Effect of plasticizers (EC or PC) on the ionic conductivity and thermal properties of the (PEO)9LiTf: Al2O3 nanocomposite polymer electrolyte system

A new plasticized nanocomposite polymer electrolyte based on poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO)-LiTf dispersed with ceramic filler (Al₂O₃) and plasticized with propylene carbonate (PC), ethylene carbonate (EC), and a mixture of EC and PC (EC+PC) have been studied for their ionic conductivity and thermal properties. The incorporation of plasticizers alone will yield polymer electrolytes with enhanced conductivity but with poor mechanical properties. However, mechanical properties can be improved by incorporating ceramic fillers to the plasticized system. Nanocomposite solid polymer electrolyte films (200–600 μm) were prepared by common solvent-casting method. In present work, we have shown the ionic conductivity can be substantially enhanced by using the combined effect of the plasticizers as well as the inert filler. It was revealed that the incorporating 15 wt.% Al₂O₃ filler in to PEO: LiTf polymer electrolyte significantly enhanced the ionic conductivity [σ _RT (max)?=?7.8?×?10^?6 S cm^?1]. It was interesting to observe that the addition of PC, EC, and mixture of EC and PC to the PEO: LiTf: 15 wt.% Al₂O₃ CPE showed further conductivity enhancement. The conductivity enhancement with EC is higher than PC. However, mixture of plasticizer (EC+PC) showed maximum conductivity enhancement in the temperature range interest, giving the value [σ _RT (max)?=?1.2?×?10^?4 S cm^?1]. It is suggested that the addition of PC, EC, or a mixture of EC and PC leads to a lowering of glass transition temperature and increasing the amorphous phase of PEO and the fraction of PEO-Li⁺ complex, corresponding to conductivity enhancement. Al₂O₃ filler would contribute to conductivity enhancement by transient hydrogen bonding of migrating ionic species with O–OH groups at the filler grain surface. The differential scanning calorimetry thermograms points towards the decrease of T _g , crystallite melting temperature, and melting enthalpy of PEO: LiTf: Al₂O₃ CPE after introducing plasticizers. The reduction of crystallinity and the increase in the amorphous phase content of the electrolyte, caused by the filler, also contributes to the observed conductivity enhancement.     

Influence of sintering on the structural and electronic properties of TiO2 nanoporous layers prepared via a non-sol–gel approach

In this work, a nonaqueous method is used to fabricate thin TiO₂ layers. In contrast to the common aqueous sol–gel approach, our method yields layers of anatase nanocrystallites already at low temperature. Raman spectroscopy, electron microscopy and charge extraction by linearly increasing voltage are employed to study the effect of sintering temperature on the structural and electronic properties of the nanocrystalline TiO₂ layer. Raising the sintering temperature from 120 to 600?°C is found to alter the chemical composition, the layer’s porosity and its surface but not the crystal phase. The room temperature mobility increases from 2?×?10^?6 to 3?×?10^?5?cm²/Vs when the sinter temperature is increased from 400 to 600?°C, which is explained by a better interparticle connectivity. Solar cells comprising such nanoporous TiO₂ layers and a soluble derivative of cyclohexylamino-poly(p-phenylene vinylene) were fabricated and studied with regard to their structural and photovoltaic properties. We found only weak polymer infiltration into the oxide layer for sintering temperatures up to 550?°C, while the polymer penetrated deeply into titania layers that were sintered at 600?°C. Best photovoltaic performance was reached with a nanoporous TiO₂ film sintered at 550?°C, which yielded a power conversion efficiency of 0.5?%. Noticeably, samples with the TiO₂ layer dried at 120?°C displayed short-circuit currents and open circuit voltages only about 15–20?% lower than for the most efficient devices, meaning that our nonaqueous route yields titania layers with reasonable transport properties even at low sintering temperatures.     

