02282nas a2200253 4500008004100000022001400041245009700055210006900152260000800221490000600229520140600235653002501641653002301666653001801689653002901707653003301736100001901769700001701788700004001805700001801845700001701863700002401880856012401904 2023 eng d a2366-748600aBinder-free and flexible VOPO4/CNT film as cathode for aqueous rechargeable Zn-metal battery0 aBinderfree and flexible VOPO4CNT film as cathode for aqueous rec cSEP0 v73 a

Aqueous rechargeable Zn-metal batteries (AZMBs) are promising energy storage aids due to their inherent safety, low cost, and competent performance, with prospects in stationary and portable applications. In this regard, one of the critical requirements is developing electrodes that can adapt to mechanical deformation without compromising the charge storage performance. The current work demonstrates the development of a binder-free and mechanically flexible composite cathode film (VP/fCNT-F, where `F' stands for the film) based on VOPO4 (VP) and functionalized carbon nanotubes (fCNTs). The VP/fCNT-F film processing involves simple vacuum filtration of the composite obtained from the in-situ reaction of the fCNTs and the VP precursor in an aqueous medium. The functionalization of carbon nanotube (CNT) is important for the homogenous dispersion of VP and fCNT. The VP/fCNT-F electrode is used as a monolithic electrode in AZMB cells in combination with both liquid and quasi-solid-state gel polymer electrolytes. Besides, the utility of the VP/fCNT-F electrode in a flexible battery configuration is also demonstrated. Interestingly, in both the coin-cell and flexible configurations, the VP/fCNT-F electrode delivers a comparable discharge capacity of 90 and 78 mAh g(-1), respectively (at 0.1 A g(-1)), validating the advantage of the binder-free VP/fCNT-F electrode for AZMBs.

10abinder-free cathodes10aflexible batteries10alayered VOPO410apolymer gel electrolytes10aself-standing flexible films1 aDilwale, Swati1 aBabu, Athira1 aPuthiyaveetil, Priyanka, Pandinhare1 aKurian, Maria1 aGhosh, Meena1 aKurungot, Sreekumar uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/binder-free-and-flexible-vopo4cnt-film-cathode-aqueous-rechargeable-zn-metal-battery02499nas a2200241 4500008004100000022001400041245020000055210006900255260000800324490000700332520151900339653004401858653002501902653002601927653003301953653002201986653003602008653002202044100001702066700001902083700002402102856013102126 2024 eng d a1613-681000aInterlayer space engineering-induced pseudocapacitive zinc-ion storage in holey graphene oxide-bearing vertically oriented MoS2 nano-wall array cathode for aqueous rechargeable Zn metal batteries0 aInterlayer space engineeringinduced pseudocapacitive zincion sto cDEC0 v203 a

Transition metal dichalcogenides, particularly MoS2, are acknowledged as a promising cathode material for aqueous rechargeable zinc metal batteries (ARZMBs). Nevertheless, its lack of hydrophilicity, poor electrical conductivity, significant restacking, and restricted interlayer spacing translate into inadequate capacity and rate performance. Herein, the unique porous structure and additional functional groups present in holey graphene oxide (hGO) are taken advantage of to dictate the vertical growth pattern of oxygen-doped MoS2 nanowalls (O-MoS2/NW) over the hGO surface. Compared to conventional graphene oxide (GO), the presence of nano-pores in hGO facilitates the homogeneous dispersion of Mo precursors and provides stronger interaction sites, promoting the uniform vertical alignment of O-MoS2/NW. The synergistic interaction between O-MoS2-NW and hGO translates to enhanced electron conductivity, efficient electrolyte penetration, enhanced interlayer spacing, reduced restacking, and enhanced surface area. As a consequence of precise control of various factors that decide the overall battery performance, a high discharge capacity (227 mAh g(-1) at 100 mA g(-1)) cathode material with significantly lower charge transfer resistance (66 Omega) compared to pristine O-MoS2 (153 Omega) is developed. These findings underscore the potential of hGO as a multifunctional platform for nanoengineering high-performance cathode materials for the next generation of efficient and durable ARZMBs.

