In this work, the morphology of the donor polymer Poly([2,6′-4,8-di(5-ethylhexylthienyl)benzo[1,2-b;3,3-b]dithiophene]{3-fluoro-2[(2 ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl(PTB7-Th) was systematically studied at both solution and by preparing a thin film at different spin speeds. The thin films were prepared at 600, 800, 1500, and 3000 rotation per minutes (rpm) using spin coater, with approximate thicknesses of 85, 23, 14, and 11 nm, respectively, as measured by a surface profilometer. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was employed to examine the nanoscale morphology of PTB7-Th by dissolving it in chlorobenzene. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to analyze the surface morphology of thin films of PTB7-Th coated on a glass substrate at different spin speeds. Furthermore, the optical and structural properties were investigated using UV–visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), and Raman spectroscopy to understand molecular interactions and film quality as a function of spin speed. Using these microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, it is inferred that the film prepared at 1500 rpm (thickness ∼ 14 nm) exhibited improved morphology, which facilitates better charge transport. Finally, an organic solar cell device using PTB7-Th and PCBM is fabricated by coating the active layer of the cell at different spin speeds and the device prepared at 1500 rpm exhibits the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) among all the spin speeds.

Developing environmentally benign and efficient non-fused ring electron acceptors (NFREAs) with simplified molecular structures and reduced synthetic complexities is a key objective for advancing OSC technology. In conventional NFREA synthesis, typically relies on Stille/Suzuki coupling, which suffers from poor atom economy, multiple steps, high cost, and environmental concerns. Herein, we report a series of A-D-A type fully NFREAs, namely SN-4, SN-5, and SN-6 were designed and synthesized in three steps via a direct C-H arylation strategy that avoids fused-ring construction and hazardous organotin reagents. These acceptors exhibit narrow optical bandgaps (∼1.44 eV) with strong near-infrared light absorption, enabling superior light-harvesting. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal pronounced terminal-terminal interactions, highlighting the pivotal role of end-group interactions in governing molecular packing. Among the series, the binary device based on PM6:SN-6 achieves a remarkable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.86% under green-solvent processing, surpassing SN-4 (7.85%) and SN-5 (12.88%) owing to enhanced charge transport, low radiative energy losses, and reduced trap-assisted recombination. This work demonstrates a sustainable, efficient, and scalable pathway for developing low-cost, narrow-bandgap, high-performance NFREAs, and advancing their potential for future organic photovoltaic applications.

Developing medium bandgap polymer donors that feature a deep HOMO energy level alongside with high dipole moment, well-balanced optoelectronic and morphological characteristics is essential for enhancing the performance and scalability of organic solar cells. We present two D-A-D-DA'-D type medium bandgap polymers, which include the identical asymmetric fused benzotriazole DA' and thiophene donor (D) along with different acceptor units. i.e., fluorinated benzothiadiazole (P155) and benzothiadiazole (P156). Integrating an asymmetric DA' unit improves the planarity of the polymer backbone and diminishes intramolecular charge transfer, thereby lowering the HOMO energy level. When fluorinated benzothiadiazole serves as the acceptor unit, the HOMO level is further lowered, thereby increasing the molecular dipole moment. P155 and P156 displayed complementary absorption spectra alongside the narrow bandgap non-fullerene acceptor Y6 and well-optimized energy level alignment. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements revealed that the exciton dissociation efficiency in the P155:Y6 device exceeds that of the P156:Y6 device. Interestingly, P155: Y6 film exhibits enhanced film morphology featuring tighter it-it stacking, as shown by XRD and AFM analyses. The synergistic effects in the organic solar cell utilizing the P155:Y6 active layer result in a power conversion efficiency of 15.57%, accompanied by a significant short-circuit current density of 23.98 mA/cm2 and an open-circuit voltage of 0.883 V, surpassing that of P156:Y6 (11.44%).

Quinoidal porphyrinoids represent a promising class of electron accepting materials due to their extended pi conjugation, strong electron affinity, and structural rigidity, yet their application in organic solar cells (OSCs) remains unexplored. This work presents the design and synthesis of a nickel based quinoidal porphyrinoid (NiQP) and its implementation as an n type acceptor in bulk heterojunction OSCs using PM6 as the donor polymer. NiQP exhibits broad absorption extending into the near-infrared region and a narrow optical bandgap of approximately 1.44 eV, enabling complementary light harvesting with PM6. PM6:NiQP devices deliver a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.47% in as cast films, which increases to 12.51% after solvent vapor annealing (SVA), mainly due to enhanced short circuit current density and fill factor. Photophysical and electrical analyses show that SVA improves nanoscale morphology, exciton diffusion, and dissociation efficiency, while suppressing bimolecular and trap assisted recombination. Energy loss analysis further indicates reduced radiative and non radiative recombination losses in SVA treated devices, accompanied by lower Urbach energy and diminished energetic disorder. These results demonstrate the potential of quinoidal porphyrinoids as efficient electron acceptors and provide guidelines for molecular design and processing strategies in next generation OSCs.

