The performance of aluminum-air battery is improved by adding agar molecules to the electrolyte (4 M NaOH). A significant suppression of the parasitic self-corrosion reaction and the improvement of fuel efficiency were obtained. The fuel efficiency is elevated up to 35.95% and the corrosion inhibition efficiency increases up to 62.8%. The physisorption of the agar molecules on the aluminum surface improved the performance of aluminum-air battery. The adsorption of agar molecules on the aluminum surface was observed from the surface analysis with SEM, Freundlich adsorption isotherm and the adsorption energies from the computational simulations. Furthermore, the optimized structure model of agar molecules on the aluminum surface was proposed. To figure out the inhibition performance of agar molecules as an electrolyte additive for aluminum-air batteries, the experimental methods such as hydrogen evolution test, electrochemical tests, surface analysis and density functional theory (DFT) with computational simulations are used in this study.

Sensing targeted tumor markers with high sensitivity provides vital information for the fast diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. A vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF165) have recently emerged as a promising biomarker of tumor cells. The electrochemical aptasensor is a promising tool for detecting VEGF165 because of its advantages such as a low cost and quantitative analysis. To produce a sensitive and stable sensor electrode, nanocomposites based on polyaniline (PANI) and carbon nanotube (CNT) have potential, as they provide for easy fabrication, simple synthesis, have a large surface area, and are suitable in biological environments. Here, a label-free electrochemical aptasensor based on nanocomposites of CNT and PANI was prepared for detecting VEGF165 as a tumor marker. The nanocomposite was assembled with immobilized VEGF165 aptamer as a highly sensitive VEGF165 sensor. It exhibited stable and wide linear detection ranges from 0.5 pg/mL to 1 μg/mL, with a limit of detection of 0.4 pg/mL because of the complementary effect of PANI/CNT. The fabricated aptasensor also exhibited good stability in biological conditions, selectivity, and reproducibility after several measurement times after the dissociation process. Thus, it could be applied for the non-invasive determination of VEGF, in biological fluid diagnosis kits, or in an aptamer-based biosensor platform in the near future.

A new approach to the recycling of spent coffee grounds is described in which lignin, a chemical component of spent coffee, is used as an electrolyte additive in aluminum–air batteries. The effect of lignin on the performance of aluminum–air batteries has been investigated by weight loss measurement, galvanostatic discharge test, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The corrosion inhibition efficiency is improved up to 37.3% and fuel efficiency up to 21.7% at 500 ppm of lignin molecules. The chemisorption of lignin molecules on the aluminum surface improves battery performance. Adsorption of lignin molecules onto the aluminum surface is driven by the electrostatic interaction between the lignin’s hydroxyl group and the aluminum surface. The mechanism for the performance improvement is explained by the chemisorption behavior of lignin molecules. The adsorption behavior has been investigated by scanning electronic microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), laser scanning microscopy (LSM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Freundlich adsorption isotherm, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and the computational calculation of adsorption energies based on the density functional theory (DFT).

This work reports the use of collard greens extract as a potent inhibitor for self-corrosion of the aluminum electrode in an alkaline aluminum-air battery via galvanostatic discharge tests, weight loss measurements, and electrochemical measurements. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy were performed to explore the morphology of aluminum. The obtained results show that the utilization efficiency and capacity density of the battery were significantly enhanced by the presence of the extract. The inhibition efficiency attained the maximum values at 2.0 g l −1 , about 89.61% and 87.90% from potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements, respectively. Collard greens extract served as a cathodic inhibitor, and the adsorption mechanism of the extract adhered to the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. In particular, the physical absorption of the extract inhibitor on the aluminum surface was elucidated through nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Moreover, the phenolic compounds in the extract correspond to the corrosion inhibition effect on aluminum.

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