Improvement of the pseudocapacitive performance of cobalt oxide-based electrodes for electrochemical capacitors

Cobalt oxide nanopowders are synthesized by the pyrolysis of aerosol particles of water solution of cobalt acetate. Cobalt nanopowder is obtained by subsequent reduction of obtained cobalt oxide by annealing under a hydrogen atmosphere. The average crystallite size of the synthesized porous particles ranged from 7 to 30 nm, depending on the synthesis temperature. The electrochemical characteristics of electrodes based on synthesized cobalt oxide and reduced cobalt oxide are investigated in an electrochemical cell using a 3.5 M KOH solution as the electrolyte. The results of electrochemical measurements show that the electrode based on reduced cobalt oxide (Re-Co3O4) exhibits significantly higher capacity, and lower Faradaic charge–transfer and ion diffusion resistances when compared to the electrodes based on the initial cobalt oxide Co3O4. This observed effect is mainly due to a wide range of reversible redox transitions such as Co(II) ↔ Co(III) and Co(III) ↔ Co(IV) associated with different cobalt oxide/hydroxide species formed on the surface of metal particles during the cell operation; the small thickness of the oxide/hydroxide layer providing a high reaction rate, and also the presence of a metal skeleton leading to a low series resistance of the electrode

Efficient recovery annealing of the pseudocapacitive electrode with a high loading of cobalt oxide nanoparticles for hybrid supercapacitor applications

Electrochemical pseudocapacitors, along with batteries, are the essential components of today’s highly efficient energy storage systems. Cobalt oxide is widely developing for hybrid supercapacitor pseudocapacitance electrode applications due to its wide range of redox reactions, high theoretical capacitance, low cost, and presence of electrical conductivity. In this work, a recovery annealing approach is proposed to modify the electrochemical properties of Co(3)O(4) pseudocapacitive electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry measurements indicate a predominance of surface-controlled redox reactions as a result of recovery annealing. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, and XPES results showed that due to the small size of cobalt oxide particles, low-temperature recovery causes the transformation of the Co(3)O(4) nanocrystalline phase into the CoO phase. For the same reason, a rapid reverse transformation of CoO into Co(3)O(4) occurs during in situ oxidation. This recrystallization enhances the electrochemical activity of the surface of nanoparticles, where a high concentration of oxygen vacancies is observed in the resulting Co(3)O(4) phase. Thus, a simple method of modifying nanocrystalline Co(3)O(4) electrodes provides much-improved pseudocapacitance characteristics

Enhancing the electrochemical performance of ZnO-Co3O4 and Zn-Co-O supercapacitor electrodes due to the in situ electrochemical etching process and the formation of Co3O4 nanoparticles

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and materials based on it are often used to create battery-type supercapacitor electrodes and are considered as promising materials for hybrid asymmetric supercapacitors. However, when creating such electrodes, it is necessary to take into account the instability and degradation of zinc oxide in aggressive environments with a non-neutral pH. To the best of our knowledge, studies of the changes in the properties of ZnO-containing electrodes in alkaline electrolytes have not been carried out. In this work, changes in the structure and properties of these electrodes under alkaline treatment were investigated using the example of ZnO-containing composites, which are often used for the manufacturing of supercapacitor electrodes. Supercapacitor electrodes made of two materials containing ZnO were studied: (i) a heterogeneous ZnO-Co3O4 system, and (ii) a hexagonal h-Zn-Co-O solid solution. A comparison was made between the structure and properties of these materials before and after in situ electrochemical oxidation in the process of measuring cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge. It has been shown that the structure of both nanoparticles of the heterogeneous ZnO-Co3O4 system and the h-Zn-Co-O solid solution changes due to the dissolution of ZnO in the alkaline electrolyte 3.5 M KOH, with the short-term alkaline treatment producing cobalt and zinc hydroxides, and long-term exposure leading to electrochemical cyclic oxidation–reduction, forming cobalt oxide Co3O4. Since the resulting cobalt oxide nanoparticles are immobilized in the electrode structure, a considerable specific capacity of 446 F g−1 or 74.4 mA h g−1 is achieved at a mass loading of 0.0105 g. The fabricated hybrid capacitor showed a good electrochemical performance, with a series resistance of 0.2 Ohm and a capacitance retention of 87% after 10,000 cycles

