Iodine-catalyzed N-alkylation of tosylhydrazones with benzylic alcohols

A new and highly efficient method for the C–N bond formation using molecular iodine-catalyzed N-alkylation reaction of tosylhydrazones with benzylic/benzhydryl alcohols at room temperature in methylene chloride is described. A variety of tosylhydrazones reacted readily with various substituted benzylic alcohols in presence of 20 mol % iodine under mild reaction conditions to produce the corresponding biologically active N-alkylated compounds in good to excellent yields.     

Physicochemical and electrochemical properties of Gd3+-doped ZnSe thin films fabricated by single-step electrochemical deposition process

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Gd3+ (gadolinium)-doped ZnSe thin films (1 to 5 mol%) are grown onto indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate by single-step electrochemical...     

High performance dye-sensitized solar cell based on 2-mercaptobenzimidazole doped poly(vinylidinefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) based polymer electrolyte

In this work, the influence of 2-mercaptobenzimidazole (2-MCBI) on poly(vinylidinefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)/KI/I₂ (PVDF-HFP/KI/I₂) polymer electrolytes were studied. The pure and different weight percentage ratios (20, 30, 40 and 50%) of 2-MCBI doped PVDF-HFP/KI/I₂ electrolytes were prepared by a solution casting technique. The as-prepared polymer electrolyte films were characterized using various techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), alternating current (AC)-impedance analysis. The addition of 2-MCBI with pure PVDF-HFP/KI/I₂ was found to increase the ionic conductivity of electrolyte. Among the various additions, 30 wt% 2-MCBI doped PVDF-HFP/KI/I₂ showed the highest room temperature ionic conductivity values than the others. The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) fabricated using this optimized polymer electrolyte achieved a high power conversion efficiency of 4.40% than the pure PVDF-HFP/KI/I₂ (1.74%) at similar experimental conditions. Thus, the 2-MCBI doped polymer electrolyte has proven to be an effective substitute to the liquid electrolyte in DSSCs.     

Electrodeposited carbon-supported nickel sulfide thin films with enhanced stability in acid medium as hydrogen evolution reaction electrocatalyst

A single-step electrochemical deposition of NiS thin films incorporating various carbon nanomaterials as support is described. Advantages of this method are as follows: It is simpler and can be easily scaled up, the precursors employed are cheaper, and the deposition method is energy effective requiring no further heat treatments. Benefits of carbon nanomaterials as catalyst support are manifold including high conductivity and stability. The carbon-supported thin films exhibit high hydrogen evolution activity, low Tafel slopes, and improved double layer capacitance. A remarkable enhancement in the stability of the thin films in the acid medium has been observed. Specifically, NiS/carbon nanofibers have shown the highest activity, lowest Tafel slope, and retained more than 90% of its initial activity after the stability tests.

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Graphical abstract NiS/carbon thin films were fabricated through a highly energy-efficient method as active and highly stable electrocatalysts in acid medium for hydrogen evolution reaction.

     

Electrodeposited Co<Subscript>1-x</Subscript>Mo<Subscript>x</Subscript>S thin films as highly efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction in acid medium

Efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are significant for the advancement of effective water splitting reaction. Herein, we describe the growth of cobalt molybdenum sulfide (CoMoS) at different composites of tightly packed nanocrystals, prepared by one step process of simple electrodeposition method on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate as highly active and low-cost HER electrocatalyst. The prepared electrocatalysts were characterized via various analytical techniques. The HER activity was evaluated through electrochemical methods such as cyclic voltammetry technique and impedance analysis. Exhaustive electrochemical examinations show that the Co_0.95Mo_0.05S achieved higher cathodic current density value of 14.3 mA/cm² at η?=?250 mV with a lowest Tafel slope value towards HER. Furthermore, the active surface area of the as-deposited composite materials has been calculated by cyclic voltammetry analysis. Hence, the present work illustrates that the Co_0.95Mo_0.05S composite can serve as an encouraging cost-effective substitute to platinum-based electrocatalyst for HER.     

Benzylation of β-dicarbonyl compounds and 4-hydroxycoumarin using TMSOTf catalyst: a simple, mild, and efficient method

The direct benzylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and 4-hydroxycoumarin with a wide variety of benzylic alcohols was achieved using trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate as an efficient catalyst. The reaction proceeded under very mild conditions at room temperature providing the desired products in good to excellent yields.     

Synthesis of Ni3V2O8@graphene oxide nanocomposite as an efficient electrode material for supercapacitor applications

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In the present investigation, we have synthesized Ni3V2O8@GO composite by co-precipitation method and designed as a new anode material for supercapacitor...     

Synthesis of various carbon incorporated flower-like MoS2 microspheres as counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - A flower-like molybdenum disulfide microspheres and various carbon materials (acetylene black, vulcan carbon, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, carbon...     

Effect of tetrabutylammonium iodide content on PVDF-PMMA polymer blend electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells

The influence of tetrabutylammonium iodide on the polyvinylidene fluoride-poly(methyl methacrylate)-ethylene carbonate (PVDF-PMMA-EC)-I₂ polymer blend electrolytes was investigated and optimized for use in a dye-sensitized solar cell. The different weight ratios (50, 60, 70, and 80 %) of tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI)-added PVDF-PMMA-EC-I₂ polymer electrolytes were prepared. The prepared solid polymer blend electrolytes were characterized by using various techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The FT-IR spectra revealed the interaction among all composition of polymer electrolytes. The influence of TBAI salt on the ionic conductivity of polymer electrolytes was studied using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The polymer electrolyte containing 60 % of TBAI in PVDF-PMMA-EC-I₂ showed the highest room temperature conductivity of 5.10?×?10^?3 S cm^?1. The fabricated DSSC using PVDF-PMMA-EC-I₂ polymer electrolytes with 60 % of TBAI showed the best performance with a short-circuit current density of 8.0 mA cm^?2, open-circuit voltage of 0.66 V, fill factor of 0.65, and the overall power conversion efficiency of 3.45 % under an illumination of 100 mW cm^?2. Hence, the weight content of organic iodide salt in polymer electrolytes influences the overall performance of dye-sensitized solar cells.     

Iodine-catalyzed one-pot synthesis of amides from nitriles via Ritter reaction

Ritter reactions of alcohols and tert-butyl acetate with various nitriles were performed using iodine as a mild and effective catalyst under heating conditions to afford the corresponding amides in good to excellent yields.