02416nas a2200301 4500008004100000022001400041245011600055210006900171260000800240300001200248490000700260520140900267653002801676653002501704653002601729653002001755653002501775100002701800700001701827700001801844700001701862700001901879700002101898700001901919700002401938700002401962856012801986 2020 eng d a1613-681000aIn situ cross-linked nonaqueous polymer electrolyte for zinc-metal polymer batteries and hybrid supercapacitors0 aIn situ crosslinked nonaqueous polymer electrolyte for zincmetal cSEP a20025280 v163 a

This work reports the facile synthesis of nonaqueous zinc-ion conducting polymer electrolyte (ZIP) membranes using an ultraviolet (UV)-light-induced photopolymerization technique, with room temperature (RT) ionic conductivity values in the order of 10(-3)S cm(-1). The ZIP membranes demonstrate excellent physicochemical and electrochemical properties, including an electrochemical stability window of >2.4 V versus Zn|Zn(2+)and dendrite-free plating/stripping processes in symmetric Zn||Zn cells. Besides, a UV-polymerization-assisted in situ process is developed to produce ZIP (abbreviated i-ZIP), which is adopted for the first time to fabricate a nonaqueous zinc-metal polymer battery (ZMPB; VOPO4|i-ZIP|Zn) and zinc-metal hybrid polymer supercapacitor (ZMPS; activated carbon|i-ZIP|Zn) cells. The VOPO(4)cathode employed in ZMPB possesses a layered morphology, exhibiting a high average operating voltage of approximate to 1.2 V. As compared to the conventional polymer cell assembling approach using the ex situ process, the in situ process is simple and it enhances the overall electrochemical performance, which enables the widespread intrusion of ZMPBs and ZMPSs into the application domain. Indeed, considering the promising aspects of the proposed ZIP and its easy processability, this work opens up a new direction for the emergence of the zinc-based energy storage technologies.

10anonaqueous electrolytes10apolymer electrolytes10apostlithium batteries10aSupercapacitors10azinc-metal batteries1 aVijayakumar, Vidyanand1 aGhosh, Meena1 aKurian, Maria1 aTorris, Arun1 aDilwale, Swati1 aBadiger, Manohar1 aWinter, Martin1 aNair, Jijeesh, Ravi1 aKurungot, Sreekumar uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/situ-cross-linked-nonaqueous-polymer-electrolyte-zinc-metal-polymer-batteries-and-hybrid02327nas a2200229 4500008004100000022001400041245016800055210006900223260000800292490000700300520143400307653003201741653003001773653002301803100001801826700001701844700002701861700004001888700001701928700002401945856012801969 2022 eng d a2194-428800aInfluence of ice templating on oxygen reduction catalytic activity of metal-free heteroatom-doped mesoporous carbon derived from polypyrrole for zinc-air batteries0 aInfluence of ice templating on oxygen reduction catalytic activi cDEC0 v103 a

The development of highly active, cost-effective, and durable, noble metal-free oxygen reduction electrocatalysts is inevitable for the full-fledged implementation of fuel cells and zinc-air batteries. This work reports the synthesis of heteroatom (N, P, S)-doped metal-free mesoporous carbon-based electrocatalyst derived from polypyrrole by combining the ice templating, freeze-drying, and carbonization processes. The correlation between the structure and electrochemical activity of the polypyrrole-derived carbon-based electrocatalyst in the presence and absence of ice templating is investigated. The optimized electrocatalyst, aided by the ice-templating and freeze-drying step, shows an onset and half-wave potential (E-1/2) of 0.94 and 0.78 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode, respectively, in an alkaline electrolyte (0.1 m KOH). Later, the application of the optimized electrocatalyst is demonstrated in a primary zinc-air battery (ZAB) cell. The results prove that the ZAB device performance based on the homemade catalyst is on par with that of the state-of-the-art Pt/C cathode. The catalyst performance is correlated with the heteroatom doping and the enhanced porosity of the sample benefitted from ice templating. Ultimately, this work depicts a facile and rational synthesis of a truly metal-free electrocatalyst for the primary ZABs that can be a potential replacement for state-of-the-art systems.

10ametal-free electrocatalysts10aoxygen reduction reaction10azinc-air batteries1 aKurian, Maria1 aGhosh, Meena1 aVijayakumar, Vidyanand1 aPuthiyaveetil, Priyanka, Pandinhare1 aTorris, Arun1 aKurungot, Sreekumar uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/influence-ice-templating-oxygen-reduction-catalytic-activity-metal-free-heteroatom-doped02221nas a2200241 4500008004100000022001400041245015300055210006900208260000800277520129500285653004401580653000801624653002401632653002701656653002901683100004001712700001801752700001901770700001801789700001801807700002401825856013001849 2024 eng d a1613-681000aInsights on prussian blue analogue cathode material engineered with polypyrrole surface protection layer for aqueous rechargeable zinc metal battery0 aInsights on prussian blue analogue cathode material engineered w cNOV3 a

