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The electro-chemo-mechanic phenomena that play a crucial role in the stability of halide solid electrolytes with Li metal at the interface are unknown. Moreover, in a halide SE, the central M atom is known to dictate its reactivity with Li metal. To understand this chemical composition-dependent reactivity of halide SE, we have taken three halide solid electrolytes, namely Li3InCl6, Li2ZrCl6, and Li3YCl6. Here, we use operando X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy during Li plating to understand the reaction kinetics leading to the interphase evolution and interphase composition. The interphase evolution in symmetric cells was further monitored by operando electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and operando pressure measurements, showing the complex intertwining of molar volume change, void formation, and interphase growth. The as-grown interphase was visualized by focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy. The chemical reactivity was confirmed by bond strength calculations using operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction. We confirm volume changes due to molar volume mismatch leading to different microstructures of interphases for the three-halide solid electrolytes, which are correlated to the impedance growth during electrochemistry by operando impedance measurements, showing molar volume change has a drastic effect on the reactivity.

Photocatalytic N2fixation has emerged as one of the most useful ways to produce NH3, a useful asset for chemical industries and a carbon-free energy source. Recently, significant progress has been made toward designing efficient photocatalysts to achieve this objective. Here, we introduce a highly active type-II heterojunction fabricated via integrating two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets of exfoliated g-C3N5with nickel–chromium layered double hydroxide (NiCr-LDH). With an optimized loading of NiCr-LDH on exfoliated g-C3N5, excellent performance is realized for green ammonia synthesis under ambient conditions without any noble metal cocatalyst(s). Indeed, the g-C3N5/NiCr-LDH heterostructure with 2 wt % of NiCr-LDH (CN-NCL-2) exhibits an ammonia yield of about 2.523 mmol/g/h, which is about 7.51 and 2.86 times higher than that of solo catalysts, i.e., NiCr-LDH (NC-L) and exfoliated g-C3N5(CN-5), respectively, where methanol is used as a sacrificial agent. The enhancement of NH3evolution by the g-C3N5/NiCr-LDH heterostructure can be attributed to the efficient charge transfer, a key factor to the photocatalytic N2fixation rate enhancement. Additionally, N2vacancies present in the system help adsorb N2on the surface, which improves the ammonia production rate further. The best-performing heterostructure also shows long-term stability with the NH3production rate remaining nearly constant over 20 h, demonstrating the excellent robustness of the photocatalyst.

In this work we address the question of growth of thin films of a soft van der Waals solid (2D MoS2) on a hard, crystalline metal oxide substrates. Thus, MoS2thin films are grown on different single-crystal metal oxide substrates (SrLaAlO4, c-Al2O3, SrTiO3, LaAlO3) by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and characterized by different techniques to confirm and quantify their phase constitution (2H, 1T′). We observe that, on the SrLaAlO4(001) substrate, a mixed 1T′+2H phase of MoS2grows with a dominant (∼75%) 1T′ phase, while on c-Al2O3(0001) pure 2H phase grows. On the SrTiO3and LaAlO3substrates also the mixed phase grows, but with a much lesser component of the 1T′. Higher 1T′ contribution in SLAO and STO points to the chemical role of strontium in the early growth. It is also noted that, with increased film thickness on SrLaAlO4, the contribution of the pure 2H phase is enhanced, indicating the pivotal role of lattice strain in stabilizing the initial layer(s). The mixed 1T′+2H phase in the ultrathin film shows significantly lower room temperature resistivity (∼2 mΩ cm) with respect to that of the pure 2H phase (∼14 mΩ cm). The substrate selective polymorphism with distinct electronic features could invite multiple application interests.

Organic–inorganic ABX3hybrids with perovskite structures have drawn enormous attention owing to their intriguing chemical variability, structural tunability, and diversity of application-worthy properties. Herein, we report the synthesis of a new neutral ABX3hybrid ferroelectric compound [Me3NCH2CH2OH]CdCl3(1), which exhibits a 1D chain structure of edge-sharing CdCl5O octahedra that are connected to cationic [Me3NCH2CH2OH]+units via its peripheral OH functionality. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of the compound at 363 K reveals the conversion of 1to its coordination isomer 1′, in which the anionic chain consists of face-sharing CdCl6octahedra and the cations are uncoordinated. The piezoresponsive force microscopy analysis performed on a single crystal of 1confirms the existence of polarizable domains in it. The ferroelectric P–Eloop measurements on 1show a high remnant polarization value of 17.1 μC cm–2. Composite devices based on 1and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) prepared with varying wt % compositions are examined for mechanical energy harvesting applications. The highest open-circuit voltage of 55.2 V and a maximum power density of 70.9 μW cm–2at an optimal load of 4 MΩ were obtained for the 15 wt % 1–PDMS device. The harvested energy is shown to be effective for capacitor charging and light-emitting diode (LED) flash lighting applications.