Water is essential component of life; thus access to clean and safe water is crucial for human consumption, agriculture and other life-sustaining activities. However, water contamination remains a major global concern. Among various pollutants, heavy metals pose significant threat to environment and health due to their high toxicity and carcinogenic nature which has attracted considerable attention of researchers. In this study, CeO2/coconut shell nanocomposites were synthesized and characterized using X-ray Diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, TGA, and UV-Visible spectroscopy to investigate their structural, morphological, and chemical properties. The objective of this study is to investigate efficiency of the synthesized nanocomposites as an economical and environmental friendly adsorbent to eliminate Cr(VI) from water. Adsorption experiments in batch mode were conducted to determine the effect of key parameters including initial Cr(VI) concentration, pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. The analysis of Cr(VI) was performed using UV-Visible Double Beam Spectrophotometer. The synthesized nanocomposites exhibited significant Cr(VI) elimination efficiency. Equilibrium adsorption data were best described by the Langmuir isotherm model, indicating monolayer adsorption on a relatively homogeneous surface, while the Freundlich model suggested the presence of limited surface heterogeneity. To understand the adsorption behavior, five kinetic models (pseudo first order, pseudo second order, intraparticle diffusion, fractional power, and Elovich) were used to analyze the experimental results. Among these, pseudo second order showed the best correlation with the experimental data (R2 = 0.96088) indicating that chemisorption was the dominant mechanism governing Cr(VI) uptake. The Elovich model also demonstrated a reasonably high correlation (R2 = 0.88706), further supporting the presence of heterogeneous surface interactions and activation energy barriers. The findings suggest that CeO2/coconut shell nanocomposites offer an efficient, eco-friendly and cost-effective solution for Cr(VI) removal from water.

The development of high-performance polymer donors and fused-ring small-molecule donors (SMDs) for organic solar cells is often hindered by complex multiple-step synthesis and high synthetic complexity, restricting their figure of merit (FOM). In this study, we reported two simple medium-bandgap A-D-A-type SMDs, AW-01 and AW-02, featuring the same dialkoxybenzene as a central core and two indanedione as terminal electron withdrawing units, but differed in π-linkers in their donor units (thiophene for AW-01 and ethylenedioxythiophene for AW-02). Both donors were synthesized via a facile four-step synthetic route using direct C-H arylation and Knoevenagel condensation reactions without hazardous reagents. An intramolecular noncovalent interaction strategy was employed to enhance molecular planarity; notably, AW-02 exhibits multiple O···S and O···H interactions, leading to backbone rigidification and J-aggregation. AW-02 shows complementary absorption with the Y6 acceptor over 450-900 nm and suitable energy level alignment. The nonhalogen solvent-processed all-small-molecule OSCs based on AW-02/Y6 achieved a high PCE of 15.11%, significantly outperforming AW-01 (7.49%). The superior performance of AW-02 is primarily attributed to its higher Jsc and FF, arising from enhanced charge transport, balanced hole and electron mobilities, low radiative energy losses, and reduced trap-assisted recombination, matching the highest efficiencies reported for additive-free binary SMD-based OSCs. This work demonstrates a promising strategy for developing simple, low-cost, and highly efficient SMDs for future scalable ASM-OSCs, highlighting their potential to replace high-efficiency polymer donors and fused SMDs.

