Journal: Materials Advances

Abbreviation

Mater. Adv.

Publisher

Royal Society of Chemistry

Journal Volumes

ISSN

2633-5409

Description

Filters

2021 - 20256
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Publications 1 - 6 of 6
  • Oxygen evolution reaction activity and underlying mechanism of perovskite electrocatalysts at different pH
    Item type: Journal Article
    Kim, Bae-Jung; Fabbri, Emiliana; Borlaf, Mario; et al. (2021)
    Materials Advances
    The members of the perovskite oxide family have been vastly explored for their potential as active electrocatalysts for an efficient anodic reaction (i.e. the oxygen evolution reaction, OER) of the water splitting process. Therefore, restless effort has been invested in the development of perovskite oxides as efficient OER catalysts, while the OER mechanism is still in veil. The rational development of perovskite catalysts for practical water electrolysis is left on hold until the full comprehension of the underlying mechanism is established under real operation conditions. Up to date, primarily two different OER mechanisms - conventional and lattice oxygen evolution - have been conjectured where the former follows a reversible route while the latter leads to irreversible changes. In this present study, we present evidence which suggests that perovskite catalysts follow both mechanisms concomitantly while one is preferentially selected based on their thermodynamic and kinetic natures dependent on pH.
  • Benchmarking the performance of lithiated metal oxide interlayers at the LiCoO2|LLZO interface
    Item type: Journal Article
    Müller, André; Okur, Faruk; Aribia, Abdessalem; et al. (2023)
    Materials Advances
    Integrating Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) solid-state electrolytes in combination with a high-energy cathode remains a major challenge in developing all-solid-state batteries. In particular, diffusion processes and solid-state reactions at the cathode-electrolyte interface during the co-sintering of the oxide materials at elevated temperatures result in high interfacial impedances. In this work, we study the performance of lithiated Nb, Al, and Ti metal oxide interlayers as diffusion barriers to prevent the formation of deleterious interphases at the cathode-electrolyte interface during fabrication, thus enabling easy Li-ion transfer between LiCoO2 and LLZO. Specifically, we characterize the impact of the different interlayers on the morphology and elemental distribution at the interface and evaluate their influence on the electrochemical behavior of the battery stacks after the high-temperature process. We find that the mixing of Co/La cations at the interface is reduced by using the metal oxide diffusion barriers. It is shown that the interfacial impedance can be reduced from 8 kΩ cm2 to 1 kΩ cm2 and that the electrochemical performance of all cells with interlayers exceeds that of the battery without interlayer. In particular, the Li-Nb-O modification outperforms the other metal oxide interlayers in terms of the discharge capacities achieved.
  • Searching for better X-ray and gamma-ray photodetectors: structure-composition properties of the TlPb2Br5-xIx quaternary system
    Item type: Journal Article
    Piasecki, Michael; Parasyuk, Oleg V.; Pavlyuk, Volodymyr; et al. (2022)
    Materials Advances
    Developing X-ray and gamma-ray detectors with stable operation at ambient temperature and high energy resolution is an open challenge. Here, we present an approach to search for new detector materials, combining binary photodetector compounds. More specifically, we explore quaternary TlPb2Br5-xIx compositions, relying on materials synergy between TlBr, TlI, and PbI2 photodetectors. We discover a broad solid solution in the TlPb2Br5-'TlPb2I5' section, which can be derived from a new quaternary compound, TlPb2BrI4, by partial substitution of Br by I atoms on the 4c site or by replacement of I by Br atoms on the 16l site. We carry out a thorough crystallographic analysis of the new TlPb2BrI4 compound and prepare a high-quality standardized structure file. We also complete the phase diagram of the TlPb2Br5-'TlPb2I5' section, based on 21 alloys. Furthermore, we synthesize a series of high quality centimeter-sized TlPb2Br5-xIx single crystals (x = 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5) by the Bridgman-Stockbarger method and study their structure and properties using a combination of experimental techniques (X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and absorption spectroscopy) and theoretical calculations.
  • Exploring the effects of synthesis parameters on the properties and photoactivity of WO₃–graphene oxide synthesized via a microwave route
    Item type: Journal Article
    Rodrigues, Bárbara S.; Niederberger, Markus; Souza, Juliana S. (2024)