Crystalline Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) possess ordered accessible nano-channels. When these channels are decorated with redox-active functional groups, they can serve as the anode in metal ion batteries (LIB and SIB). Though sodium's superior relative abundance makes it a better choice over lithium, the energetically unfavourable intercalation of the larger sodium ion makes it incompatible with the commercial graphite anodes used in Li-ion batteries. Also, their sluggish movement inside the electrodes restricts the fast sodiation of SIB. Creating an electronic driving force at the electrodes viachemical manipulation can be a versatile approach to overcome this issue. Herein, we present anodes for SIB drawn on three isostructural COFs with nearly the same Highest Occupied Molecular Orbitals (HOMO) levels but with varying Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbitals (LUMO) energy levels. This variation in the LUMO levels has been deliberately obtained by the inclusion of electron-deficient centers (phenyl vs.tetrazine vs.bispyridine-tetrazine) substituents into the modules that make up the COF. With the reduction in the cell-potential, the electrons accumulate in the anti-bonding LUMO. Now, these electron-dosed LUMO levels become efficient anodes for attracting the otherwise sluggish sodium ions from the electrolyte. Also, the intrinsic porosity of the COF favors the lodging and diffusion of the Na+ions. Cells made with these COFs achieve a high specific capacity (energy density) and rate performance (rapid charging–discharging), something that is not as easy for Na+compared to the much smaller sized Li+. The bispyridine-tetrazine COF with the lowest LUMO energy shows a specific capacity of 340 mA h g−1at 1 A g−1and 128 mA h g−1at a high current density of 15 A g−1. Only a 24% drop appears on increasing the current density from 0.1 to 1 A g−1, which is the lowest among all the top-performing COF derived Na-ion battery anodes.

2D/2D interface heterostructures of g-C3N4and NiAl-LDH are synthesized utilizing strong electrostatic interactions between positively charged 2D NiAl-LDH sheets and negatively charged 2D g-C3N4nanosheets. This new 2D/2D interface heterojunction showed remarkable performance for photocatalytic CO2reduction to produce renewable fuels such as CO and H2under visible-light irradiation, far superior to that of either single phase g-C3N4or NiAl-LDH nanosheets. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity could be attributed mainly to the excellent interfacial contact at the heterojunction of g-C3N4/NiAl-LDH, which subsequently results in suppressed recombination, and improved transfer and separation of photogenerated charge carriers. In addition, the optimal g-C3N4/NiAl-LDH nanocomposite possessed high photostability after successive experimental runs with no obvious change in the production of CO from CO2reduction. Our findings regarding the design, fabrication and photophysical properties of 2D/2D heterostructure systems may find use in other photocatalytic applications including H2production and water purification.

The mechatronic functionality of lead iodide hybrid perovskite thin films grown on the flexible substrate is investigated via the study of current-perpendicular-to-plane charge transport modulation under flex-mode compressive and tensile strains (CS and TS) for multiple flexing cycles. It is shown that the transport is significantly, reversibly, and asymmetrically modulated. Typically, for a strain of 0.088% (0.23%), a remarkable current modulation of +196% (+393%) is achieved for compressive strain and −49% (−53%) for tensile strain at an applied potential of 1 V. For low levels of bending, the response is robust for a large number of bending cycles. The effects of the change of organic cation from methylammonium to formamidinium and the grain size on the response are also examined. A comparative study of the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the pristine sample and the samples subjected to multiple bending cycles is performed to understand and elucidate the possible mechanisms of the strain-induced changes in the transport properties.