THE Formation of chondrule-like particles in RF discharge plasma

Chondrules are fundamental components of chondritic meteorites and play a vital role in understanding the formation of the early solar system. This study focuses on the synthesis of chondrule-like particles in a plasma environment using a radiofrequency (RF) discharge. The experimental setup involves a vacuum chamber where argon gas, hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), and ferrocene vapors are introduced. The plasma burning duration is optimized to facilitate chondrule formation, followed by analysis of the synthesized particles using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive analysis. The results demonstrate the successful synthesis of chondrule-like particles with diverse sizes and morphologies. SEM imaging reveals particles ranging from 80 to 378 nm in diameter, exhibiting rounded and non-uniform shapes. Energy dispersive analysis confirms the presence of iron, carbon, oxygen, and silicon in the synthesized particles. Iron and carbon originate from the ferrocene and HMDSO precursors, respectively, while oxygen may indicate oxidation or the presence of oxide groups. Silicon, the main component, contributes to the key characteristics of the chondrule-like structures. These findings contribute to the understanding of chondrule formation mechanisms and pave the way for further investigations using combined discharges to simulate shock waves or nebular lightning. Additionally, the study suggests the possibility of introducing additional chondrule building blocks, such as magnesium and phosphorus, to explore their effects on particle synthesis and composition

Modification of Biocorrosion and Cellular Response of Magnesium Alloy WE43 by Multiaxial Deformation

The study shows that multiaxial deformation (MAD) treatment leads to grain refinement in magnesium alloy WE43. Compared to the initial state, the MAD-processed alloy exhibited smoother biocorrosion dynamics in a fetal bovine serum and in a complete cell growth medium. Examination by microCT demonstrated retardation of the decline in the alloy volume and the Hounsfield unit values. An attendant reduction in the rate of accumulation of the biodegradation products in the immersion medium, a less pronounced alkalization, and inhibited sedimentation of biodegradation products on the surface of the alloy were observed after MAD. These effects were accompanied with an increase in the osteogenic mesenchymal stromal cell viability on the alloy surface and in a medium containing their extracts. It is expected that the more orderly dynamics of biodegradation of the WE43 alloy after MAD and the stimulation of cell colonization will effectively promote stable osteosynthesis, making repeat implant extraction surgeries unnecessary

Rationale for Processing of a Mg-Zn-Ca Alloy by Equal-Channel Angular Pressing for Use in Biodegradable Implants for Osteoreconstruction

Widespread use of Mg-Zn-Ca alloys in clinical orthopedic practice requires improvement of their mechanical properties—in particular, ductility—and enhancement of their bioactivity for accelerated osteoreconstruction. The alloy was studied in two structural states: after homogenization and after equal-channel angular pressing. Immersion and potentiodynamic polarization tests showed that the corrosion rate of the alloy was not increased by deformation. The mass loss in vivo was also statistically insignificant. Furthermore, it was found that deformation did not compromise the biocompatibility of the alloy and did not have any significant effect on cell adhesion and proliferation. However, an extract of the alloy promoted the alkaline phosphatase activity of human mesenchymal stromal cells, which indicates osteogenic stimulation of cells. The osteoinduction of the deformed alloy significantly exceeded that of the homogenized one. Based on the results of this work, it can be concluded that the alloy Mg-1%Zn-0.3%Ca modified by equal-channel angular pressing is a promising candidate for the manufacture of biodegradable orthopedic implants since it stimulates osteogenic differentiation and has greater ductility, which provides it with a competitive advantage in comparison with the homogenized state

Impact of single particle oscillations on screening of a test charge

Screening of a test charge by electrons oscillating in an external alternating electrical (laser) field is analyzed. It is shown that single particle oscillations lead to the creation of an oscillatory pattern of the test charge’s potential at large distances. Analysis has been done by considering and neglecting the contribution of ions on the screening. Impact of the quantum diffraction (non-locality) and of the collisional damping on the test charge’s potential is considered. It is shown that electrons are unable to provide screening of the test charge if the frequency of the induced single particle oscillations larger than the electron-plasma frequency. In the opposite case of low frequencies, the potential of the test charge changes its sign if the screening by ions is neglected