Incorporating a third component (an electron donor or an electron acceptor) into binary bulk heterojunctions to create ternary active layers is an effective approach for enhancing photovoltaic performance. In this study, we designed and synthesized a medium-bandgap asymmetrical non-fused ring A-DA'-D1-A non-fullerene acceptor NFA-12, which includes an asymmetric N, S-heterocycle DA' core, a thiophene donor (D1), and weakly electron-withdrawing 1,3-diethyl-2-thiobarbituric acid (DTBA) terminal acceptor (A) units as the terminal unit. NFA-12 displays significant dipole moments in both the ground (2.37 D) and excited states (5.76 D) and effectively diminishes intramolecular charge transfer while increasing the acceptor's bandgap. NFA-12 exhibits modest molecular crystallinity, making it an appropriate third component for the PM6:NFA-4 blend and optimizing the ternary blend's morphology. Consequently, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the optimized PM6:NFA-12:NFA-4 ternary bulk heterojunction layer achieved a PCE of 17.91%, surpassing that of PM6:NFA-4 (14.29%) and PM6:NFA-12 (14.35%). Integrating the high-dipole-moment asymmetric non-fullerene acceptor NFA-12 as a guest acceptor in ternary organic solar cells can significantly enhance photovoltaic performance, likely due to the appropriate active layer's film morphology, reduced energy loss, and improved exciton utilization via energy transfer from NFA-12 to NFA-4, all of which together increase the PCE of ternary organic solar cells. Our study emphasizes the significance of molecular design in controlling dipole moments and electron density when synthesizing medium-bandgap asymmetric non-fused ring non-fullerene acceptors, providing a highly effective guest acceptor for high-performance ternary OSCs.

Organic solar cells (OSCs) are emerging as promising candidates for sustainable, flexible photovoltaic technologies due to their lightweight nature, mechanical flexibility, and solution-processability. In this work, we present a comprehensive study on the PM6(PBDB-T-2F) polymer donor to understand the influence of spin-coating speed on its optical, structural, charge transport, and stability characteristics, and we also investigate Ag–V₂O₅-modified PM6 (PBDB-T-2F) thin films to elucidate how processing-induced morphology governs interfacial electronic coupling, optoelectronic properties, and charge transport. Systematic analyses reveal that higher spin-coating speeds yield smoother and more continuous thin films which provide better charge transport pathways; however, they also reduce film thickness, leading to diminished optical absorption and increased thermal stress, which results in partial degradation of the PM6 polymer chains. In contrast, films processed at lower spin speeds exhibit enhanced optical absorption, improved structural integrity, and superior morphological stability. For optimization, various characterization techniques, including UV–visible spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were employed to investigate the optical, structural, and morphological properties of the films. These findings provide critical insights into processing–structure–performance relationships and offer practical guidelines for optimizing scalable fabrication of high-efficiency OSCs. Films incorporating Ag–V₂O₅ on PM6 exhibit a marked enhancement in absorption intensity along with a pronounced red-shift and spectral broadening, resulting in an effective optical band-gap reduction from 1.86 eV (pristine PM6) to 1.62 eV in Ag–V₂O₅–PM6 films. Raman spectroscopy shows suppression and broadening of vibrational modes, indicating strong interfacial coupling, restricted molecular vibrations, and reduced disorder. Photoluminescence (PL) analysis further confirms stabilization of excited states and suppression of non-radiative decay pathways. Correlated UV–Vis, Raman, and PL analyses indicate that these effects originate from intrinsic interfacial modification induced by Ag–V₂O₅, rather than film thickness or processing artifacts, providing direct evidence of band-gap engineering, molecular stabilization, and enhanced electronic properties. The correlated optical and spectroscopic analyses indicate that these improvements originate from intrinsic interfacial modification induced by Ag–V₂O₅ rather than film thickness or processing artifacts, indicating band-gap engineering, molecular stabilization, and enhanced electronic properties.

Polluted water harms human health and the planet's wellbeing alike. Tackling the global energy crisis driven by rapid economic expansion and our reliance on power hungry gadgets demands innovative clean energy storage solutions. This study developed a ternary heterojunction photocatalyst based on g-C₃N₄/TiO₂/MWCNTs studied their structural, optical, and morphological properties, the produced materials were thoroughly evaluated via XRD, FTIR, BET, UV-Vis DRS, PL, SEM, TEM, Raman, and XPS studies. The photocatalytic activity of the g-C₃N₄/TiO₂/MWCNTs nanocomposite was evaluated via the degradation of rhodamine B dye under solar light with various parameters, and the results revealed that the g-C₃N₄/TiO₂/MWCNTs nanocomposite had 99% degradation efficiency with Z scheme mechanism and outperformed the pristine g-C₃N₄ sheet and TiO₂, with approximately 1.3 and 1.4 folds higher degradation rates, respectively. The photodegradation process was followed by pseudo first-order kinetics with a rate constant of 0.0922 min⁻¹, resulting in a 2.36 and 3.16 fold increase compared to pristine catalysts. The HR-MS and scavenger test results suggested that intermediates formed and that photoinduced radicals play important roles in the photodegradation process. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed improved electrical conductivity, and cyclic voltammetry investigations revealed an outstanding specific capacitance of 1860 F/g at 30 mV/s nearly six times greater than that of pristine g-C₃N₄ (348 F/g).The remarkable photocatalytic performance and good electrochemical properties of the g-C₃N₄/TiO₂/MWCNTs heterojunction highlight its promise as a multifunctional material for environmental purification and energy storage applications.