10aaqueous rechargeable zinc metal battery10aholey graphene oxide10ahydrophilicity tuning10ainterlayer space engineering10aoxygen-doped MoS210atransition metal dichalcogenide10avertical nanowall1 aBabu, Athira1 aDilwale, Swati1 aKurungot, Sreekumar uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/interlayer-space-engineering-induced-pseudocapacitive-zinc-ion-storage-holey-graphene-oxide02729nas a2200229 4500008004100000022001400041245014700055210006900202260000800271490000700279520182100286653002502107653004402132653001602176653004502192653003602237100001902273700004002292700001702332700002402349856012602373 2024 eng d a1613-681000aPhytic acid customized hydrogel polymer electrolyte and prussian blue analogue cathode material for rechargeable zinc metal hydrogel batteries0 aPhytic acid customized hydrogel polymer electrolyte and prussian cAUG0 v203 a

Zinc anode deterioration in aqueous electrolytes, and Zn dendrite growth is a major concern in the operation of aqueous rechargeable Zn metal batteries (AZMBs). To tackle this, the replacement of aqueous electrolytes with a zinc hydrogel polymer electrolyte (ZHPE) is presented in this study. This method involves structural modifications of the ZHPE by phytic acid through an ultraviolet (UV) light-induced photopolymerization process. The high membrane flexibility, high ionic conductivity (0.085 S cm-1), improved zinc corrosion overpotential, and enhanced electrochemical stability value of approximate to 2.3 V versus Zn|Zn2+ show the great potential of ZHPE as an ideal gel electrolyte for rechargeable zinc metal hydrogel batteries (ZMHBs). This is the first time that the dominating effect of chelation of phytic acid with M2+ center over H-bonding with water is described to tune the gel electrolyte properties for battery applications. The ZHPE shows ultra-high stability over 360 h with a capacity of 0.50 mAh cm-2 with dendrite-free plating/stripping in Zn||Zn symmetric cell. The fabrication of the ZMHB with a high-voltage zinc hexacyanoferrate (ZHF) cathode shows a high-average voltage of approximate to 1.6 V and a comparable capacity output of 63 mAh g-1 at 0.10 A g-1 of the current rate validating the potential application of ZHPE. A novel phytic acid (PA) modulated zinc hydrogel polymer electrolyte (ZHPE) as an efficient electrolyte and separator for rechargeable Zn-metal hydrogel batteries (ZMHB) is designed. The zincophilic, and hydrogen bonding characteristics of ZHPE help in regulating uniform dendrite-free Zn-deposition over the Zn anode surface. ZHPE in combination with the developed high-voltage zinc hexacyanoferrate (ZHF) cathode performs as an efficient ZMHB. image

10ahigh voltage cathode10ahigh-conducting gel polymer electrolyte10aphytic acid10arechargeable Zn-metal hydrogel batteries10aZn hydrogel polymer electrolyte1 aDilwale, Swati1 aPuthiyaveetil, Priyanka, Pandinhare1 aBabu, Athira1 aKurungot, Sreekumar uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/phytic-acid-customized-hydrogel-polymer-electrolyte-and-prussian-blue-analogue-cathode01835nas a2200181 4500008004100000022001400041245011400055210006900169260000900238300001400247490000700261520115400268100004001422700001701462700001801479700002401497856013201521 2025 eng d a1359-734500aAdvances in polymer electrolyte design strategies for highly efficient supercapacitors and Zn-based batteries0 aAdvances in polymer electrolyte design strategies for highly eff cMAY  a6864-68810 v613 a

Electrolytes play a crucial role in the performance of electrochemical energy storage systems, such as batteries and supercapacitors. Their main function is to act as a medium for ion transport between the electrodes, which is essential for the charge and discharge processes. Beyond this, the electrochemical performance of the device is strongly affected by the various properties of the electrolytes such as their ionic conductivity, chemical, thermal and electrochemical stability, chemical compatibility, etc. The intrinsic limitations of the aqueous electrolytes such as their decomposition during high voltage operations has led to the development of better electrolytes for batteries and supercapacitors. These included non-aqueous electrolytes, inorganic solid-state electrolytes, and gel polymer electrolytes. This feature article reviews the various approaches to designing a highly efficient polymer electrolyte for the targeted application along with the suitable device fabrication strategy adopted in the current literature to achieve a balanced electrochemical performance compared with a liquid electrolyte-based device.

