA were apparently separated with the detection limits of 0.29 μM in the linear range of 2.23–10.76 μM and 0.64 μM in the linear range of 2.23–10.76 μM (S/N = 3), respectively.

We presented a novel synthesis of Tellurium doped CeO2 nano wools, with high yield via thermo-mechanical route. The obtained nanomaterial has cubic fluorite structure demonstrated from the XRD pattern. SEM revealed the unique nano wool like morphology formed from nanofibers having mean diameter of 200 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrated binding energy at 576 eV and 586 eV, confirming the oxidation of Tellurium to TeO2 in the doped CeO2 NCs. The anti-bacterial activity of this material was studied against gram -ve Klebsiella pneumoniae MTCC 3384 and gram + ve Bacillus subtilis MTCC 441 bacteria. TeO2–CeO2 nano wools were found to be more effective than, cefotaxime (CTX) when the antibacterial potential was evaluated with this third-generic antibiotic, using the disc diffusion method. Synergistic effect was confirmed from the optimized formulation of TeO2–CeO2 and Cefotaxime, which showed further enhancement in the antibacterial activity against both the strains. Antibiofilm studies were done using Congo Agar Red Assay (CRA) against opportunistic Klebsiella pneumoniae to understand the inhibition efficiency of the material. The small particle size, positive surface charge on nano wools, and increased ROS production physically rupture the bacterial cell membrane and induce bacterial cell death. PL spectra revealed low ROS recombination rate in the nanocomposites. The cytotoxicity studies on human embryonic kidney (HEK 293) cell lines proved negligible toxicity at IC50 value of 0.27 mg/mL (corresponding to Klebsiella pneumoniae and Bacillus subtilis) for 5 wt% Te–CeO2 NCs. Hence, this material can be used as a chemotherapeutic agent in targeted nasal delivery against lung infections as well as wound healing applications.

To against the excessive electromagnetic radiation in the current situation, herein the PANI-derived carbon block with flaky Fe3O4/FeS inserted was obtained via a facile route of co-chemical precipitation, low temperature polymerization and vacuum calcination. It discovers that the component of composites and disordered structures in carbon can be regulated by changing the additive amount of iron oxide, and hence the modified electromagnetic parameters to optimize the impedance matching between free air and composites can be achieved as well. On this basis, by optimizing the coupled effect of intrinsic polarizations, conductive dissipation, magnetic resonance and eddy current wastage, the PDC/Fe3O4/FeS composite realizes the efficient microwave absorption within a broad range of 6.55 GHz, covering the entire Ku band for only 2.2 mm thickness of absorber. The work offers a flexible strategy to synthesize desired candidate for broadband electromagnetic protection.

The development of superhydrophobic (SHP) and self-cleaning surfaces has gained significant attention due to their potential applications in various fields. This study presents a rapid, simple, and environmentally friendly method for producing superhydrophobic and self-cleaning surfaces on AISI 347 stainless steel. The process involves mild chemical etching followed followed by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) deposition of a fluorocarbon film using 1,1,1,2-tetrafluorethane (C2H2F4) as a precursor. The resulting surfaces exhibited contact angles (CA) of up to 164° and sliding angles (SA) as low as 3°. Characterization of the surfaces revealed favorable mechanical properties, including a maximum hardness of 1.1 GPa and an elastic modulus of 9.7 GPa. The method offers potential for large-scale applications and anti-fouling purposes, as demonstrated by initial fouling tests. The findings contribute to the development of cost-effective and durable superhydrophobic surfaces with enhanced mechanical strength and corrosion resistance.

Dense silicon nitride composites were fabricated by multi-step spark plasma sintering (SPS). As the induced phase, 6 wt% Mo was added and related with the unadulterated β-Si3N4 seeds produced by the in-situ reaction during the sintering process. Si3N4 samples sintered with 7 mol% CeO2 and Yb2O3 by multi-step SPS exhibited a higher mechanical property, namely, a bending strength of 981 MPa and a fracture toughness of 8.85 MPa m1/2, while the thermal diffusivity was lower than that for Si3N4 samples sintered with 7 mol% CeO2 (27.77 mm2/s). The result was attributed primarily to the fully phase transformation and the abnormal growth of large β-Si3N4 grains, resulted from a longer time of solution-reprecipitation process during SPS.