Quinoidal porphyrinoids represent a promising class of electron accepting materials due to their extended π conjugation, strong electron affinity, and structural rigidity, yet their application in organic solar cells (OSCs) remains unexplored. This work presents the design and synthesis of a nickel based quinoidal porphyrinoid (NiQP) and its implementation as an n type acceptor in bulk heterojunction OSCs using PM6 as the donor polymer. NiQP exhibits broad absorption extending into the near-infrared region and a narrow optical bandgap of approximately 1.44 eV, enabling complementary light harvesting with PM6. PM6:NiQP devices deliver a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.47% in as cast films, which increases to 12.51% after solvent vapor annealing (SVA), mainly due to enhanced short circuit current density and fill factor. Photophysical and electrical analyses show that SVA improves nanoscale morphology, exciton diffusion, and dissociation efficiency, while suppressing bimolecular and trap assisted recombination. Energy loss analysis further indicates reduced radiative and non radiative recombination losses in SVA treated devices, accompanied by lower Urbach energy and diminished energetic disorder. These results demonstrate the potential of quinoidal porphyrinoids as efficient electron acceptors and provide guidelines for molecular design and processing strategies in next generation OSCs.

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) has become a critical issue in modern electronic devices, necessitating effective shielding materials for mitigating its adverse effects. This study investigates the electromagnetic shielding properties of CaCu3Ti4O12(CCTO)/CoFe2O4 (CFO)/Aluminium(Al)/silicone composites over a broad frequency range, focusing on the influence of a conducting filler (Al) on their performance. The composites are fabricated through compression moulding involving the dispersion of CCTO/CFO/Al nanoparticles within a silicone matrix, with varying concentrations of conducting filler. The composites are formulated with varying ratios of Al to silicone with CCTO and CFO kept fixed by weight, denoted as CCAS-1, CCAS-2, CCAS-3, and CCAS-4 composites. The electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (SE) of the composites is evaluated using a vector network analyzer over the frequency range of 8 GHz to 22 GHz. Notably, the CCAS-4 composite exhibited a total shielding effectiveness (SET) of approximately 12 dB, corresponding to 94% microwave attenuation. This remarkable enhancement in shielding efficiency and SE is attributed to synergistic contributions of electrical conductivity, interfacial polarization, and magnetic property of the composite. These findings underscore the potential of CCAS composite can be an effective electromagnetic shielding material with promising applications in various technological domains.

Two-dimensional MoS2 has garnered significant attention for its promising electronic and optoelectronic properties; however, controlled tuning of its structural and functional characteristics remains a key challenge. Ion implantation offers a potential route for atomic-scale defect engineering. Its precise effect on MoS2 thin films is still unclear. In the present study, the effects of 70 KeV Au ion implantation at fluences of 1 & times; 1013 and 2 & times; 1013 ions cm-2 on the atomic-scale defect-assisted electronic behavior of MoS2 thin films are investigated. The Au ion implantation is shown to effectively tune this property. For instance, at a moderate fluence, i.e., 1 & times; 1013 ions cm-2, increased defect density leads to reduced crystallinity, enhanced conducting behavior, and lower surface roughness. Increasing the fluence to 2 & times; 1013 ions & centerdot;cm-2 may induce partial transformation or phase coexistence (2H or 1T) and slightly lower conducting. Further, the defect-induced modifications influence excitonic behavior and strain effects. By considering ion implantation as an efficient tools, these findings demonstrate that the moderately implanted sample is highly promising for high-performance applications in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics devices, such as field-effect transistors (FET).