1 aPuthiyaveetil, Priyanka, Pandinhare1 aBabu, Athira1 aKurian, Maria1 aKurungot, Sreekumar uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/advances-polymer-electrolyte-design-strategies-highly-efficient-supercapacitors-and-zn-based02278nas a2200217 4500008004100000022001400041245010000055210006900155260000900224300001600233490000700249520151500256100001901771700001701790700002701807700001701834700004001851700001701891700002401908856012801932 2025 eng d a2050-748800aAnode|electrolyte|cathode interface engineering to develop a robust zinc metal hydrogel battery0 aAnodeelectrolytecathode interface engineering to develop a robus cDEC  a41105-411210 v133 a

The poor electrode-electrolyte interfaces in quasi-solid-state zinc metal batteries often hinder Zn2+ ion transport due to the poor compatibility of the gel electrolyte with the electrodes. This report proposes a dual-interface engineering strategy across the anode, cathode, and separator using a single hydrogel polymer electrolyte (HPE). The integration of vanadyl phosphate functionalized carbon nanotubes (VP/fCNT) into a commercial glass fiber (GF) separator, followed by a thin hydrogel coating and UV-light photopolymerization, resulted in a dual-interface engineered cathode-separator-electrolyte structure (VP/IC-EGF). To mitigate the dendritic growth, an artificial solid electrolyte interface was developed on Zn foil (AEI@Zn). The engineered GF (EGF) demonstrates a room-temperature conductivity of 6.5 mS cm-1 and a high electrochemical stability window of 2.4 V vs. Zn|Zn2+. The symmetric cell with AEI@Zn|EGF|AEI@Zn exhibits exceptional plating/stripping stability over 1400 h at a current density of 0.1 mA cm-2 and a capacity of 0.1 mAh cm-2. Moreover, the low-volume cell (AEI@Zn & Vert;VP/IC-EGF), featuring the dual-interface-engineered cathode-separator-electrolyte, demonstrates outstanding cycling stability with over 3000 charge-discharge cycles at a current rate of 1.0 A g-1, retaining 98-99% of its initial capacity and showing high coulombic efficiency. These findings underscore the significant impact of interface engineering on enhancing the performance of ZMBs.

1 aDilwale, Swati1 aBabu, Athira1 aKanheerampockil, Fayis1 aTorris, Arun1 aPuthiyaveetil, Priyanka, Pandinhare1 aBhat, Suresh1 aKurungot, Sreekumar uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/anodeelectrolytecathode-interface-engineering-develop-robust-zinc-metal-hydrogel-battery01798nas a2200241 4500008004100000022001400041245013500055210006900190260000900259490000700268520094000275653001701215653003001232653002801262653001701290100001901307700002901326700001701355700001701372700002401389700001801413856012501431 2025 eng d a0947-653900aTunable, amine-functionalized porous silica catalyst for CO2 transformation into cyclic organic carbonates at atmospheric pressure0 aTunable aminefunctionalized porous silica catalyst for CO2 trans cAUG 0 v313 a

A silica catalyst with characteristic features of broad pore size distribution, large pore width and tunable basic sites was synthesized by a one-step green co-condensation synthesis method analogous to SBA-15 synthesis. The surface chemical features of the above catalyst were explored by XPS, N-2 and CO2 adsorption and desorption experiments. The catalyst showed 90% conversion of styrene oxide (SO) with nearly complete selectivity toward styrene carbonate (SC) in 7 hours under a solvent-free condition at a temperature of 120 degrees C with the aid of co-catalyst tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB). Moreover, the catalyst demonstrates versatility with various epoxide substrates, providing valuable insights into the cycloaddition reaction under ambient pressure conditions involving carbon dioxide. The mechanistic details of the catalytic conversion were investigated by the in-situ DRIFT studies and reported here.

10aCO2 fixation10acyclic organic carbonates10aheterogeneous catalysis10ain-situ FTIR1 aGorai, Twinkle1 aThanasekar, Chandragopal1 aKumar, Pawan1 aBabu, Athira1 aKurungot, Sreekumar1 aVinod, C., P. uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/tunable-amine-functionalized-porous-silica-catalyst-co2-transformation-cyclic-organic