Engineered Molecular Chain Ordering in Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes/Polyaniline Composite Films for High‐Performance Organic Thermoelectric Materials

Single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs)/polyaniline (PANI) composite films with enhanced thermoelectric properties were prepared by combining in situ polymerization and solution processing. Conductive atomic force microscopy and X‐ray diffraction measurements confirmed that solution processing and strong π–π interactions between the PANI and SWNTs induced the PANI molecules to form a highly ordered structure. The improved degree of order of the PANI molecular arrangement increased the carrier mobility and thereby enhanced the electrical transport properties of PANI. The maximum in‐plane electrical conductivity and power factor of the SWNTs/PANI composite films reached 1.44×10³ S cm^?1 and 217 μW m^?1 K^?2, respectively, at room temperature. Furthermore, a thermoelectric generator fabricated with the SWNTs/PANI composite films showed good electric generation ability and stability. A high power density of 10.4 μW cm^?2 K^?1 was obtained, which is superior to most reported results obtained in organic thermoelectric modules.     

Temperature dependences of solid structure and properties of biodegradable poly(butylene succinate-co-terephthalate) (PBST) copolyester

In this paper, studies of the temperature dependence for spherulitic growth of PBST copolyester bearing 70 mol% butylene terephthalate units (named as PBST-70) ranged from 70 to 170 °C were first reported based on the Lauritzen–Hoffman secondary nucleation theory. The results showed that maximum spherulitic growth rate of PBST-70 was obtained under crystallization temperature of 90 °C, and more perfect spherulites were formed via increasing isothermal crystallization temperature by POM measurement. The classical regime I → II and regime II → III transitions occurred at the temperatures of 150 and 110 °C, respectively, using the empirical universal values of U* = 6300 J mol^?1 and T _∞ = T _g ? 30 K. Moreover, the effects of isothermal crystallization temperature on crystal lamellar thickness, thermal and tensile properties of PBST-70 were systematically investigated by small angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimeter, and strength tester. The results indicated that the crystal lamellar thickness increased by increasing isothermal crystallization temperature. The endothermic peak shifted to higher temperature and the tensile properties of PBST-70 were enhanced under higher isothermal crystallization temperature.     

Studies on solid-state polymer composite electrolyte of nano-silica/hyperbranched poly(amine-ester)

A new solid-state polymer composite electrolyte based on hypergrafted nano-silica (SiO₂-g-HBPAE)/hyperbranched poly (amine-ester) (HBPAE) doped with lithium perchlorate (LiClO₄) was studied in this paper. The N,N-diethylol-3-amine-2-methyl methylpropionate monomer was firstly synthesized by methyl methacrylate (MMA) and diethanolamine through Michael addition reaction and then self-condensed on the surface of nano-silica pretreated by 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and MMA. The synthetic procedure of the monomers and SiO₂-g-HBPAE/HBPAE was traced by fluorescence spectra. The size and grafting ratio of SiO₂-g-HBPAE were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, static light scattering and thermogravimetric analysis. Incorporating SiO₂-g-HBPAE to HBPAE could not only decrease the glass transition temperature of polymer according to the differential scanning calorimetry characterization, but also increase the elastic and viscosity modules indicated by rheological measurement results. Electrochemical properties of SiO₂-g-HBPAE/HBPAE/LiClO₄ were also investigated. The conductivity of SiO₂-g-HBPAE/HBPAE with 50 wt% LiClO₄ reached 1.4?×?10^?5 S/cm at 30 °C and 10^?3 S/cm at 100 °C. The lithium-ion transference number of synthesized hyperbranched electrolyte can be up to 0.55.     

Multi-functional coating of cellulose nanocrystals for flexible packaging applications

In this paper, we systematically address the performance of cellulose nanocrystals (CNs) coated flexible food packaging films. Firstly, the morphology of CNs from cotton linters and homogeneity of its coating on different substrates were characterized by transmission electronic microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Then, the 1.5 μm thick CNs coating on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), oriented polypropylene, oriented polyamide (OPA), and cellophane films were characterized for their mechanical, optical, anti-fog, and barrier properties. CNs coating reduces the coefficient of friction while maintaining high transparency (~90 %) and low haze (3–4 %) values, and shows excellent anti-fog properties and remarkable oxygen barrier (oxygen permeability coefficient of CNs coating, P’O₂, 0.003 cm³ μm m^?2 24 h^?1 kPa^?1). In addition, the Gelbo flex test combined with oxygen permeance (PO₂) measurements and optical microscopy are firstly reported for evaluating the durability of coatings, revealing that the CNs coated PET and OPA provide the best performance among the investigated coated films. CNs are therefore considered to be a promising multi-functional coating for flexible food packaging.     