The dye degradation method based on Fenton-like heterogeneous nanostructures has gained significant attention in recent years. We have developed a Copper-Stannum-Polypyrolle-Heterogeneous (Cu–Sn oxide-PPy Heterogeneous, CSPHGs) catalytic system. The system uses a PN junction formed by two oxide semiconductors (Cu2O and SnO2) as the core, which is then coated with polypyrolle (PPy) on the outer layer. Under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation (500.0 μg ml−1, 1.2w·cm−2), the temperature rapidly reached approximately 45 °C within 5 min, demonstrating excellent photothermal performance. We have overcome the limitation of traditional Fenton reactions that require weak acidic conditions for effective operation. Moreover, we have increased the photostability of Cu2O monomers by incorporating them into a three-layer heterostructure. The Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation experiment revealed that the generated reactive oxygen species (·OH), effectively catalyze the decomposition of dyes. Within 120 min, the degradation rate exceeded 99%. This research provides a new option for environmental remediation through the combination of photo-Fenton and photothermal processes.

In this study, BaSn1-xBixO3 (0.00 ≤ x ≤0.20) polycrystalline perovskites are synthesized using the conventional solid-state reaction method for their utilization as materials for shielding against ionizing radiation. The Rietveld refinement of the room temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern revealed that all samples exhibited a cubic structure with Pm3‾m space group. To investigate the photon shielding properties of the prepared samples, the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) was experimentally measured, and then the findings were benchmarked with the calculated results from the XCOM database. The obtained experimental results showed a reasonable correlation with the XCOM data, with relative differences in the mass attenuation coefficient ranging from 0.57% to 7.1%. Based on the measured MAC, different radiation shielding parameters such as the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), half-value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP), transmission factor (TF), and radiation protection efficiency (RPE) were calculated for all ceramics studied. These findings suggest that BaSn1-xBixO3 (0.00 ≤ x ≤0.20) ceramic samples could be beneficial for use in shielding applications against ionizing radiation.

CeO2 decorated reduced graphene oxide (CeO2@rGO) nanocomposites synthesized using a hydrothermal method were studied for their tribological, anti-corrosive and photocatalytic applications. Results showed that CeO2 nanoparticles with an average diameter of ∼12.24 nm were uniformly distributed and covalently bonded onto the surface of rGO. When the nanocomposites were added into PAO5w-40 lubricating oil, the coefficient of friction in the friction test was 31.9% lower than that using the pure lubricating oil. The corresponding wear mechanism was changed from oil-film lubrication to reaction film lubrication, which is mainly attributed to the filling effect of nanostructured CeO2 powers and lubrication effect of rGO. The nanocomposites were also added into chromium-free Dacromet coating and the corrosion current density in the corrosion test was decreased by an order of magnitude. This is mainly due to the formation of various chemical bonds and passivation layer on the modified coating, which improves its density. It is also attributed to the uniformly dispersed rGO, which forms a conductive channel, resulting in the preferred corrosion of the Zn–Al alloy in the coating thus achieving an effective protection effect to the substrate. When the composites were applied as the photocatalyst in an RhB solution under the irradiation of ultraviolet light, the RhB dye was effectively removed with an efficiency up to 90.5%, because the rGO can extend the life time of active electron-hole pairs and prevent CeO2 nanoparticles from severe agglomeration.

In this work both concentration and location of Brønsted acid sites (BASs) in a deuterated L-zeolite were determined by combining neutron powder diffraction with ab-initio molecular dynamics modelling. From the structure refinement of the acidic L zeolite, two Brønsted acid sites were identified. The first one, D1, is on the framework oxygen O5 pointing toward the center of the 8-membered ring channel; the second one, D2, located in proximity of the framework oxygen O1 pointing toward the 12-membered ring channel running parallel to the c-axis. On the whole, ∼7.7 acid sites were located in the unit-cell, corresponding to 58% and 14% for D1 and D2, respectively. The average structure of the simulated D-LTL was in good agreement with the experimental structure. The modelling revealed that the D2 BAS shows a large degree of mobility, consistent with the high thermal factor associated with that atomic position. The D1 BAS showed a behaviour consistent with static disorder, while the D2 BAS was characterized by a significant degree of dynamical disorder. In addition to these findings, the study also revealed that the O1 BAS had a higher Brønsted base character compared to the average basicity of the framework oxygens of the 12-membered ring channels.

WE43 is a biodegradable magnesium alloy with a high potential for cardiovascular stent applications. Although it has many adequate properties, there are barriers to using it as a drug-eluting stent vehicle. Corrosion and hydrogen gas formation have an adverse effect on the surface, causing attached drug carriers to separate, which limits its functionality as a stent. An alkali treatment in 1 M NaOH solution at various applied potentials was utilized to fix this issue. Subsequently, a stearic acid layer was formed by two different methods to reduce corrosion by decreasing water uptake of the surface. The anodic film's surface morphology and phase structure were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Nanoindentation tests were carried out to evaluate the anodic layer's mechanical properties. Its corrosion behaviour was characterized using potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and hydrogen evolution tests. The adhesive, thin yet effective oxide layers achieved in all the potentials showed increased corrosion resistance. It significantly decreased hydrogen formation, which were then sealed with stearic acid, and the surface became hydrophobic. This sealing layer acted as an additional barrier and enhanced the corrosion resistance of the magnesium alloy up to fifteen times bigger.