In this report, we have designed a wide bandgap D1-(DA')-D2 polymer, denoted as P154, based on BDT with thiazole side chains, a D1 thiophene donor unit, and a thieno[3,2-b]pyrrolobenzotriazole (TPBTA) (DA') acceptor unit, which exhibit a dipole moment of 1.52 D and a deep highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level of -5.38 eV. Employing the narrow bandgap non-fused asymmetric non-fullerene acceptor NFA-4, the optimized air-processed OSCs based on the P154 : NFA-4 active layer showed a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.15%, which is superior to that of the PBDB-T : NFA-4 counterpart fabricated under identical conditions (12.86%). The higher PCE for the P154 : NFA-4 relative to PBDB-T : NFA-4 is attributed to the increased value of the short circuit current (JSC), open circuit voltage (VOC), and fill factor (FF), which are linked to the fact that the exciton diffusion and its subsequent dissociation in the former device are more effective than that for the latter device. When an optimal amount of P154 is incorporated into the PBDB-T : NFA-4 blend, the corresponding ternary OSCs exhibit a PCE of 16.96%, which is higher than that of the binary BHJ counterparts. The enhancement in the PCE for ternary OSCs is associated with balanced charge transport, a prolonged charge carrier lifetime, and faster extraction of charge carriers.

In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by modified Hummer method and Ca(OH)2was synthesized using a hydrothermal route at 180 degrees C for 24 h. After the synthesis of graphene oxide (GO) and Ca(OH)2, the nanocomposites of GO/Ca(OH)2 were synthesized using two different methodologies, first was chemical-precipitation method (CP) and second was hydrothermal method (HT). The synthesized samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-visible spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) to analyze their crystalline structure, chemical composition, optical properties, surface area and surface morphological study, respectively. The average crystal size was obtained as 100.47, 102.71, and 104.25 nm for Ca(OH)2, GO/Ca(OH)2-CP, and GO/Ca(OH)2-HT, respectively. The optical bandgap for Ca(OH)2was found to be 5.726 eV, while the bandgap energy increased for the GO/Ca(OH)2nanocomposite material. Morphological studies revealed wrinkled GO sheets, nanoscale Ca(OH)2 particles, and a well-integrated composite structure with uniformly dispersed Ca(OH)2 nanoparticles on the GO surface. Further, two types of dyes were selected for the study of wastewater treatment, one of which was a cationic dye Rhodamine-6 G (Rh6G) and another was anionic dye Methyl Orange (MO). Rh6G was 97% removed by all the samples due to attractive electrostatic interaction between nano-materials and Rh6G, and methyl orange was less removed due to repulsive electrostatic interaction. This work uniquely mixed GO and Ca(OH)2 to develop a hybrid nanocomposite material for cost effective treatment of wastewater.

The dielectric properties of polymers at extreme temperatures for energy storage require significant improvement, despite their superior processability, strong dielectric breakdown strength, and great mechanical qualities. By combining the best features of polymers and ceramics, scientists have created polymer nanocomposites with enhanced dielectric properties, making them ideal for use in various applications, including aerospace, oil and gas exploration, and hybrid electric cars. Interfacial design, microstructural engineering, and new high-dielectric filler materials are some of the important tactics and analytical models that have been developed to significantly increase the energy density of composite dielectrics. Novel designs have resulted from combining analytical models with machine learning approaches. Also covered in this study is the effect of a high-temperature implanted nanofiller on energy density in a polymer matrix. Lastly, this review summarizes the many types of dielectrics and their respective benefits, advancements, drawbacks, and limits when subjected to wide temperature ranges. An overview of the current areas where there is increasing production of energy storage devices in electric vehicles, pulsed warfare systems, and power electronics is provided to illustrate the practical uses of polymer nanocomposite dielectrics. We conclude by discussing the difficulties and potential benefits of polymer nanocomposite dielectrics in unusual scenarios.

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a fascinating wide-bandgap semiconductor for high-temperature, high-power, and high-frequency applications. In this work, morphological evolution and microstructure of the thermally annealed and argon-sputtered SiC thin films have been investigated by tapping mode Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). 280 nm thin SiC films on Si (1 1 1) substrate were firstly sputtered with 80 keV argon ions at various fluences and then thermally annealed at 8500C. The effect of the annealing on argon-sputtered films was evaluated by various surface topography and texture parameters, such as Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT), surface roughness, skewness, and kurtosis. One-dimensional cross-section scans of surface profiles are determined and morphological features are investigated. FFT reveals an increase in ordering and homogeneity of morphological features with an increase in argon ion fluence. Surface scaling analysis via power spectral density (PSD) demonstrates that surface morphology of the samples relies on surface confined viscous flow process.

A donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) molecule, denoted as RC18, consisting of two nickel-porphyrin terminal donor units (D) and a selenophene-flanked diketopyrrolopyrrole central core, connected via an ethynylene linker has been synthesized. The highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels were measured showing values of -5.49 eV and -3.75 eV, respectively. We have utilized RC18 as donor along with two acceptors, DICTF and Y6, for OSCs and found that power conversion efficiencies were 12.10% and 12.59% for RC18:DICTF and RC18:Y6, respectively. The complementary absorption profiles of RC18, DICTF and Y6, along with the intermediate LUMO level of DICTF between RC18 and Y6, led to the fabrication of ternary organic solar cells. RC18:DICTF:Y6 based ternary attained power conversion efficiency of 16.06%. The observed enhancement in the PCE is attributed to efficient exciton utilization through energy transfer from DICTF to Y6, increased donor-acceptor interfacial area, suppressed charge carrier recombination and improved molecular ordering. These all factors contribute to improvements in short-circuit current density (JSC) and fill factor (FF). Additionally, the open-circuit voltage (VOC) of the ternary OSC lies between those of the two binary OSCs indicating the formation of an alloy between the two acceptors.

Ion beam tailored carbon thin films, inspired by their outstanding multifunctional properties, are drawing strong interest in a variety of fields, including optical devices, photonics, magnetic devices, solar cells and hard coatings. The role of initial film surface, a deciding factor for its applicability in optoelectronic devices, is worth studying. In this regard, present work investigates the role of initial film surface in 30 keV argon ion irradiation induced tailoring of structural, morphological and optical characteristics of as-deposited and annealed carbon thin films. For this, carbon thin films have been successfully grown over Si(100) using the RF sputtering of a carbon target and are thermally annealed at 400 degrees C. These synthesized and annealed films are subjected to 30 keV argon ion irradiation at different fluences of 1 x 1016, 3 x 1016 and 5 x 1016 Ar + cm-2 . The synthesized films were found to be amorphous (a-C) which phase transformed to graphite like carbon (GLC) after annealing by seen by Raman analysis. Depth profiling by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) revealed that these a-C and GLC films are stoichiometric of carbon element only. Drastic decrease in carbon concentration from 90 to 61 at. % with ordering of sp2 sites for synthesized & sputtered films whereas disordering of sp2 sites with decrease in carbon concentration from 94 to 67 at. % has been seen for annealed & sputtered films. Initially rough film surfaces transformed into smooth surfaces with increase in argon ion fluence. Optical energy gap decreases while conductivity increases with increase in argon ion fluence. It has been demonstrated that 30 keV Ar+ sputtering resulted in optically and electrically conductive a-C and GLC films with smooth surfaces, making it a good candidate for opto-electronic applications.

In our previous studies we found that the low concentration of multiwall carbon nanotubes is beneficial to enhance the specific capacitance of the MnO 2 -multiwall carbon nanotube hybrid materials [1]. We further extended our work to examine the effect of binder concentration on MnO 2 -multiwall carbon nanotube hybrid materials for supercapacitor application. We have synthesized MnO 2 with 0.25 mg/ml multiwall carbon nanotube concentration and named the sample as MnO 2 -CNT. We prepared the slurry of the synthesized materials with 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% PVDF binder. We used 10% carbon black, and the active material weight was determined based on the binder concentration. N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) was used as a solvent to prepare the slurry. The slurry was then coated onto precleaned Ni foam and dried overnight in air atmosphere. The electrochemical properties such as cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge studies were performed in a three-electrode configuration using prepared electrodes, Ag/AgCl, and Pt wire as working, reference, and counter electrodes, respectively. The cyclic voltammogram of the prepared electrodes confirm the capacitive behavior of MnO2-CNT hybrid materials [Figure 1]. The specific capacitance from galvanostatic charge discharge studies was calculated as 170 F/g, 182 F/g, and 169 F/g for 5%, 10%, and 15% PVDF binder, respectively, at 0.5A/g current density [Figure 2]. The detailed studies on the effect of binder will be presented at ECS 247 th ECS meeting. Reference: 1. Optimization of manganese dioxide-multiwall carbon nanotube composite electrodes for supercapacitor applications, Rahul Singhal, Thomas Sadowski, Manika Chaudhary, Rian V. Tucci, Jules Scanley, Rudra Pate, Prince Kumar Patel, Seth Gagnon, Arkid Koni, Kushagr Singhal, Peter K. LeMaire, Rakesh Kumar Sharma, Beer Pal Singh, Christine C. Broadbridge,, Materials Science for Energy Technologies, 7 (2024) 228–236. Figure 1