Dual-Purpose CuFe₂O₄-rGO-Based Nanocomposite for Asymmetric Flexible Supercapacitors and Catalytic Reduction of Nitroaromatic Derivatives

Abstract

Energy storage and environmental pollution are two major global concerns in today's scenario. As a result of the momentous exhaustion of fossil fuels, the generation of energy from renewable sources is gaining immense importance. However, the irregular availability of energy from these renewable sources is the major encounter to achieve sustainable energy harvesting technology, yielding efficient but continuous and reliable energy supplies. Apart from the requirement of state-of-the-art heavy-duty technologies such as transportation, defense, etc., in the modern lifestyle to fulfill the demand for flexible electronic devices, the development of high-performance mechanically flexible all-solid-state supercapacitors is increasing massively. On the other hand, to cater to the need for accessibility of clean water for healthy lives, several technologies are evolving to treat wastewater and groundwater. Hence, the development of efficient catalysts for destroying water pollutants is an attractive approach. Considering these two crucial facets, in this paper, we have demonstrated the multifunctional features of a CuFe 2 O 4 -rGO nanocomposite, which was exploited to fabricate a high-performance mechanically flexible all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor and simultaneously used as an efficient but easily recoverable catalyst for the transformation of different nitroaromatic compounds. We have also demonstrated the conversion of trifluralin (a herbicide), which is present in the water body as a pollutant, to its corresponding amine derivatives, which can be utilized in the preparation of important pharmaceutical products.

A high-performance flexible energy storage device from biomass-derived porous carbon supported MnCo2O4 nanorods and MnO2 nanoscales

“…6d). 4,52 The device exhibited a C S value of 236.5 F g À1 at 2 A g À1 , and R S and R CT values of 0.51 U and 1.31 U, respectively. The Nyquist plot of the device is displayed in Fig.…”

“…7c) which indicated the existence of highly reversible electrochemical and balanced charging-discharging processes in the device. 7,52 The device has a C S value of 228.8 F g À1 at a current density of 2 A g À1 . The device achieved $100% Coulombic efficiency at 6 A g À1 (Fig.…”

A Cu(ii) complex supported on Fe3O4@SiO2 as a magnetic heterogeneous catalyst for the reduction of environmental pollutants

“…Scheme 3 shows the reaction mechanism for the reduction of 4-NP. Inspired from previous reports, 21,23,24,28 the reduction of 4-NP to 4-AP using excess NaBH 4 in the aqueous medium involves electron transfer (ET) from an electron donor to an electron acceptor. As it is clearly observed, CM@SS-BBTU-Cu(II) has a noteworthy role in the electron transfer effect between the nitro and BH 4…”

“…These water pollutants cause serious damage to aquatic animals and, as a result, endanger human health. [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Nitro compounds are present in wastewater from various industries such as paints, insecticides, pigments, reneries, wood preservatives, etc. [27][28][29][30] In accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, aromatic nitro compounds are very toxic in nature and damage humans and other living organisms.…”

“…These water pollutants cause serious damage to aquatic animals and, as a result, endanger human health. 19–26…”