In nanocomposite gel polymer electrolytes (NCGPEs), high ionic conductivity is realized at a large electrolyte uptake ratio compromising the dimensional stability of the electrolyte films. The present work demonstrates interesting biodegradable gel polymer electrolytes based on guar gum (GG) dispersed with TiO2 nanofibers. Very high ionic conductivity of 2.3 × 10−3 Scm−1 at ambient temperature has been achieved at a relatively low electrolyte uptake ratio of 92% when nanofiber content in guar gum is 2.5 wt% ascertaining the role of nanofibers in promoting ion transport in NCGPEs. Nanofibers also empower the NCGPEs with higher electrochemical and interfacial properties making them a suitable candidate for energy storage systems of the next generation. The enhanced properties of NCGPEs induced by nanofibers have been supported by XRD, FTIR, XPS and computational studies.

The influence of nickel (Ni) ions on the structural and magnetic properties of PrCo1-xNixO3 perovskites was investigated. The samples were prepared using a sol-gel chemical auto-combustion route. The Rietveld refined X-ray diffraction patterns show that all samples were single-phase polycrystalline with orthorhombic (Pbnm) perovskite symmetry. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that with increasing Ni dopant content, the spin state changed from a low to an intermediate spin state (LS→IS), leading to an increase in the Co3+ population in the IS state, which improved the stability of the IS state. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the presence of mixed valence states (Co3+/Co4+) and oxygen vacancies. Ni-substituted PrCoO3 compounds exhibited mixed magnetic phases, which were separated by a theoretical model. The susceptibility curves were fitted with the Curie–Weiss law, and the negative value of the Curie–Weiss temperature indicated a strong predominance of antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions over ferromagnetic (FM) ordering. However, when the Ni content in the host lattice increased, the FM coupling via double exchange became stronger. Thus, saturated FM ordering was achieved with an optimum doping level of Ni ions.

The aim of this study was to obtain useful information about the behavior of a coating when it interacts with a stone substrate, to allow the choice of the most suitable protective agent to preserve stone artworks from deterioration phenomena in their environmental conditions. The effect of some commercially available silane-based polymers on Lecce stone was compared with that of two new acrylic ones not yet available for sale. The performance of each protective treatment was evaluated by colorimetry, contact angle measurements and NMR relaxometry, which allows to estimate the hygroscopic properties of the stone in terms of open porosity and water-uptake. The microscopic observations combined with micro-FTIR and SEM-EDS analyses were performed to investigate the distribution of the protectives on the stone surface and their depth of penetration. The results showed that the water repellency of the two acrylic products and of one of the silane-based protectives was mainly due to a surface effect, just slowing down water adsorption. On the contrary, the other two silane-based products turned out distributed throughout most of the sample volume, completely hindering water absorption.

Functionalization of hexagonal boron nitride envisages a wide research avenue. Large-scale functionalization of the hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) through oxidation in oxygen environment at 1000 °C followed by hydrolyzation is an easy and efficient technique to afford functionalized hBN. During the oxidation process, at high temperature the surface of hBN sinters and offers resistance in oxygen supply to the bulk mass rendering non-uniform oxidation. This work identifies different functionalized hBN phases based on the degree of oxidation of the hexagonal sheets and highlights the impact of dispersion and settling time on the phase separation/identification of functionalized hBN. The variation in the oxygen content of the hBN surface controls dispersion properties, surface, and physical properties. The degree of oxidation influences the surface texture and morphology, induces surface cracks and dislocation, different phases of functionalized hBN has been analyzed by FTIR, XRD, Raman spectra TEM and BET surface area analysis.

Nanocomposites formed by niobium pentoxide dispersed in a silica matrix, with pores modulated by the addition of a soluble polymer (polyethylene glycol 10000), were calcined at different temperatures and applied to remove methylene blue (MB) and doxycycline (DOX) from water. The temperature of calcination changed the morphology of the niobium pentoxide nanoparticles inserted in the silica matrix and the textural characteristics of the nanocomposites, influencing their adsorption properties. The adsorption of the two contaminants used as models was sensitive to the pH variation of the solution, being optimal at pH 11 and 9 for the removal of MB and DOX, respectively. The effect of ionic strength corroborated by the zeta potential and FTIR analyses of the nanocomposite, before and after adsorption, showed that the adsorption of MB (exothermic process) is due only to electrostatic interaction, while the adsorption of DOX (endothermic process) is due to electrostatic and n-π interactions. Both removal processes were spontaneous. The use of the nanocomposites for the adsorption of the two contaminants is efficient and economical since they can be regenerated and reused.

