Synthesis of gold nanorod/single-wall carbon nanotube heterojunctions directly on surfaces

This contribution describes the synthesis of gold nanorod (Au NR)/single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) heterojunctions assembled directly on Si/SiOx substrates. SWCNTs are attached to amine-functionalized Si/SiOx substrates, and Au monolayer-protected clusters (MPCs) are adsorbed to the surface of SWCNTs through hydrophobic interactions. Seed-mediated reduction of HAuCl4 with ascorbic acid in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) onto the Au MPCs leads to the growth of larger Au nanostructures directly on the SWCNTs. Au NRs account for 19% of the nanostructures, some of which are attached directly to the sidewall and some at the ends of the SWCNTs. Raman spectroscopic measurements of SWCNTs before and after growth of the Au nanostructures reveal that the presence of Au leads to an approximately 50-fold enhancement of the Raman scattering signal. Combining 1D nanostructures of different materials (Au and carbon in this example) is of fundamental interest and may find use in nanoelectronics, chemical sensing, electrochemical, and spectroscopy applications.     

The electrodeposition of indium onto vitreous carbon from acidic chloride media

Cyclic voltammetry and potential step techniques have been used to study the electrodeposition of indium metal from 1 mol dm^?3 potassium chloride, pH 2–4.5, onto a vitreous carbon electrode. It is confirmed that the In/In³⁺ couple is fast in chloride media and the nucleation and growth of the indium phase is discussed. It is shown that instantaneous nucleation occurs at an overpotential of only a few mV and that the growth of the nuclei is three dimensional.     

Role of polythiophenes as electroactive materials

Semiconducting polythiophenes display electroactive properties which make them excellent candidates for applications as electroactive materials. Ability to undergo doping and to switch between different oxidation states allow tuning the chemical and physical properties of polythiophenes. Furthermore, the ability to integrate polythiophenes into copolymers, hybrid composites with metals and inorganic materials make them useful in electronic and biomedical applications. The capability to vary the properties of the final material with low production cost and high processability into thin films makes polythiophenes desirable materials for many applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3327–3346     

Effect of polyaniline (PANI) on efficiency enhancement of dye-sensitized solar cells fabricated with poly(ethylene oxide)-based gel polymer electrolytes

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Ionically conducting gel polymer electrolytes can be used effectively to improve the problems associated with liquid electrolytes in dye-sensitized solar...     

A polymer electrolyte containing ionic liquid for possible applications in photoelectrochemical solar cells

Various iodide ion conducting polymer electrolytes have been studied as candidate materials for fabricating photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cells and energy storage devices. In this study, enhanced ionic conductivity values were obtained for the ionic liquid tetrahexylammonium iodide containing polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based plasticized electrolytes. The analysis of thermal properties revealed the existence of two phases in the electrolyte, and the conductivity measurements showed a marked conductivity enhancement during the melting of the plasticizer-rich phase of the electrolyte. Annealed electrolyte samples showed better conductivity than nonannealed samples, revealing the existence of hysteresis. The optimum conductivity was shown for the electrolytes with PEO:salt = 100:15 mass ratio, and this sample exhibited the minimum glass transition temperature of 72.2 °C. For this optimum PEO to salt ratio, the conductivity of nonannealed electrolyte was 4.4 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ and that of the annealed sample was 4.6 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at 30 °C. An all solid PEC solar cell was fabricated using this annealed electrolyte. The short circuit current density (I _SC), the open circuit voltage (V _OC), and the power conversion efficiency of the cell are 0.63 mA cm⁻², 0.76 V, and 0.47% under the irradiation of 600 W m⁻² light.     

Two new angular methyl dioxygenated D:A-fried-oleananes

Two new trioxygenated D:A-friedo-oleananes from Elaeodendron glaucum have been shown to be the angular methyl dioxygenated 25,28-dihydroxy-D:A-friedo-oleanan-3-one(1) and 3,28-dioxo-D:A-friedo-oleanan-25-ol(2) by interconversion and deoxygenation of the alcohol(2) using Lithium-ethyle diamine reduction coupled with spectroscopic methods.