01792nas a2200181 4500008004100000022001400041245011600055210006900171260000900240300001400249490000700263520112100270100002201391700002101413700001801434700003101452856012701483 2018 eng d a0743-746300apH- and time-resolved in situ SAXS study of self-assembled twisted ribbons formed by elaidic acid sophorolipids0 apH and timeresolved in situ SAXS study of selfassembled twisted  cFEB  a2121-21310 v343 a

Conditions that favor the helical structure formation in structurally similar sophorolipids (SLs), that is, elaidic acid SLs (having a trans double bond between the C9 and C10 positions of the alkyl chain) and stearic acid SLs (no double bond), are presented here. The helical self-assembled structures formed by elaidic acid SLs were independent of pH and also were mediated by a micellar intermediate. On the other hand, the stearic acid SLs formed helical structures under low pH condition only. Astonishingly, the formation routes were found to be different, albeit the molecular geometry of both SLs is similar. Even if a conclusive mechanistic understanding must await further work, our studies strongly point out that the noncovalent weak interactions in elaidic acid SLs are able to overcome the electrostatic repulsions of the sophorolipid carboxylate groups at basic pH and facilitating the formation of helical structures. On the other hand, the hydrophobic interactions in stearic acid SLs endow the helical structures with extra stability, making them less vulnerable to dissolution upon heating.

1 aDhasaiyan, Prabhu1 aPrevost, Sylvain1 aBaccile, Niki1 aPrasad, Bhagavatula, L. V. uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/ph-and-time-resolved-situ-saxs-study-self-assembled-twisted-ribbons-formed-elaidic-acid01754nas a2200181 4500008004100000022001400041245014100055210006900196260000800265300001200273490000700285520106100292100001701353700002001370700002501390700003101415856012601446 2018 eng d a1144-054600aPreparation of metal oxide supported catalysts and their utilization for understanding the effect of a support on the catalytic activity0 aPreparation of metal oxide supported catalysts and their utiliza cJAN a402-4100 v423 a

A convenient way of anchoring transition metal nanoparticles (palladium, platinum, rhodium and ruthenium) onto metal oxide supports (magnesium oxide and zirconium oxide) by means of a modified sol-gel technique is demonstrated. Use of toluene dispersed, ligand protected pre-synthesized nanoparticles during sol-gel synthesis delivered size-controlled, spatially distributed, well-adhered transition metal nanoparticles (MNPs) on metal oxide supports. The catalytic activities of these supported nanoparticles were tested for the p-nitro phenol reduction reaction. It was observed that the reaction kinetics were crucially dependent on the catalyst support and MNP size. The influence of the magnesium oxide and zirconium oxide supports towards the catalytic performance of the anchored transition MNPs was probed using cyclic voltammetry and the differences in the same were attributed to the support-induced modification in the electronic properties of the MNPs. Our results indicated that magnesium oxide is a better support than zirconium oxide.

1 aSeth, Jhumur1 aDubey, Prashant1 aChaudhari, Vijay, R.1 aPrasad, Bhagavatula, L. V. uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/preparation-metal-oxide-supported-catalysts-and-their-utilization-understanding-effect02982nas a2200241 4500008004100000245017100041210006900212260000900281300001400290490000600304520201700310653004302327653002802370653003502398653002502433653002502458100002102483700001702504700002302521700003102544700003502575856013002610 2024 eng d00aPolymer nanocomposites with UiO-derived zirconia fillers for energy generation and pressure-sensing devices: the role of crystal structure and surface characteristics0 aPolymer nanocomposites with UiOderived zirconia fillers for ener cMAR  a5809-58180 v73 a