A series of tetragonal LaVO4 nanoparticles (NPs) with varying concentrations of co-dopants (Nd3+/Tb3+) is synthesized using the bottom-up assembly method. Lattice dynamics and the connection between vanadium-oxygen bond distance (R) and vanadium-oxygen Raman stretching frequency (ʋ) are evidently proven using Raman analysis at 532 & 638 nm excitations. Stoke's and Anti-Stoke's emission of the developed nanophosphors are studied under 261 & 808 nm excitations respectively, and the plausible mechanism is depicted as an energy level diagram. Exchange interaction (θ ≃ 3) is obviously responsible for the cross-relaxation-induced quenching of Nd3+/Tb3+ ions. CIE coordinates of co-doped LaVO4 Nps show up in bluish and orange-red colors, extending its multi-color labeling applications.

In this study, three Co-based superalloys with different Al and Mo concentrations were prepared by powder metallurgy (PM) method to investigate their influences on the microstructure and tribological properties. Replacing Al with Mo in the alloy has been found to decrease its hardness and yield strength, but increases its compressive ductility at room temperature. With the increase of Mo content, the formation of the HCP phase from the original FCC solid solution phase was promoted, and the microstructure of the alloy became relatively coarse. All superalloys showed decreased friction coefficient during sliding wear at 800 °C. The alloy with the highest content of Mo and lowest content of Al exhibited the greatest wear resistance at both room temperature and 800 °C. Formation of a continuous compact glaze layer rich in Cr2O3 and CoMoO4 oxides results into a significant reduction in both friction coefficient and specific wear resistance, and the synergistic effect of high temperature wear-induced oxides is the dominant contribution rather than the transformation of HCP from the original FCC solid solution phase at high temperature.

The graded energy band gap is an effective method for improving solar spectrum efficiency. To reduce the short-circuit current density (JSC) losses, creation of suitable spike-like alignment at the electron transport (ETL)/perovskite junction is a proper method. Also, simulations model is calibrated with the experimental current-voltage (J–V) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) to validate obtained data. The graded FAPbI3 perovskite solar cell has been proposed, and the effect of (Br, I) on the device efficiency is researched. The results illustrate that iodide values in FAPb (IxBr1-x)3 significantly influence the adjustment of conduction band energy states at the perovskite/ETL interface. The Br flexibility ranging from 0% to 40% allows the target perovskite solar cell (PSC) to produce an optimum conduction band offset (CBO) at the perovskite/ETL interface. The CBO creation between the FAPbI3/ETL causes achieving (open-circuit voltage) VOC to 1.22 V, JSC to 26.9 mA cm−2, and fill factor (FF) to 81.1. Here, we demonstrate that graded energy band gap PSC could achieve steady-state conversion efficiencies of ∼26.63%. According to the results, this enhancement is owing to the proper carrier's transport among the perovskite/ETL junction due to a recombination decrement in the junction with spike-like band alignment.

For the first of its kind, Silver activated (1–9 mol%) Zirconium Titanate nanoparticles (NPs) have been synthesized by green solution combustion method using AloeV era gel extract as a reducing agent followed by calcination at 720 °C for 3 h. All the synthesized samples crystallizes in orthorhombic crystal structure with the space group of Pbcn. Initially a less intense peak corresponding to monoclinic ZrO2 phase is observed up to 7 mol% and thereafter it diminishes at 9 mol%. The surface and bulk morphology were analyzed. The crystallite size increases whereas the direct energy band gap was found to decrease with increase in dopant concentration. Further, the effect of dopant concentration on photoluminescence and electrochemical properties were studied. The PL spectra show a single broad emission peak at 440 nm along with a satellite peak at 466 nm. These peaks appearing in the case of Ag-doped ZTO corresponds to the radiative transition of the excited electrons from occupied d bands to higher states of the Fermi level. The CIE and CCT coordinates imply that the present nanophosphor can be employed as a blue emitting phosphor material in display technology. The cyclic voltammetry analysis is performed for oxidation and redox peaks. EIS revealed the ion transport kinetics and Super capacitance values were obtained from GCD analysis. Specific capacitance values were found to be in the range 279 to 329 F/g for ZTO:Ag (1 to 9 mol%) NPs respectively. Thus, the present synthesized material might find applications in the field of display technology as well as in energy storage materials.