MnCo2O4/NiCo2O4/rGO as a Catalyst Based on Binary Transition Metal Oxide for the Methanol Oxidation Reaction

The demands for alternative energy have led researchers to find effective electrocatalysts in fuel cells and increase the efficiency of existing materials. This study presents new nanocatalysts based on two binary transition metal oxides (BTMOs) and their hybrid with reduced graphene oxide for methanol oxidation. Characterization of the introduced three-component composite, including cobalt manganese oxide (MnCo2O4), nickel cobalt oxide (NiCo2O4), and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in the form of MnCo2O4/NiCo2O4/rGO (MNR), was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses. The alcohol oxidation capability of MnCo2O4/NiCo2O4 (MN) and MNR was evaluated in the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) process. The crucial role of rGO in improving the electrocatalytic properties of catalysts stems from its large active surface area and high electrical conductivity. The alcohol oxidation tests of MN and MNR showed an adequate ability to oxidize methanol. The better performance of MNR was due to the synergistic effect of MnCo2O4/NiCo2O4 and rGO. MN and MNR nanocatalysts, with a maximum current density of 14.58 and 24.76 mA/cm2 and overvoltage of 0.6 and 0.58 V, as well as cyclic stability of 98.3% and 99.7% (at optimal methanol concentration/scan rate of 20 mV/S), respectively, can be promising and inexpensive options in the field of efficient nanocatalysts for use in methanol fuel cell anodes

Fabrication of Mn3O4-CeO2-rGO as Nanocatalyst for Electro-Oxidation of Methanol

Recently, the use of metal oxides as inexpensive and efficient catalysts has been considered by researchers. In this work, we introduce a new nanocatalyst including a mixed metal oxide, consisting of manganese oxide, cerium oxide, and reduced graphene oxide (Mn3O4-CeO2-rGO) by the hydrothermal method. The synthesized nanocatalyst was evaluated for the methanol oxidation reaction. The synergetic effect of metal oxides on the surface of rGO was investigated. Mn3O4-CeO2-rGO showed an oxidation current density of 17.7 mA/cm2 in overpotential of 0.51 V and 91% stability after 500 consecutive rounds of cyclic voltammetry. According to these results, the synthesized nanocatalyst can be an attractive and efficient option in the methanol oxidation reaction process

Spray Deposited Nanostructured CuO Thin Films: Influence of Substrate Temperature and Annealing Process

<div><p>In this study, CuO thin films were deposited on glass substrates at a wide range of temperatures from 450ºC to 550ºC with steps of 25ºC by chemical spray pyrolysis technique. Aiming to investigate the effect of annealing process, one of the resulting films was annealed at 450ºC for 3 hours under ambient air. Based on X-ray diffraction, all the resulting films are monoclinic with two prominent peaks at ~36º and ~39º. The crystallite size of the CuO film deposited at 450ºC was found to be the largest in comparison with the others. As the substrate temperature increased, a gradual change was observed for the CuO thin film surface morphology and in the case of annealed film, the grains and their boundaries became indistinguishable. The resistivity of the films was reduced by virtue of increasing the substrate temperature and also, both the mobility and carrier concentration of the annealed film were improved drastically after annealing. As expected, the CuO thin films absorption was considerable in the visible region and gradually declined after 800nm. The estimated band gap value of the CuO film deposited at 450ºC were fairly close to the optimum band gap for solar applications.</p></div

Optimal subwavelength design for efficient light trapping in central slit of plasmonics-based metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector

© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York. We present the analysis of a novel plasmonics-based metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector that dramatically modifies the light transmission spectra when the sub-wavelength central slit is partly covered with a gold (Au) thin film. The simulation results reveal surface plasmons together with the optimized nano-gratings impact in this special design for quality light absorption inside the device active region. Finite-difference time-domain method has been utilized to simulate the behavior of the proposed novel photodetector structure with significant improved light absorption capacity