Two-dimensional hexagonal boron carbon nitride (BCN) nanosheets (NSs) were synthesized by new approach in which a mixture of glucose and an adduct of boric acid (H3 BO3 ) and urea (NH2 CONH2 ) is heated at 900 °C. The method is green, scalable and gives a high yield of BCN NSs with average size of about 1 μm and thickness of about 13 nm. Structural characterization of the as-synthesized material was carried out by several techniques, and its energy-storage properties were evaluated electrochemically. The material showed excellent capacitive behaviour with a specific capacitance as high as 244 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1) . The material retains up to 96 % of its initial capacity after 3000 cycles at a current density of 5 A g(-1) .

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A ternary composite of polypyrrole/copper oxide/europium oxide (PPY/CuO/Eu2O3), synthesized via a facile in situ chemical oxidative polymerization method, exhibits the maximum specific capacitance of 320 F g−1 at the current density of 1 A g−1.

Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) with polymer based electrolytes have attracted enormous attention due to the possibility of fabricating intrinsically safer and flexible devices. However, economical and eco-friendly sustainable technology is an oncoming challenge to fulfill the ever increasing demand. To circumvent this issue, we have developed a gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) based on renewable polymers like cellulose triacetate and poly(polyethylene glycol methacrylate) p(PEGMA) using a photo polymerization technique. Cellulose triacetate offers good mechanical strength with improved ionic conductivity, owing to its ether and carbonyl functional groups. It is observed that the presence of an open network has a critical impact on lithium ion transport. At room temperature, GPE PC exhibits an optimal ionic conductivity of 1.8 × 10 S cm and transference number of 0.7. Interestingly, it affords an excellent electrochemical stability window up to 5.0 V vs Li/Li. GPE PC shows a discharge capacity of 164 mAhg after the first cycle when evaluated in a Li/GPE/LiFePO cell at 0.5 C-rate. Interfacial compatibility of GPE PC with lithium metal improves the overall cycling performance. This system provides a guiding principle toward a future renewable and flexible electrolyte design for flexible LIBs (FLIBs).

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The reaction between the salicylhydroxamate anion (SHA(-)) and p-nitrophenyl benzoate (PNPB), tris(3-nitrophenyl)phosphate (TRIS), and bis(2,4-dinitrophenyl)phosphate (BDNPP) have been examined kinetically. The α-nucleophile, SHA(-), incorporated into cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles accelerates dephosphorylation of tris(3-nitrophenyl)phosphate (TRIS) over the pH range 6.7-11.4. With a 1.0 mM of SHA in CTAB, the nucleophilicity of SHA followed the order of reactivity, PNPB (C=O, carboxylate ester) > TRIS (P=O, triester) > BDNPP (P=O, diester), and monoanionic SHA(-) and dianionic SA(2-) are the reactive species. The critical micelle concentration, cmc, of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) decreases and the fractional ionization constant, α, increases with increasing the concentration of SHA(-). Addition of 1 and 10 mM SHA under the reaction conditions (pH 9.2, borate buffer) led to saturation of the micellar surface and provided qualitative information for the micellar incorporation of hydroxamate ion. Plots of the pseudo-first-order rate constant, k(obs), log k(obs), fraction of hydroxamic acid ionized, α(SHA(-)) and α(SA(2-)), vs pH showed bifunctional nucleophilicity of hydroxamic acid under micellar condition. Plotting k(obs) vs [SHA](T) gave a straight line with intercept k(0). This indicates that hydroxamate ions are very strong nucleophiles for nucleophilic attack at the C and P center. The pseudo-first-order rate constant-surfactant profiles show micelle-assisted bimolecular reactions involving interfacial ion exchange between bulk aqueous media and micellar pseudophase.

In view of the significant impact of magnetically recoverable catalysts in photocatalytic applications, Fe3O4/rGO nanocomposite photocatalyst was synthesized and utilized as an efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of dye molecules and reduction of the toxic Cr(vi).