Sm mediated structural properties for MO dye degradation on the titania surface

In the present investigation, titania thin films doped with varying concentrations of Samarium (Sm) were synthesized by spin coating method on glass substrate. The obtained films were annealed at two different temperatures (350 and 450 ?C) to induce crystallinity. The structural property of these samples was characterized by using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectrometer. The surface morphology of the films was analysed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The presence of pure anatase phase with enhanced polycrystalline nature was evident for the films annealed at 350 and 450 ?C. Due to the addition of Sm, the titania thin films exhibited increased crystallinity. The Raman analysis also support the presence of crystalline anatase phase and the existence of defects in the deposited films. The prepared samples were also subjected to photocatalytic activity studies by using methyl orange (MO) dye and the results are discussed herein. The rate constant increased and half life time decreased considerably for 0.4 at% doped samples. The current work provides new ideas for monitoring the structural properties by adding low concentration rare earth dopant into metal oxides (titania) suitable for various applications.     

Efficient bulk heterjunction solar cells based on a low-bandgap polyfluorene copolymers and fullerene derivatives

A low-bandgap polymer (PF-PThCVPTZ) consisted of fluorene and phenothiazine was designed and synthesized. With the donor–acceptor segment, the partial charge transfer can be built in the polymer backbone leading to a wide absorbance. The absorption spectrum of PF-PThCVPTZ exhibits a peak at 510 nm and an absorption onset at 645 nm in the visible range. As blended with [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as an electron acceptor, narrow bandgap PF-PThCVPTZ as electron donor shows significant solar cell performance. Under AM 1.5 G, 100 mA/cm² illumination, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.85% was recorded, with a short circuit current (J_SC) of 5.37 mA/cm², an open circuit voltage (V_OC) of 0.80 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 43.0%.     

Energy Storage Application of Conducting Polymers Featuring Dual Acceptors: Exploring Conjugation and Flexible Chain Length Effects

Solution-processable conducting polymers (CPs) are a compelling alternative to inorganic counterparts because of their potential for tuning chemical properties and creating flexible organic electronics. CPs, which typically comprise either only an electron donor (D) or its alternative combinations with an electron acceptor (A), exhibit charge transfer behavior between the units, resulting in an electrical conductivity suitable for utilization in electronic devices and for energy storage applications. However, the energy storage behavior of CPs with a sequence of electron acceptors (A–A), has rarely been investigated, despite their promising lower band gap and higher charge carrier mobility. Utilizing the aforesaid concept herein, four CPs featuring benzodithiophenedione (BDD), and diketopyrrolepyrrole (DPP) are synthesized. Among them, the BDDTH-DPPEH polymer exhibited the highest specific capacitance of 126.5 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.5 A g⁻¹ in an organic electrolyte over a wide potential window of −0.6–1.4 V. Notably, the supercapacitor properties of the polymeric electrode materials improved with increasing conjugation length by adding thiophene donor units and shortening the alkyl chain lengths. Furthermore, a symmetric supercapacitor device fabricated using BDDTH-DPPEH exhibited a high-power density of 4000 W kg⁻¹ and an energy density of 31.66 Wh kg⁻¹.     

Over One Million DNA and Protein Events Through Ultra-Stable Chemically-Tuned Solid-State Nanopores

Stability, long lifetime, resilience against clogging, low noise, and low cost are five critical cornerstones of solid-state nanopore technology. Here, a fabrication protocol is described wherein >1 million events are obtained from a single solid-state nanopore with both DNA and protein at the highest available lowpass filter (LPF, 100 kHz) of the Axopatch 200B–the highest event count mentioned in literature. Moreover, a total of ≈8.1 million events are reported in this work encompassing the two analyte classes. With the 100 kHz LPF, the temporally attenuated population is negligible while with the more ubiquitous 10 kHz, ≈91% of the events are attenuated. With DNA experiments, the pores are operational for hours (typically >7 h) while the average pore growth is merely ≈0.16 ± 0.1 nm h⁻¹. The current noise is exceptionally stable with traces typically showing <10 pA h⁻¹ increase in noise. Furthermore, a real-time method to clean and revive pores clogged with analyte with the added benefit of minimal pore growth during cleaning (< 5% of the original diameter) is showcased. The enormity of the data collected herein presents a significant advancement to solid-state pore performance and will be useful for future ventures such as machine learning where large amounts of pristine data are a prerequisite.