Piezoelectric energy harvesting and pressure sensing using polymer nanocomposites have opened up promising avenues in the field of flexible electronics. Herein, the influence of varying crystal structures of zirconia nanoparticles on a piezoelectric energy-generating zirconia-poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) composite is investigated, and the fabrication of a security alert pavement unit using the material with an optimized composition is demonstrated. More specifically, two metal-organic frameworks, UiO-66 and UiO-67, were employed to synthesize four different types of zirconia nanoparticles with precise control of the monoclinic and tetragonal phases. Polymer nanocomposite with monoclinic zirconia nanoparticles derived from UiO-66 (ZrO2-66m) performed better than other derivatives with 61% enhancement in the beta phase with respect to pure PVDF. It was hypothesized that the stable crystalline structure of the monoclinic phase might act as a better nucleating agent, and among monoclinic derivatives, ZrO2-66m was found to be more hydrophobic, probably enabling a better interaction with PVDF. Subsequently, a prototype device with a PVDF-ZrO2-66m (P/66m) film was made and tested for its energy generation. The maximum output voltage generated by the device under an irregular biomechanical hand tapping force of 8-9 N was 80 V, while the maximum open circuit current was found to be 65 mu A. The prototype displayed a power of 2162.24 mu W at a load resistance of 1 M Omega. A laboratory scale demonstration was executed with the prototype as an energy-generating and security alert pavement unit. A wireless, Bluetooth-based security alert system supported by an Android application was developed and demonstrated as a promising application with the fabricated prototype. The results and demonstrations validate that the PVDF-monoclinic ZrO2 nanoparticle nanocomposites will be an excellent value addition for flexible, durable energy generation and pressure-sensing applications.

10aenergy generation and pressure sensing10apiezoelectric materials10aPVDF/ZrO2 polymernanocomposite10aself-powered devices10awearable electronics1 aMukherjee, Gargi1 aVerma, Ankur1 aMadhu, Arjun, Hari1 aPrasad, Bhagavatula, L. V.1 aKarumuthil, Subash, Cherumanni uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/polymer-nanocomposites-uio-derived-zirconia-fillers-energy-generation-and-pressure-sensing02560nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001400041245013300055210006900188260000900257300001600266490000600282520158600288653002201874653002101896653002201917653003701939653002401976653003602000653001402036653001902050100002102069700001802090700002402108700003102132856011902163 2025 eng d a2574-096200aPlatinum-free electrocatalysts based on electrodeposited Co-Mn-Ni alloys for efficient electrocatalytic alkaline water splitting0 aPlatinumfree electrocatalysts based on electrodeposited CoMnNi a cAUG  a11633-116420 v83 a

The development of a Pt-free electrocatalyst for efficient and stable water splitting is crucial for the commercialization of green hydrogen production. A low-cost electrocatalyst with good hydrogen and oxygen evolution activities (HER and OER, respectively) displaying long durability is the first step in this direction, and if the catalyst can be synthesized via an easy, convenient, and scalable procedure, that would be an added advantage. Multicomponent alloys, with their tunable compositions and abundant active sites, present a promising solution in this direction. Herein, a cost-effective CoMnNi (CMN) alloy is synthesized via electrodeposition and with optimized composition by tuning the electrolyte concentration and deposition potential to enhance electrocatalytic performance. The resulting single-phase alloy exhibits a high electrochemical surface area with an average particle size of similar to 4 nm, demonstrating excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activities in 1 M KOH, with overpotentials of 121 mV at -10 mA cm-2 and 285 mV at 20 mA cm-2, respectively. Moreover, the catalyst exhibits remarkable stability, sustaining 100 h of operation at 100 mA cm-2. The CMN alloy also performs efficiently under harsh conditions, including 6 M KOH and alkaline seawater, in both symmetric and asymmetric cell configurations. This work highlights the potential of multicomponent alloys as durable, high-performance electrocatalysts for scalable water splitting, paving the way for sustainable hydrogen production.

10aalkaline seawater10aelectrocatalysis10aElectrodeposition10ahydrogen evolution reaction(HER)10amulticomponentalloy10aoxygen evolution reaction (OER)10astability10awatersplitting1 aChandran, Athira1 aDutta, Pritha1 aSingh, Ashutosh, K.1 aPrasad, Bhagavatula, L. V. uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/platinum-free-electrocatalysts-based-electrodeposited-co-mn-ni-alloys-efficient