The intermittent nature of renewable energy resources has led to a continuous mismatch between energy demand and supply. A possible solution to overcome this persistent problem is to design appropriate energy-storage materials. Supercapacitors based on different nanoelectrode materials have emerged as one of the promising storage devices. In this work, we investigate the supercapacitor properties of a molybdenum disulfide-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) heterostructure-based binder-free electrode, which delivered a high specific capacitance (387.6 F g at 1.2 A g) and impressive cycling stability (virtually no loss up to 1000 cycles). In addition, the possible role of rGO in the composite toward synergistically enhanced supercapacitance has been highlighted. Moreover, an attempt has been made to correlate the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies with the voltammetric analyses. The performance exceeds that of the reported state-of-the-art structures.

We report a rare combination of two unique properties of an azine based ligand (H3L): in a solid-state crystalline material it shows highly flexible and elastic behavior which on triggering with light results in slight deviation with phase transformation at the Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal (SCSC) level. Furthermore, in the solution state it acts as a highly selective, sensitive and reversible Al sensor with a detection limit of 42 nM.

Although traditional perovskite solar cells have made tremendous progress in terms of efficiency, the presence of toxic lead has restricted their commercialization. Herein, we report the first example of a facile synthesis and a newly designed highly stable lead free methylammonium bismuth chloride in the form of 1D-polymeric chain based perovskite. The formation of a 1D-polymeric chain with formula [(CH3NH3)3Bi2Cl9] n (1) has been authenticated by its single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) studies. The lead free 1 has been employed as an alternative to the traditional CH3NH3PbX3 perovskite with an excellent open circuit voltage of 430 mV.

Despite achieving a higher efficiency, lead-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) suffer from leakage of highly toxic Pb into the atmosphere. On the contrary, methyl ammonium bismuth halide (MBI) has gained enormous attention as a light absorber because of its low toxicity and air stability. Herein, we developed high-performance, lead-free PSCs by employing a modified two-step deposition method with FTO/CL-TiO 2 /m-TiO 2 /MBI/Spiro-MEOTAD/Au device architecture [where FTO: fluorine doped tin oxide; MBI: (MA) 3 Bi 2 I 9 ; MEOTAD: 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis-(N,N-di-4-methoxyphenylamino)-9,9'-spirobifluorene]. The PSCs fabricated by the two-step deposition method showed a good power-conversion efficiency of 0.41 %, along with a high open circuit voltage of 870 mV, and were found to be highly stable up to 60 days under atmospheric conditions (humidity~40-50 %). The film quality of the MBI was found to be superior by introducing modified two-step deposition method over one-step deposition.

The requirement of sensitive diagnostic chips for small biomolecules has triggered the urgent development of versatile nanomaterial based platforms. Therefore, numerous materials have been designed with fascinating properties. Herein, we report a facile one-pot synthesis of MoS-rGO nanoflowers grown by the hydrothermal method and their applicability in the simultaneous sensing of AA, DA and UA. The structure and morphology of nanoflowers have been probed by various physico-chemical techniques such as XRD, SEM/TEM, AFM, Raman and XPS. Furthermore, these nanoflowers were used to construct a glassy carbon based working electrode (MoS-rGO/GCE), by a facile drop-casting method in the absence of any commercial binder. The electrochemical investigations revealed high separating potency of the MoS-rGO/GCE towards AA, DA and UA with distinguishable oxidation potentials (AA-DA = 204 mV and DA-UA = 122 mV) and a notable detection limit and reasonable sensitivity for each of these biomolecules. The charge transfer resistance and capacitive components obtained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were found to be in agreement with the voltammetric observations. The observed synergy between MoS and rGO opens up new possibilities to consider the MoS-rGO nanostructures as the cutting edge material for electrochemical sensor development.

Herein, we report a facile two-step process involving homogenous precipitation followed by microwave assisted reduction to fabricate a rGO-Fe 2 O 3 composite. The applicability of the composite as an electrode material for supercapacitors has been evaluated by a cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charging-discharging (GCD) study. The composite displays excellent supercapacitor performance compared to bare rGO and generates a high specific capacitance of 577.5 F g À1, at a current density of 2 A g À1. A high rate performance is also observed by retaining a specific capacitance of 437.5 F g À1, at a high current density of 10 A g

We report a facile hydrothermal synthesis of copper oxide microspheres (CMS) for the enzymeless amperometric detection of glucose in an alkaline medium. The crystallinity, morphology and size were examined by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques, respectively. The fabricated CMS were grafted onto the working area of a carbon screen printed electrode (CSPE) and covered with a thin Nafion layer (Nafion/CMS/CSPE), forming a modified carbon screen printed electrode (MCSPE) which acts as a working electrode. Further, the electrochemical behavior of MCSPE was investigated under optimized conditions through cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and chronoamperometry (CA) techniques. The CV results showed a drastic enhancement of the current response in the presence of glucose. The amperometry results reveal the catalytic ability of CMS for glucose oxidation with a notable limit of detection (LOD) of 20.6 μM in a wide linear range of 2-9 mM with a high sensitivity of 26.59 μA mM(-1) cm(-2). Moreover, the anti-interference test confirmed the selectivity of the fabricated sensor towards glucose in the presence of interfering agents such as uric acid (UA), ascorbic acid (AA) and dopamine (DA).

The urgent demand of sustainable energy systems and reliable sensing devices has fostered the development of cost-effective, multifunctional electrode material based platforms. In this work, we have demonstrated the bifunctionality of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide-MnO2 nanocomposite (NRGO-MnO2), toward two most diverse and challenging applications: (i) supercapacitor and (ii) peroxide sensor, which was synthesized by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The electrochemical investigations revealed its high specific capacitance (648 F g–1 at 1.5 A g–1) with remarkable rate performance (retains 80.20% up to 10 A g–1) and long-term cyclic efficiency. Additionally, it can detect peroxide rapidly (2 s), with high sensitivity (2081 μAmM–1 cm–2) and a noteworthy detection limit (24 nM) in a wide dynamic range (0.4–121.2 μM). Fascinating features such as the distinguished selectivity, repeatability, and operational stability suggests its potency to be an ideal electrode for peroxide sensors. Finally, the charge transfer kinetics and capacitive components, probed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), are found to be in correlation with other investigations. The positive synergism between MnO2 nanorods and NRGO induces higher conductivity and surface area, which eventually promotes superior supercapacitor and sensor performances. The results highlight NRGO-MnO2 nanocomposite as a multifunctional, cutting edge, and sustainable material for next-generation energy storage and sensing applications.