One of the key intricacies against using Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) in aqueous batteries is their gradual dissolution in aqueous electrolytes, resulting in inadequate cycling stability. Besides, the rate capability of PBAs is limited due to their poor electrical conductivity. To overcome these challenges, it is essential to tune the physical and chemical properties of PBAs at the nano regime without affecting the inherent charge storage properties, especially at high-voltage operating conditions. Through this work, a strategy is demonstrated to enhance the electrochemical performance of vanadium-based PBA (V-PBA) by surface engineering using a conducting polymer nano-skin (V-PBA/PPy) for aqueous zinc metal batteries. The polypyrrole (PPy) nano-skin over the V-PBA nanoparticles acts as an electron percolation path to ameliorate the poor electronic conductivity of the otherwise pristine V-PBA. Interestingly, the V-PBA with an optimized polypyrrole coating (V-PBA/PPy-2) exhibits an enhanced specific capacity (173 mAh g-1 at 0.10 A g-1) than the pristine V-PBA counterpart (80 mAh g-1) and 85% capacity retention up to 500 cycles. The DFT calculation confirms the synergistic interaction between PPy and V-PBA and the presence of PPy favors the adsorption of Zn.

10aaqueous rechargeable zinc metal battery10aDFT10apolypyrrole coating10aPrussian blue analogue10asurface protection layer1 aPuthiyaveetil, Priyanka, Pandinhare1 aNair, Aathira1 aDilwale, Swati1 aKurian, Maria1 aJoshi, Kavita1 aKurungot, Sreekumar uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/insights-prussian-blue-analogue-cathode-material-engineered-polypyrrole-surface-protection00991nas a2200301 4500008004100000022001400041245009900055210006900154260000900223490000800232653001100240653001700251653003000268653001600298653001100314100002800325700002400353700002500377700002600402700002100428700001800449700001700467700001200484700002000496700002400516700001900540856013000559 2024 eng d a1385-894700aIron salicylaldehydate conjugated metal-organic framework for quasi solid-state supercapacitor0 aIron salicylaldehydate conjugated metalorganic framework for qua cSEP 0 v49610aCarbon10aconductivity10aELECTROLYTE CONCENTRATION10aperformance10aROBUST1 aMohammed, Abdul, Khayum1 aPandikassala, Ajmal1 aSanchez, Pilar, Pena1 aGaber, Safa, Abdullah1 aCanossa, Stefano1 aKurian, Maria1 aXavier, Gigi1 aHe, Yao1 aGandara, Felipe1 aKurungot, Sreekumar1 aShetty, Dinesh uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/iron-salicylaldehydate-conjugated-metal-organic-framework-quasi-solid-state-supercapacitor02916nas a2200181 4500008004100000022001400041245012700055210006900182260000800251300001600259490000700275520223300282100002402515700002402539700001802563700002402581856012902605 2025 eng d a2050-748800aIn situ engineered triple phase boundary enhancement in 3D structured carbon supported catalyst for high-temperature PEMFC0 aIn situ engineered triple phase boundary enhancement in 3D struc cJUL a21847-218630 v133 a

Enhancing platinum (Pt) utilization in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) requires optimizing the catalyst support microstructures to expand the triple-phase boundary (TPB). A promising method has been reported here which employs a three-dimensional (3D) catalyst support with an in situ-generated ionomer interface from preadmitted monomer molecules, potentially replacing the traditional Nafion ionomers. The small-sized monomers infiltrate the catalyst's pores, and UV curing polymerizes them into an extended interfacial network within the 3D carbon support. The single-cell analysis of the membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) in high-temperature PEMFCs (HT-PEMFCs) using phosphoric acid-doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes highlights the effectiveness of this approach. The strategy helps to achieve a current density of 1.06 A cm-2 and 0.49 A cm-2 at 0.60 V in H2-O2 and H2-air feed conditions, respectively. These values represent a significant improvement over the conventional Nafion ionomer-based MEAs, which exhibit current densities of 0.87 A cm-2 and 0.40 A cm-2 under H2-O2 and H2-air feeds, respectively, when utilizing a platinum-supported carbon (Pt/C) catalyst. When Pt nanoparticles are decorated on a high-surface-area, porous 3D interconnected carbon support synthesized via the carbonization of the polydopamine-coated melamine foam (Pt/3DPDC), the conventional Nafion ionomers tend to block the nanopores in the 3D carbon supports, leading to the underutilization of the Pt active sites. In contrast, the in situ ionomer approach enabled the system to deliver 0.93 A cm-2 at 0.60 V H2-O2 feed conditions, which is significantly higher than 0.38 A cm-2 obtained with the Nafion-based ionomers under similar conditions. This approach successfully makes use of the Pt active sites present in the nanopores and tackles the issues of mass transfer and reactant distribution, both of which are essential for expanding fuel cells from single cells to stacks. The exhibited method emphasizes how crucial it is to develop process-friendly electrocatalysts and complementary electrode manufacturing techniques in order to advance the PEMFC performance through a novel scientific path.

1 aPandikassala, Ajmal1 aJadhav, Swapnil, D.1 aKurian, Maria1 aKurungot, Sreekumar uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/situ-engineered-triple-phase-boundary-enhancement-3d-structured-carbon-supported-catalyst