A dual-functional cadmium(II) coordination polymer as a luminescent sensor for selective sensing of iron(III) ions and detecting the temperature

A Cd(II) coordination polymer (1), {[Cd₂(Ccbp)₂(dca)Cl·3H₂O]·4H₂O} Ccbp^? = 4-carboxy-1-(3-carboxybenzyl)pyridin-1-ium and dca^? = dicyanamide, has been synthesized via a hydrothermal reaction and fully characterized by single-crystal X-ray structural analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. Complex 1 has a 2D network structure with uncoordinated functional groups. Its solid-state luminescence properties were measured at room temperature. Complex 1 exhibited a high sensitivity for Fe³⁺ in DMF solutions of mixed metal ions. In addition, the temperature-dependent luminescence properties of 1 have been investigated and show that the complex acts as a luminescent thermometer over a temperature range from 10 to 90 K.     

Electrospun cellulose acetate/poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanofibrous membrane for polymer lithium-ion batteries

The membranes for gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) for lithium-ion batteries were prepared by electrospinning a blend of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF) with cellulose acetate (CA). The performances of the prepared membranes and the resulted GPEs were investigated, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), porosity, hydrophilicity, electrolyte uptake, mechanical property, thermal stability, AC impedance measurements, linear sweep voltammetry, and charge–discharge cycle tests. The effect of the ratio of CA to PVdF on the performance of the prepared membranes was considered. It is found that the GPE based on the blended polymer with CA:PVdF =2:8 (in weight) has an outstanding combination property-strength (11.1 MPa), electrolyte uptake (768.2 %), thermal stability (no shrinkage under 80 °C without tension), and ionic conductivity (2.61 × 10^?3 S cm^?1). The Li/GPE/LiCoO₂ battery using this GPE exhibits superior cyclic stability and storage performance at room temperature. Its specific capacity reaches up to 204.15 mAh g^?1, with embedded lithium capacity utilization rate of 74.94 %, which is higher than the other lithium-ion batteries with the same cathode material LiCoO₂ (about 50 %).     

Application of heating microscopy to the study of thermal behaviour of ZnO–P2O5–WO3 glasses

The effect of WO₃ on thermal behaviour and thermal stability of ZnO–P₂O₅–WO₃ glasses prepared in compositional series (100 ? x)[0.5ZnO–0.5P₂O₅] ? xWO₃ (x = 0–60) was investigated by heating microscopy and the results were correlated with the results determined by conventional thermodilatometry and differential thermal analysis. Thermoanalytical studies showed that the glass transformation temperature and dilatation softening temperature increase with increasing WO₃ content while thermal expansion coefficient decreases. The highest stability towards crystallization possess glasses containing 20–30 mol% WO₃. Major compounds formed by the crystallization of the glasses were Zn(PO₃)₂, WO₃ and W₁₈P₂O₅₉. The values of sphere temperature, hemisphere temperature and flow temperature obtained using heating microscopy were strongly influenced by the degree of crystallization process at the sintering.     

Improved electrochemical performance of nano-crystalline Li2FeSiO4/C cathode material prepared by the optimization of sintering temperature

Li₂FeSiO₄/C cathode materials have been prepared using the conventional solid-state method by varying the sintering temperature (650 °C, 700 °C and 750 °C), and the structure and electrochemical performance of Li₂FeSiO₄/C materials are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), galvanostatic charge–discharge tests, respectively. The results show that Li₂FeSiO₄ nano-crystals with a diameter of about 6–8 nm are inbedded in the amorphous carbon, and the Li₂FeSiO₄/C material obtained at 700 °C exhibits an initial discharge capacity of 195 mA?h g^?1 at 1/16 C in the potential range of 1.5–4.8 V. The excellent electrochemical performance of Li₂FeSiO₄/C attributes to the improvement of conductivity and reduction of impurity by the optimization of the sintering temperature.     

