Hydrogen is widely recognized as a promising clean energy carrier for a sustainable, low-carbon future. Nanostructured metal hydrides have emerged as favorable hydrogen storage materials because their properties can be tailored more effectively than those of bulk hydrides. Compared with bulk materials, nanostructured metal hydrides exhibit improved reversibility, tunable hydrogen absorption/desorption thermodynamics, accelerated hydrogen sorption kinetics, and enhanced surface reactivity. However, their practical application remains limited by sluggish hydrogen sorption kinetics, high operating temperatures, and poor cycling stability. To overcome these limitations, nanostructured catalysts have emerged as an effective strategy for reducing kinetic barriers and improving reversible hydrogen storage performance. This review critically examines recent advances in nanostructured catalysts for improving hydrogen storage in metal hydrides. It covers a broad range of catalyst systems, including transition-metal nanoparticles, metal oxides, metal halides, carbides, nitrides, carbon-based materials, MXene-supported catalysts, and hybrid nanostructures. Their catalytic mechanisms, interactions with metal hydride matrices, and their effects on hydrogen sorption kinetics and storage performance are systematically discussed. Reported studies demonstrate that these catalysts can reduce hydrogen desorption temperatures by 50–200 °C, lower activation energies by 20–60%, and significantly enhance hydrogen absorption/desorption kinetics and cycling stability. The review further discusses key challenges, including catalyst stability, scalable synthesis, cost, and longterm durability. Finally, it outlines future research directions focused on interface engineering, multifunctional hybrid catalysts, MXene-supported materials, high-entropy alloy catalysts, and data-driven materials discovery. By integrating recent developments with emerging opportunities, this review provides valuable insights into the rational design of high-performance nanostructured catalysts for efficient, reversible, and practical hydrogen storage in sustainable energy systems.
Our work presents an integrated green nanotechnology for fabrication of Pd nanostructure (NS) utilizing the most environmentally benign and cost-effective green solvent, deep eutectic solvent (DES), of choline chloride and citric acid. The DES acts as stabilizing agent during the reduction of Pd (IV) to Pd (0) particles by NaBH 4 Characterization of the as tailored particles via transmission electron microscope manifested the formation of intricate irregular branched shaped Pd NS owing to the fusion among smaller Pd spherical particles of size 15 - 40 nm. The ensuing Pd particles were perfectly crystalline with high purity. These appealing irregular shaped Pd NS were competent to photodegrade 85% of 6.67×10 -3 ppm toxic fungicide hexaconazole during 21 hr and 71.86% of 1.6×10 -5 M methylene blue (MB) dye in just 2 hr in aqueous medium. Photocatalytic feature of the Pd NS was reckoned mainly on its efficient potential to generate hydroxyl reactive species upon irradiation with light.
In this study, NaA and NaX zeolites were synthesized using locally available Angren kaolin as a low-cost raw material. Pretreatment of the kaolin with oxalic acid reduced the content of iron and titanium oxides, resulting in an increased Si/Al ratio and creating favorable conditions for zeolite formation. NaA zeolite was synthesized under hydrothermal conditions in a NaOH medium, whereas NaX zeolite was synthesized in the presence of additional sodium silicate. The obtained products were comprehensively characterized using XRD, SEM–EDS, and FTIR techniques. The XRD diffractograms confirmed the formation of a cubic LTA-type crystalline structure for NaA zeolite and a FAU-type faujasite structure for NaX zeolite. FTIR analysis identified characteristic vibrations associated with hydroxyl groups, water molecules, and the zeolite framework, confirming the structural features of the synthesized phases. SEM–EDS results revealed an ordered cubic crystal morphology for NaA zeolite and an aggregated crystal morphology for NaX zeolite. BET analysis showed specific surface areas of 640.8 m 2 /g for NaX zeolite and 458.5 m 2 /g for NaA zeolite. The corresponding water vapor adsorption capacities were 7.82 mmol/g and 6.75 mmol/g, respectively. Nitrogen adsorption results indicated that NaX zeolite possesses a more developed pore system, whereas NaA zeolite exhibits a predominantly microporous structure. The obtained structural and adsorption characteristics are generally consistent with those reported in the international literature for NaX and NaA zeolites synthesized from low-cost raw materials. The identified pore structure, specific surface area, ion-exchange properties, and water adsorption characteristics indicate the potential applicability of these materials in areas such as water purification, ion exchange, adsorption of various pollutants, and adsorption-based gas separation. These results demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining functional zeolite materials from Angren kaolin and may provide a basis for further applied investigations.
Lead iodide (PbI2) is a versatile semiconducting material for wide spectrum detection applications, including photodetectors, X-ray imaging devices and γ-ray sensors. It has a crystalline structure, large bandgap and high atomic number, which make it efficient at absorbing photons, tunable in its electrical properties and flexible. Recent developments in synthesis strategies such as Pulsed Laser Ablation, Pulsed Laser Deposition, Spray Pyrolysis, Chemical bath deposition and Physical vapour deposition have resulted in nanostructures and thin films with improved responsivity, detectivity and spatial resolution. Targeted doping (Ag, Zn, Sn, graphene oxide) and heterojunction engineering (PbS/PbI 2 , PbI 2 /CdSe, Au@PbI 2 ) enhance spectrum sensitivity and optimize charge transport. Photodetectors based on PbI 2 now have responsivities over 300 A/W and detectivities of 10 15 Jones, and flexible thin films reliably detect X-rays when mechanically flexed. In γ-ray spectroscopy, crystals grown by zone melting and by the vertical gradient freeze method have higher energy resolution and carrier mobility, illustrating the importance of defect engineering. While HgI 2 and CdTe are the gold standard in sensitivity, PbI 2 offers unique advantages in scalability, mechanical flexibility and new defect passivation methods. Continuous improvements in large-area deposition, dark-current suppression and hybrid integration make PbI 2 an attractive candidate for next-generation medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, wearable electronics and nuclear safety applications.
Hybrid solar cells utilising semiconductor nanoparticles such as cadmium and zinc sulfide can potentially provide future highperformance, cost-effective photovoltaic cells. This study involved preparing zinc sulfide and cadmium sulfide thin films, frequently used to enhance solar cells' power conversion efficiency via vacuum evaporation on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates. This process was followed by depositing a 200 nm thick PEDOT: PSS polymer layer. The characteristics of solar cells were examined concerning the structural properties of the constituent materials of the primary layers, alongside an analysis of the optical properties (absorption spectra, absorption coefficient, energy gap measurements) and an assessment of the solar cell's performance, which demonstrated an efficiency of 2.67% under an illumination intensity of 100 mW/cm 2 .