    Materials Advances
    Tungsten oxide (WO3) is a promising material for photocatalysis. Coupling it with graphene-based materials can enhance its electronic conductivity. One effective technique for synthesizing WO3 nanomaterials is microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis, which selectively heats the reaction species and reduces the reaction time. We report a straightforward route for preparing a WO3 nanomaterial modified with graphene oxide (WO3GO) using microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis. We investigated the effect of various synthesis parameters, such as the irradiation time and reaction temperature. WO3 nanoplatelets were obtained under all conditions investigated; also, adding GO to the reaction did not change the WO3 morphology. It was observed that the crystal phase related to tungsten oxide can be modulated by temperature or time. Hexagonal WO3·H2O was obtained at temperatures of 160 and 180 °C, whereas at 200 °C, monoclinic WO3 was formed. All WO3GO materials were active for methylene blue, rhodamine B and methyl orange photodegradation. Also, incorporating GO increased the photoactivity of the materials.
  • Shine-through luminescent wood membranes
    Item type: Journal Article
    Ritter, Maximilian; Burgert, Ingo; Panzarasa, Guido (2022)
    Materials Advances
    Thanks to its optical anisotropy and mechanical properties, luminescent wood is a promising material for indoor lighting applications. However, the state-of-the-art approaches make use of potentially toxic fluorophores and of non-biodegradable polymers to increase the transparency, compromising the otherwise excellent sustainability of wood. Moreover, these procedures require lengthy multistep functionalisation processes and often fail to preserve the natural aesthetics of wood. We took advantage of the intrinsically hierarchical structure of wood coupling it with an efficient fluorophore, europium dibenzoylmethide triethylammonium (EuD3TEA), to achieve uniform illumination via a shine-through effect. A safe, low-power near-UV LED was used to excite the europium complex, and the light emitted was transmitted through the wood scaffold. We explored the effect of different wood cutting directions, as well as of lignin decolourisation. The optical transmission was the highest for cross-section cuts and could be further increased by decolourisation. Our approach is simple, sustainable and fully preserves the aesthetic appearance of natural wood. Moreover, thanks to the pH-responsiveness of EuD3TEA photoluminescence, the resulting luminescent wood could be used as a sensor for acidic or alkaline vapours.
  • Quantifying fungal growth in 3D: an ergosterol-based method to distinguish growth modes
    Item type: Journal Article
    Nussbaum, Natalie; Balmelli, Laura; Steiger, Nadja; et al. (2025)
    Materials Advances
    Mycelium colonization of fungi on solid substrates occurs in three dimensions: hyphal extension on the substrate surface, mycelium network densification, and invasive hyphal growth into the substrate. Quantifying fungal biomass in three dimensions presents a challenge, because current methods either require the separation of mycelium from the host material or rely on pure 2D optical density measurements. Here, we quantitatively assessed fungal growth of Ganoderma sessile by measuring ergosterol, a sterol specific to fungi that effectively represents biomass estimation. To investigate and quantify the global fungal growth in 3D, we focused on two primary growth profiles: extensive growth, describing lateral colonization of hyphae across the substrate surface, and local growth, reflecting invasive penetration into the substrate and mycelium network densification. Distinguishing between these regimes is critical, as they contribute differently to biomass distribution and substrate interaction, enabling a more accurate and functionally relevant assessment of fungal growth in 3D systems. By measuring local and global ergosterol accumulation, we estimated that extensive growth contributes around 300 times more to global biomass accumulation than local growth. By altering the nutrient density and stiffness of the host materials, we assessed whether global biomass accumulation is primarily driven by extensive or local growth increase. Our results demonstrate that the common assumption that radial extension corresponds to biomass increase is not correct and consequently, not a reliable method for comparing fungal strains or growth conditions when interested in fungal biomass. Therefore, using ergosterol to measure the local and global growth allows the quantification of the contribution of both growth profiles to the final global biomass accumulation, providing an approach that can quantify the effects of substrate morphology and nutrient density.
Publications 1 - 6 of 6