Synthesis and characterization of Pd-La(OH)3/C electrocatalyst for direct ethanol fuel cell

The composite nanomaterial of Pd-La(OH)₃/C was successfully synthesized via intermittent microwave heating–glycol reduction method and characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The TEM photograph shows that Pd-La(OH)₃ is well polymerized and dispersed on the carbon support. The performance of the prepared material for ethanol oxidation was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), chronoamperometry (CA), and chronopotentiometry (CP) measurements in alkaline media. The results reveal that Pd-La(OH)₃/C has significantly higher activity and stability than that of Pd/C with the same Pd loading of 0.1 mg cm^?2. The stable potential reaches to ?0.38 V vs. Hg/HgO at 20 mA cm^?2 on the Pd-La(OH)₃/C electrode in CP curve. Single direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) was constructed using Pd-La(OH)₃/C electrode and MnO₂/C electrode as the ethanol anode and air cathode respectively, where the cell voltage can stay at 0.4 V under the current density of 20 mA cm^?2 by discharge test at room temperature.     

Kinetic and galvanostatic studies of a polymer electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries

Quaternary polymer electrolyte (PE) based on poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid (EMImBF₄), sulfolane (TMS) and lithium hexafluorophosphate salt (LiPF₆) (PAN-EMImBF₄-sulfolane-LIPF₆) was prepared by the casting technique. Obtained PE films of ca. 0.2–0.3 mm in thickness showed good mechanical properties. They were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry (TGA, DSC), the flammability test, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic charging/discharging. SEM images revealed a structure consisting of a polymer network (PAN) and space probably occupied by the liquid phase (LiPF₆ + EMImBF₄ + sulfolane). The polymer electrolyte in contact with an outer flame source did not ignite; it rather underwent decomposition without the formation of flammable products. Room temperature specific conductivity was ca. 2.5 mS cm^?1. The activation energy of the conding process was ca. 9.0 kJ mol^?1. Compatibility of the polymer electrolyte with metallic lithium and graphite anodes was tested applying the galvanostatic method. Charge transfer resistance for the C₆Li → Li⁺ + e^? anode processes, estimated from EIS curve, was ca. 48 Ω. The graphite anode capacity stabilizes at ca. 350 mAh g^?1 after the 30th cycle (20 mA g^?1).     

Extraction of Palladium(II) and Platinum(IV) from Hydrochloric Acid Solutions with Trioctylammonium Nitrate Ionic Liquid without Dilution

The fundamental properties and extraction capability of an ionic liquid (IL), trioctylammonium nitrate ([HTOA][NO₃]), for Pd^II and Pt^IV, are investigated. At room temperature, [HTOA][NO₃] is a solid (melting point: 30.7 °C), but it becomes a liquid (melting point: 16.7 °C) when saturated with water. Water-saturated [HTOA][NO₃] exhibits a viscosity of 267.1 mPa·s and an aqueous solubility of 2.821?×?10^?4 mol·dm^?3 at 25 °C, and can be used as an extraction solvent without dilution. [HTOA][NO₃] exhibits an extremely high extraction capability for Pd^II and Pt^IV in dilute hydrochloric acid (0.1–2 mol·dm^?3 HCl); the distribution ratio reaches 3 × 10⁴ for both the metals. From electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis, the species extracted in the IL phase are [PdCl₃]^? and [PdCl₂(NO₃)]^? for Pd^II and [PtCl₆]^2? and [PtCl₅]^? for Pt^IV. A majority of the other transition metals are considerably less or marginally extracted into [HTOA][NO₃] from a 0.1 mol·dm^?3 hydrochloric acid solution. The extraction capacity of [HTOA][NO₃] is greater than that of other hydrophobic ILs such as [HTOA]Cl and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide-based ILs. The metals extracted into the IL phase are quantitatively back-extracted using an aqueous solution containing thiourea and nitric acid. By controlling the thiourea concentration and shaking time, Pd^II and Pt^IV are mutually separated to some extent in the back extraction process. The IL phase used for the back extraction can be reused for the forward extraction of these metals after scrubbing it with an aqueous nitric acid solution.     