Two new molecular organic–inorganic hybrid halogenometallates [BnNMe2R]CdBr4(Bn = benzyl; 1: R = Me; 2: R = n-Pr) have been synthesized and found to crystallize in the acentric crystal systems suitable for ferroelectric behavior. Both these compounds exhibit well-resolved rectangular polarization vs electric field (P–E) hysteresis loops at room temperature for their polycrystalline thin films. Compounds 1and 2exhibited fairly high remnant polarization (Pr) values of 18.59 and 14.24 μC cm–2, respectively. Moreover, flexible composite thin films of these halogenometallate salts with poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) were prepared and employed as mechanical energy-harvesting devices using an impact test setup operating at a frequency of 25 Hz and an applied force of 40 N. The maximum output voltages of 52.9 and 63.8 V have been recorded for the PDMS-fabricated devices of 5 wt % of 1and 10 wt % of 2, respectively. Also, the obtained power densities of 13.8 and 37.1 μW cm–2for the respective 5 wt % 1–PDMS and 10 wt % 2–PDMS devices are much higher than all known devices made up of organic–inorganic hybrid materials embedded in PDMS. The energy harvested from these devices was further utilized to charge a capacitor through a full wave-bridge rectifier.

Photocatalytic reduction of CO2to renewable solar fuels is considered to be a promising strategy to simultaneously solve both global warming and energy crises. However, development of a superior photocatalytic system with high product selectivity for CO2reduction under solar light is the prime requisite. Herein, a series of nature-inspired Z-scheme g C3N4/FeWO4composites are prepared for higher performance and selective CO2reduction to CO as solar fuel under solar light. The novel direct Z-scheme coupling of the visible light-active FeWO4nanoparticles with C3N4nanosheets is seen to exhibit excellent performance for CO production with a rate of 6 μmol/g/h at an ambient temperature, almost 6 times higher compared to pristine C3N4and 15 times higher than pristine FeWO4. More importantly, selectivity for CO is 100% over other carbon products from CO2reduction and more than 90% over H2products from water splitting. Our results clearly demonstrate that the staggered band structure between FeWO4and C3N4reflecting the nature-inspired Z-scheme system not only favors superior spatial separation of the electron–hole pair in g-C3N4/FeWO4but also shows good reusability. The present work provides unprecedented insights for constructing the direct Z-scheme by mimicking the nature for high performance and selective photocatalytic CO2reduction into solar fuels under solar light.

Solar cells and optoelectronics based on lead halide perovskites are generating considerable interest but face challenges with the use of toxic lead. In this study, we fabricate and characterize lead-free perovskites based on germanium and tin solid solutions, CH3NH3Sn(1–x)GexI3(0 ≤ x≤ 1). We show that these perovskite compounds possess band gaps from 1.3 to 2.0 eV, which are suitable for a range of optoelectronic applications, from single junction devices and top cells for tandems to light-emitting layers. Their thermodynamic stability and electronic properties are calculated for all compositions and agree well with our experimental measurements. Our findings demonstrate an attractive family of lead-free perovskite semiconductors with a favorable band-gap range for efficient single-junction solar cells.

Electrochemical energy storage systems are critical in several ways for a smooth transition from nonrenewable to renewable energy sources. Zn-based batteries are one of the promising alternatives to the existing state-of-the-art Li-ion battery technology, since Li-ion batteries pose significant drawbacks in terms of safety and cost-effectiveness. Zn (with a reduction potential of −0.76 V vs SHE) has a significantly higher theoretical volumetric capacity (5851 mAh/cm3) than Li (2061 mAh/cm3), and it is certainly far less expensive, safer, and more earth-abundant. The formation of dendrites, hydrogen evolution, and the formation of a ZnO passivation layer on the Zn anode are the primary challenges in the development and deployment of rechargeable zinc batteries. In this work, we examine the role of imidazole as an electrolyte additive in 2 M ZnCl2to prevent dendrite formation during zinc electrodeposition via experimental (kinetics and imaging) and theoretical density functional theory (DFT) studies. To characterize the efficacy and to identify the appropriate concentration of imidazole, linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and chronoamperometry (CA) are performed with in situ monitoring of the electrodeposited zinc. The addition of 0.025 wt % imidazole to 2 M ZnCl2increases the cycle life of Zn-symmetric cells cycled at 1 mA/cm2for 60 min of plating and stripping dramatically from 90 to 240 h. A higher value of the nucleation overpotential is noted in the presence of imidazole, which suggests that imidazole is adsorbed at a competitively faster rate on the surface of zinc, thereby suppressing the zinc electrodeposition kinetics and the formation. X-ray tomography reveals that a short circuit caused by dendrite formation is the main plausible failure mechanism of Zn symmetric cells. It is observed that the electrodeposition of zinc is more homogeneous in the presence of imidazole, and its presence in the electrolyte also inhibits the production of a passivating coating (ZnO) on the Zn surface, thereby preventing corrosion. DFT calculations conform well with the stated experimental observations.

