Protic ionic liquid-based gel polymer electrolyte: structural and ion transport studies and its application in proton battery

Proton-conducting free standing gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) films containing protic ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulphate, immobilized in blend of poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) have been prepared by solution-cast technique. Films have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), complex impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. Ionic conductivity of the semicrystalline and porous GPE films has been obtained as ~3.9?×?10^?3 S cm^?1 at room temperature. Protonic nature of conduction in the films has been established by performing cyclic voltammetry and complex impedance spectroscopy on the cells having both blocking (stainless steel) and both reversible electrodes (Zn + ZnSO₄.7H₂O). The electrochemical stability window of the films has been found as ~3.8 V. The highest conducting film has been used as a separator and proton conductor to fabricate a proton battery of configuration Zn + ZnSO₄.7H₂O |GPE film| PbO₂ + V₂O₅. The battery shows an open circuit voltage of ~1.62 V. Energy density of the cell has been obtained as 35.2 W h kg^?1 for low current drain. Rechargeability of the cell has been tested for ten cycles. The maximum discharge capacity of the cell has been obtained as ~2.50 mA h g^?1 during the first discharge cycle.     

Effect of Mg(CF3SO3)2 concentration on structural and electrochemical properties of ionic liquid incorporated polymer electrolyte membranes

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In the present study, a magnesium ion conducting polymer electrolyte membrane system based on polyethylene oxide (PEO) containing magnesium triflate...     

Sodium ion conducting nanocomposite polymer electrolyte membrane for sodium ion batteries

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - The paper reports effect of dispersion of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofiller on the sodium ion conducting nanocomposite polymer electrolyte membranes...     

Synthesis and characterization of nanostructured (Pb1− x Sr x )TiO3 thin films by a modified chemical route

The coating solutions of nanostructured (Pb_{1– x} Sr _x )TiO₃ (PST) thin films have been prepared by the sol–gel combined metallo-organic decomposition method. The coating solutions were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates using a spin-coating technique with spinning speed of 4300 rpm and annealed at 650°C. The effect of Sr content in reducing the grain size and tetragonal distortion of PST films has been studied. The optimum conditions for crystalline phase formation in the films have been analyzed by thermogravimetric, differential thermal analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The phase and microstructure of the films were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The XRD pattern shows that the PST thin films are crystallized into tetragonal structures without any impurity phase and the distortion ratio reduces with increasing Sr concentration. The AFM results indicate an increase in grain size with increasing annealing temperature of the film and reduction in grain size with increasing Sr concentration.     

Diffusion of Au in amorphous Zr x Ni100−x alloys studied by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry

The diffusion coefficients (D) of Au in three binary amorphous Zr _x Ni_100–x (x=61, 65, and 67) alloys were measured in the temperature range 549–623 K using the technique of the Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). The D values were found to lie in the range 1.0×10^–21–9.0×10^–20 m²s^–1 for different alloys. The activation energy (Q) was calculated in each case on the basis of an observed Arrhenius temperature dependence of D. The activation energy was found to scale with the crystallization temperature (T _x) of the alloy. Other published measurements for Au diffusion in amorphous Zr-Ni alloys also appear to follow the scaling relation between Q and T _x.     

Medicinal Plants,Phytochemicals, and Herbs to Combat Viral Pathogens Including SARS-CoV-2

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is the most important health issue, internationally. With no specific and effective antiviral therapy for COVID-19, new or repurposed antiviral are urgently needed. Phytochemicals pose a ray of hope for human health during this pandemic, and a great deal of research is concentrated on it. Phytochemicals have been used as antiviral agents against several viruses since they could inhibit several viruses via different mechanisms of direct inhibition either at the viral entry point or the replication stages and via immunomodulation potentials. Recent evidence also suggests that some plants and its components have shown promising antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2. This review summarizes certain phytochemical agents along with their mode of actions and potential antiviral activities against important viral pathogens. A special focus has been given on medicinal plants and their extracts as well as herbs which have shown promising results to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection and can be useful in treating patients with COVID-19 as alternatives for treatment under phytotherapy approaches during this devastating pandemic situation.     

DIELECTRIC AND PHASE TRANSITION STUDIES OF 1MC1EPOPB FERROELECTRIC LIQUID CRYSTAL

Abstract

An experimental study for R — 4′-(1 methoxycarbonyl – 1 – ethoxy) phenyl 4 – (4 – octyloxyphenyl) benzoate (1MC1EPOPB) ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) using impedance analyzer and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) technique is reported. The measurements have been done for permittivity, dielectric loss at different frequencies and temperatures. The data have been analyzed for distribution parameters involved in Havriliak-Negami's equation. The relaxation time measured for different relaxation processes is listed. The measurements for static dielectric constants in the parallel(ε_∥) and perpendicular(ε_?) directions at different temperatures have also been taken. The transition temperatures are identified for cooling and heating conditions using DSC technique as well as dielectric measurements. The interesting results have been found and some unknown phases have been monitored, the reason for which needs theoretical interpretation.     

Differential electrochemical behaviour of phytofabricated and chemically synthesized silver nanoparticles towards hydrogen peroxide sensing**

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most widely used nanomaterials for biomedical applications. However, the impact of its synthesis by chemical and plant-mediated routes on its differential electrochemical behaviour has not been examined till date. Here, we report for the first time the differential study of the electrochemical behaviour of the AgNPs synthesized by different routes. First, the AgNPs were obtained by different routes (chemical and phytofabrication) and extensively characterized to compare their physical properties. Thereafter, a comparison of electron transfer kinetics between chemically synthesized (Ag−C) and phyto-fabricated (Ag-Phy) nanoparticles (NPs) has been studied by electrochemical techniques such as potentiodynamic cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). To further investigate the electrocatalytic properties of both types of AgNPs, we have used the peroxide moieties (H₂O₂), and the Ag−C NPs-based sensor probe has been reported to have four times better sensitivity than the Ag−Phy NPs-based sensor. The AgNPs modified sensor probes have also been tested in real-world environments to explore the consistency of their performance in complex matrices by using clinical urine samples, where we found comparable sensitivity to the standard conditions.