A water-soluble precursor of BaTiO3 and transparent BaTiO3 thin-films prepared from the solution by a water-based dip-coating technique

A new water-soluble precursor of BaTiO₃ was prepared from citratoperoxotitanate and barium citrate as the Ti and Ba sources, respectively. The water-soluble precursor was easily solved in water to form a stable solution, which produced BaTiO₃ by heat-treatment at 500 °C and above. A water-based dip-coating technique demonstrated a potential application as the coating solution of BaTiO₃. Transparent BaTiO₃ films were formed on the quartz-glass substrates with an increment of typically 9 nm per coating with 0.05 mol dm^?3 solution. The transmittance of the 180 nm-thick film attained almost 90 % at the maximum and the overall transmittance was above 60 % over the visible region. The polycrystalline film was composed of BaTiO₃ grains smaller than 200 nm. Although the film was an insulator, it was not suited for the dielectric application because of the structural problems due to the relatively low density and the thinness of the BaTiO₃ layer. The BaTiO₃ pellet obtained from the water soluble precursor by condensation, pyrolysis and sintering showed the good dielectric properties with ε_r = 3,500 and tan δ = 0.027 with a sintering temperature of 1,375 °C.     

Electrosynthesis of Poly(azure B) from Sulfuric Acid Solution

Electrochemical polymerization of azure B from sulfuric acid solution was carried out by using cyclic voltammetry. The electrolytic solution consisted of 5.0 mmol · dm^?3 azure B and 0.3 mol · dm^?3 H₂SO₄. The temperature for polymerization was controlled at 20°C. A blue film, i.e., poly(azure B) was formed on a platinum foil and had a electrochemical reversibility, stability and a fast charge transfer ability in the 0.5 mol · dm^?3 Na₂SO₄ with pH ≤4.0 solution. The currents of both anodic and cathodic peaks are proportional to υ^1/2 at the scan rate (υ) region of 25 and 600 mV · s^?1 on the cyclic voltammograms. The conductivity of poly(azure B) is 2.8×10^?6 S · cm^?1 at 20°C. The UV‐visible spectrum and Raman spectrum of the polymer are different from those of the monomer. A possible polymerization mechanism of azure B was also proposed.     

Anisotropic thermoelectric properties of Bi1.9Lu0.1Te2.7Se0.3 textured via spark plasma sintering

Spark plasma sintering method was applied to prepare bulk n-type Bi_1.9Lu_0.1Te_2.7Se_0.3 samples highly textured along the 001 direction parallel to the pressing direction. The texture development is confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The grains in the textured samples form ordered lamellar structure and lamellar sheets lie in plane perpendicular to the pressing direction. The average grain size measured along the pressing direction is much less as compared to the average grain size measured in the perpendicular direction (∼50 nm against ∼400 nm). A strong anisotropy in the transport properties measured along directions parallel and perpendicular to the pressing direction within the 290 ÷ 650 K interval was found. The specific electrical resistivity increases and the thermal conductivity decreases for the parallel orientation as compared to these properties for the perpendicular orientation. The Seebeck coefficient for both orientations is almost equal. Increase of the electrical resistivity is stronger than decrease of the thermal conductivity resulting in almost three-fold enhancement of the thermoelectric figure-of-merit coefficient for the perpendicular orientation (∼0.68 against ∼0.24 at ∼420 K). The texturing effect can be attributed to (i) recovery of crystal structure anisotropy typical for the single crystal Bi₂Te₃-based alloys and (ii) grain boundary scattering of electrons and phonons. An onset of intrinsic conductivity observed above T_d ≈ 410 K results in appearance of maxima in the temperature dependences of the specific electrical resistivity, the Seebeck coefficient and the thermoelectric figure-of-merit coefficient and minimum in the temperature dependence of the total thermal conductivity. The intrinsic conductivity is harmful for the thermoelectric efficiency enhancement since thermal excitation of the electron-hole pairs reduces the Seebeck coefficient and increases the thermal conductivity.     

Synthesis,structure, and thermal decomposition of two copper coordination compounds [Cu(DAT)2(PA)2] and [Cu(DAT)2(HTNR)2] with nitrogen rich 1,5-diaminotetrazole (DAT)