Over the past decade, flexible and wearable microelectronic devices and systems have gained significant importance. Because portable power source is an essential need of such wearable devices, currently there is considerable research emphasis on the development of planar interdigitated micro energy -torage devices by employing diverse precursor materials to obtain functional materials (functional carbon, oxides, etc.) with the desirable set of properties. Herein we report for the first time the use of metal organic framework (MOF) and zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) for high-wavelength photothermal laser direct writing of metal-decorated, heteroatom-doped, porous few-layer graphene electrodes for microsupercapacitor application. We argue that the specific attributes of MOF as a precursor and the high-wavelength laser writing approach (which creates extremely high localized and transient temperature (>2500 °C) due to strong absorption by lattice vibrations) are together responsible for the peculiar interesting properties of the carbon material thus synthesized, thereby rendering extremely high cycling stability to the corresponding microsupercapacitor device. Our device exhibits near 100% retention after 200 000 cycles as well as stability under 150° bending.

We demonstrate a consistent electrowetting response on ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) insulator covered with a thin Teflon AF layer. This bilayer exhibits a factor of 3 enhancement in the contact angle modulation compared to that of conventional single-layered Teflon AF dielectric. On the basis of the proposed model the enhancement is attributed to the high value of effective dielectric constant (εeff≈ 6) of the bilayer. Furthermore, the bilayer dielectric exhibits a hysteresis-free contact angle modulation over many AC voltage cycles. But the contact angle modulation for DC voltage shows a hysteresis because of the field-induced residual polarization in the ferroelectric layer. Finally, we show that a thin bilayer exhibits contact angle modulation of Δθ (U) ≈ 60° at merely 15 V amplitude of AC voltage indicating a potential dielectric for practical low voltage electrowetting applications. A proof of concept confirms electrowetting based rapid mixing of a fluorescent dye in aqueous glycerol solution for 15 V AC signal.

Here, we report the preparation of a flexible, free-standing, Pt- and TCO-free counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC)-derived from polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT)-impregnated cellulose paper. The synthetic strategy of making the thin flexible PEDOT paper is simple and scalable, which can be achieved via in situ polymerization all through a roll coating technique. The very low sheet resistance (4 Ω/□) obtained from a film of 40 μm thick PEDOT paper (PEDOT-p-5) is found to be superior to the conventional fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. The high conductivity (357 S/cm) displayed by PEDOT-p-5 is observed to be stable under ambient conditions as well as flexible and bending conditions. With all of these features in place, we could develop an efficient Pt- and TCO-free flexible counter electrode from PEDOT-p-5 for DSSC applications. The catalytic activity toward the tri-iodide reduction of the flexible electrode is analyzed by adopting various electrochemical methodologies. PEDOT-p-5 is found to display higher exchange current density (7.12 mA/cm2) and low charge transfer resistance (4.6 Ω) compared to the benchmark Pt-coated FTO glass (2.40 mA/cm2and 9.4 Ω, respectively). Further, a DSSC fabricated using PEDOT-p-5 as the counter electrode displays a comparable efficiency of 6.1% relative to 6.9% delivered by a system based on Pt/FTO as the counter electrode.

Perovskites based on organometal lead halides have attracted great deal of scientific attention recently in the context of solar cells and optoelectronic devices due to their unique and tunable electronic and optical properties. Herein, we show that the use of electrospray technique in conjunction with the antisolvent–solvent extraction leads to novel low-dimensional quantum structures (especially 2-D nanosheets) of CH3NH3PbI3- and CH3NH3PbBr3-based layered perovskites with unusual luminescence properties. We also show that the optical bandgaps and emission characteristics of these colloidal nanomaterials can be tuned over a broad range of visible spectral region by compositional tailoring of mixed-halide (I- and Br-based) perovskites.

