Carbon-Coated ZnS-FeS2 Heterostructure as an Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Battery Applications

The construction of carbon-coated heterostructures of bimetallic sulfide is an effective technique to improve the electrochemical activity of anode materials in lithium-ion batteries. In this work, the carbon-coated heterostructured ZnS-FeS₂ is prepared by a two-step hydrothermal method. The crystallinity and nature of carbon-coating are confirmed by the investigation of XRD and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The nanoparticle morphology of ZnS and plate-like morphology of FeS₂ is established by TEM images. The chemical composition of heterostructure ZnS-FeS₂@C is discovered by an XPS study. The CV results have disclosed the charge storage mechanism, which depends on the capacitive and diffusion process. The BET surface area (37.95 m²g⁻¹) and lower R_ct value (137 Ω) of ZnS-FeS₂@C are beneficial to attain higher lithium-ion storage performance. It delivered a discharge capacity of 821 mAh g⁻¹ in the 500th continuous cycle @ A g⁻¹, with a coulombic efficiency of around 100%, which is higher than the ZnS-FeS₂ heterostructure (512 mAh g⁻¹). The proposed strategy can improve the electrochemical performance and stability of lithium-ion batteries, and can be helpful in finding highly effective anode materials for energy storage devices.     

Anisotropic interface induced formation of Sb nanowires on GaSb(111)A substrates

The growth of Sb nanowires on GaSb(111)A substrates is studied by in?situ azimuthal scan reflection high-energy electron diffraction (ARHEED). Bulk and layer contributions can be distinguished in the ARHEED transmission pattern through the Sb nanowires. The three-dimensional structure of the growing Sb nanowires is identified by post-growth atomic force microscopy (AFM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The lattice match of the Sb crystal along the [Formula: see text] and the GaSb crystal along [Formula: see text] directions lead to a preferential orientation of the Sb nanowires. The Sb adsorption and desorption kinetics is studied by thermal desorption spectroscopy.     

Internetworking framework in underwater wireless sensor network protocol to a certain connectivity using probabilistic approaches

Microsystem Technologies - Ocean acidification is one of the parameters that affect underwater wireless sensor network routing protocols. The underlying network-level metrics of sensor nodes...     

Influence of Optimization Techniques on Wire Electrical Discharge Machining of Ti–6Al–2Sn–4Zr–2Mo Alloy using Modeling Approach

Nowadays, the Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM) process was also working to cut the hard titanium alloys. During the WEDM, the generation of high temperatures was used to melt and vaporize and also flushed away the hard titanium alloy. The tough Ti–6Al–2Sn–4Zr–2Mo alloy was machined in the current research by the WEDM method and machining features such as surface roughness (SR) and Material Removal Rate (MRR) were statistically evaluated to achieve optimum performance. The investigations were performed using the Taguchi orthogonal array technique. The optimum process factors were defined from the main effect plot 32 μs, 3 m/min, and 12 g for material removal rate and as 10 μs, 32 μs, 7 m/min, and 12 g for surface roughness. The best essential parameters were established from the Analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis. The pulse on-time current and pulse off time were identified as important parameters for the material removal rate with a contribution of 23.60%, 5.91%, and 65.02%. The best essential parameters for surface roughness were pulse on time, pulse off time, and a combination of pulse on-time and pulse off time with a percentage contribution of 22.71% and 36.88% respectively.Moreover, the machined surface was examined using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).

     

Effective removal of Cr(VI) and methyl orange from the aqueous environment using two-dimensional (2D) Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets

Industrial use of heavy metals and dyes critically depends on the effective handling of industrial effluents. Effective remediation of industrial effluents using various adsorbent materials has thus become critical. In this paper, we study two-dimensional MXenes as an adsorbent for removing Cr(VI) and methyl orange (MO) in waters. The physico-chemical performance of MXenes was studied using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer?Emmett?Teller, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution-transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. The adsorption system, including influence of contact time, pH of solutions, co-ions, and desorption experiments were performed for effective Cr(VI) and MO removal. The Cr(VI) and MO removal rate of the MXenes was very fast, and the kinetic system was driven by pseudo-second-order kinetics. The sorption isotherm closely well-tailored with the Langmuir isotherm, and the maximum removal efficiencies were 104 and 94.8 mg/g for Cr(VI) and MO, respectively. The MXenes was successfully regenerated by 0.1 M NaOH aqueous solution and can be repeatedly recycled. The uptake of Cr(VI) and MO by the MXenes was mainly due to chemical adsorption, namely electrostatic adsorption, complexation, surface interactions, and ion exchange mechanisms. This investigation demonstrates the selectivity and feasibility of the MXenes as a real adsorbent for eliminating Cr(VI) and MO from the aqueous environment.     