Both [Cu(DAT)₂(PA)₂] (1) and [Cu(DAT)₂(HTNR)₂] (2) were prepared from 1,5-diaminotetrazole (DAT) and copper trinitrophenol, 1 for picrate (PA) and 2 for styphnate acid (2,4,6-trinitro resorcinol, TNR), and were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The space group of these compounds is P2₁/c (monoclinic). The lattice parameters are similar [a = 11.405(3) Å, b = 14.867(3) Å, c = 8.099(2) Å for 1 and a = 12.262(3) Å, b = 14.900(3) Å, c = 7.243(2) Å for 2], except the β = 106.257(3)° in 1 and β = 92.989(4)° in 2. Both have extended structures due to hydrogen bonds, but there are some differences because of the ligands induced effect. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis shows that two exothermic processes take place in both complexes, the first peak temperatures are 488.2 K for 1 and 519.2 K for 2. The kinetic parameters of the first exothermic process were studied by using Kissinger’s method and Ozawa’s method, in which the enthalpy of formation (?7346 and ?5706 kJ M^?1), critical temperature of thermal explosion (475.0 and 515.8 K), entropy of activation (ΔS^≠), enthalpy of activation (ΔH^≠), and free energy of activation (ΔG^≠) were calculated and obtained as ?117.25 J K^?1 M^?1, 140.64 kJ M^?1, 196.44 kJ M^?1 and ?219.1 J K^?1 M^?1, 383.56 kJ M^?1, 495.34 kJ M^?1 for 1 and 2, respectively. The sensitivity test results showed that both compounds were sensitive to impact (<5 J) and flame (>20 cm) rather than friction.     

Nanosized bismuth titanate (Bi4Ti3O12) system drive through auto-combustion process by using suspension titania (TiO2)

Bismuth titanate (Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂) was developed by means of titanium oxide (TiO₂) suspension in auto-combustion process at 220 °C to get nanosized (20 ± 5 nm) bismuth titanate (Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂) powder. Complete piezoelectric phase (tetragonal) was obtained after calcination at 700 °C. Dilatometery of compacts was performed to find out sintering temperature. On the basis of shrinkage results, compacts were sintered at 750, 800, and 850 °C for 2 h. After sintering single phase was obtained with orthorhombic structure analyzed by X-ray diffraction and also investigated by Rietveld method. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy revealed that fine plate-like structure which is a characteristic of BIT powder can be obtained at 850 °C. Sintering results indicate that density and average grain size increase with the increasing temperature. A maximum of about 90 % of the theoretical density was achieved for the sintered product at 850 °C.     

Experimental investigations of thermal stability of some morpholinecarbamic acid complexes of copper(II) and zinc(II)

Some new carbamates, viz. M(MorphcbmH)₂X₂ (MorphcbmH = morpholinecarbamic acid, M = Cu, X = Cl, ClO₄,NO₃; M = Zn, X = Cl, ClO₄, NO₃, CH₃COO and X₂ = SO₄), have been synthesized and investigated. Compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductance, FT infrared, fluorescence, NMR (¹H and ¹³C) and solution electronic absorption spectral studies. Room temperature field-dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements, PXRD spectral and cyclic voltametric studies were also conducted. Chelating bidentate mode of coordination of ligand, MorphcbmH with four coordination around metal ion has been proposed. Ligand and its compounds have also been studied using non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetric analytical techniques which inferred formation of metal oxide/MCO₃ as final thermal decomposition products. Compounds were screened against the lipase enzyme for assaying their enzyme activity and were found to retard the lipase activity from 48.16 to 0.044 µmol mL^?1 min^?1.     

A new potentiometric sensor based on a high-performance composite for nanomolar determination of mercury (II) in environmental samples

A new potentiometric sensor for the rapid determination of Hg²⁺ based on modified carbon paste electrode consisting of room temperature ionic liquid, 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIM-PF₆), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), alumina nanoparticles and a synthetic macrocyclic diamide ‘7,10,13-triaza-1-thia-4,16-dioxa-6,14-dioxo-2,3;17,18-dinaphtho-cyclooctadecane’ as an efficient ionophore was constructed. Prepared composite is an ideal paste because it has low drift of potential, high selectivity and fast response time (10 s), which leads to a more stable potential signal. The morphology and properties of electrodes surface were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. A linear dynamic range of 2.01–2.01 × 10⁷ µg L^?1 with detection limit of 1.40 µg L^?1 Hg²⁺ was obtained at pH range of 2.5 to 4.5. The prepared modified electrode shows several advantages such as simple preparation method, high stability of the composite paste, high sensitivity, long-term life time (at least 13 weeks) and remarkable potentiometric reproducibility. The modified electrode was successfully applied for the accurate determination of trace amounts of Hg ²⁺ in environmental samples.