Proton conducting composite membranes for fuel cell application

Composites were fabricated by blending SPSEBS (Sulfonated Poly Styrene Ethylene Butylene Poly Styrene) with Boron phosphate (BPO₄) for proton conducting applications in fuel cells. The effects of boron phosphate and its relative loading were analyzed in terms of IEC and proton conductivity. Water and methanol uptake of these membranes were also studied.The membranes were characterized by IR spectroscopy. Thermal stability was studied by TGA and DSC analyses. Surface morphology was done by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The XRD studies indicated the existence of a certain level of crystallinity in the SPSEBS, and the composite membranes. Mechanical strength of the membranes was measured by Universal Testing Machine (UTM). This paper presents the result of recent investigations to develop an optimised in-house membrane electrode assembly (MEA) preparation technique combining catalyst ink spraying and assembly hot pressing. Easy steps were chosen in this preparation technique aiming at simplification and cost reduction.     

Synthesis,Characterization, Physico-Chemical and DFT Studies of Potential Organic NLO Materials: Experimental and Theoretical Combined Study

Silicon - 1-(2,4-difluorobenzyl)-2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-6-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole(1) and 1-(3-(tri fluoromethyl)benzyl)2-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-6-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole (2) were...     

Facile hydrothermal bio‐synthesis of cellulose acetate templated CuS nanorods like fibres: antibacterial,cytotoxicity effects and DNA cleavage properties against A549 lung cancer cells

In this research, the hydrothermal method was used for synthesising cellulose acetate (CA) templated nanorods like CuS fibres using vegetable extract (Brassica oleracea var. italica). These extracts act as a reducing agent in the presence of CA. Surprisingly, when the same reaction was carried out in the absence of CA and broccoli extract, structural morphology disappeared and was found as agglomerated. In the presence of cellulose templated extract mediated CuS has revealed as nanorods like fibres and was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscope analysis. Their crystallinity property of CuS nanoparticles (NPs) and cellulose templated biosynthesised CuS NPs was analysed and compared using X‐ray diffraction technique. The biological activities of the obtained product were examined for antibacterial assessment against two bacterial strains that include two‐gram negative strains (E.Coli and S. aureus). The nanostructured product found to exhibit excellent antibacterial agent against all the strains. Biosynthesised nanostructure showed its efficacy against A549 lung cancer cells which might attribute to a larger surface to volume ratio of nanorods like fibres. The authors observation suggest that CuS nanorods like fibres can significantly reduce the cell growth with IC₅₀ value of 31.2 μg/ml.Inspec keywords: nanomedicine, copper compounds, X‐ray diffraction, nanorods, nanofabrication, antibacterial activity, DNA, toxicology, microorganisms, molecular biophysics, cancer, cellular biophysics, biomedical materials, nanoparticles, lung, field emission scanning electron microscopy, polymers, crystal growth from solutionOther keywords: A549 lung cancer cells, hydrothermal method, structural morphology, crystallinity property, CuS nanoparticles, two‐gram negative strains, CuS nanorods, cytotoxicity effects, DNA cleavage properties, cellulose acetate, Brassica oleracea var. italica, field emission scanning electron microscope, X‐ray diffraction, antibacterial agent, hydrothermal biosynthesis, CuS     

Linearization condition through state feedback

It is shown that if a nonlinear system is linearly controllable, then it can always lead to the linearization condition through state feedback, provided the transformation satisfies an additional condition on the system input. The methodology proposed is to make the eigenvalues of the Jacobian of the system nonresonant. The generality of the proposed method allows the eigenvalues of the linear system to be arbitrarily placed inside a scalable circular region in the left half of the complex plane. The method is illustrated with an example     

Chemical Composition,Amino Acid Content and Protein Quality of the Little-Known Legume Bauhinia purpurea L

Some nutritional and antinutritional characteristics and biological value of Bauhinia purpurea L seeds were studied. The mature seeds contained (g kg^-1 as is) 271·7 crude protein, 58·7 crude fibre, 124·5 crude fat, 29·3 ash and 515·3 carbohydrates. Potassium, phosphorus and iron occurred in higher concentrations when compared with commonly consumed legumes. The globulins and albumins together constituted major storage proteins (82% total protein). The essential amino acid profile of total seed proteins compared well with the FAO/WHO reference pattern except for a deficiency of sulphur-containing amino acids and tryptophan. When compared with the globulins, the albumins appeared to be a rich source of cystine, methionine, threonine, lysine and tryptophan. Seed lipids contained high levels of the unsaturated fatty acids, oleic and linoleic, which accounted for 62·6% of total fatty acids recovered. Both dry heating and autoclaving significantly reduced the antinutritional compounds. The in vitro protein digestibilities of raw, dry-heated and autoclaved seeds were 59·5, 72·3 and 78·7%, respectively. True digestibility and net protein utilisation were significantly higher in processed seed samples compared with raw seeds. Regarding utilisable protein, autoclaved samples exhibited relatively higher values than raw seeds. © 1997 SCI.