A novel hybrid visible-light photodetector was created using a planar p-type inorganic NiO layer in a junction with an organic electron acceptor layer. The effect of different oxygen pressures on formation of the NiO layer by pulsed laser deposition shows that higher pressure increases the charge carrier density of the film and lowers the dark current in the device. The addition of a monolayer of small molecules containing conjugated π systems and carboxyl groups at the device interface was also investigated and with correct alignment of the energy levels improves the device performance with respect to the quantum efficiency, responsivity, and photogeneration. The thickness of the organic layer was also optimized for the device, giving a responsivity of 1.54 × 10–2A W–1in 460 nm light.

NiS1.97, a sulfur-deficient dichalcogenide, in nanoscale form, is shown to be a unique and efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) catalyst for H2generation by water splitting. Phase pure NiS1.97nanomaterial is obtained by converting nickel oxide into sulfide by controlled sulfurization method, which is otherwise difficult to establish. The defect states (sulfur vacancies) in this material increase the carrier density and in turn lead to favorable band line-up with respect to redox potential of water, rendering it to be an effective photoelectrochemical catalyst. The material exhibits a remarkable PEC performance of 1.25 mA/cm2vs NHE at 0.68 V in neutral pH, which is almost 1000 times superior as compared with that of the stoichiometric phase of NiS2. The latter is well-known to be a cocatalyst but not as a primary PEC catalyst.

We report on the synthesis of dense and faceted indium sulfide (β-In2S3) nano-octahedron films on fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated glass by the hydrothermal method and their photoresponse properties in a flip chip device configuration. We have examined the temporal evolution of the phase constitution, morphology, and optoelectronic properties for films obtained after growth interruption at specific intervals. It is noted that, initially, an In(OH)3film forms, which is gradually transformed to the β-In2S3phase over time. In the case of the film wherein most, but not all, of In(OH)3is consumed, an exceptionally large photoresponse (light to dark current ratio) of ∼104and response time(s) (rise/fall) of ∼88/280 ms are realized. This superior performance is attributed to nearly complete carrier compensation achievable in the system under high pressure growth leading to dramatic reduction of dark conductivity. It is argued that the temporally growth-controlled equilibrium between quasi-In interstitials and cation vacancies dictates the optoelectronic properties.

A new variant of the classic pulsed laser deposition (PLD) process is introduced as a room-temperature dry process for the growth and stoichiometry control of hybrid perovskite films through the use of nonstoichiometric single target ablation and off-axis growth. Mixed halide hybrid perovskite films nominally represented by CH3NH3PbI3–xAx(A = Cl or F) are also grown and are shown to reveal interesting trends in the optical properties and photoresponse. Growth of good quality lead-free CH3NH3SnI3films is also demonstrated, and the corresponding optical properties are presented. Finally, perovskite solar cells fabricated at room temperature (which makes the process adaptable to flexible substrates) are shown to yield a conversion efficiency of about 7.7%.

A supercapacitor electrode is fabricated with Co0.85Se hollow nanowires (HNW) array, which is synthesized by wet chemical hydrothermal selenization of initially grown cobalt hydroxyl carbonate nanowires on conductive CFP. The dense self-organized morphology of Co0.85Se HNWs is revealed by scanning/transmission electron microscopy. The as-synthesized Co0.85Se HNWs possess high pseudocapacitive property with high capacitance retention and high durability. The areal capacitance value is seen to vary from 929.5 to 600 mF cm–2(60% retention) as the current density is increased from 1 to 15 mA cm–2, an increase of a factor of 15. Based on mass loading, this corresponds to a very high gravimetric capacitance of 674 (for 2 mA cm–2or 1.48 Ag–1) and 444 Fg1–(for 15 mA cm–2or 11 A g–1) in a full-cell configuration with the Co0.85Se HNWs as cathode and activated carbon as anode (asymmetric configuration) promising results are obtained.

We report field electron emission investigations on pulsed laser-deposited molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) thin films on W-tip and Si substrates. In both cases, under the chosen growth conditions, the dry process of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is seen to render a dense nanostructured morphology of MoS2, which is important for local electric field enhancement in field emission application. In the case of the MoS2film on silicon (Si), the turn-on field required to draw an emission current density of 10 μA/cm2is found to be 2.8 V/μm. Interestingly, the MoS2film on a tungsten (W) tip emitter delivers a large emission current density of ∼30 mA/cm2at a relatively lower applied voltage of ∼3.8 kV. Thus, the PLD-MoS2can be utilized for various field emission-based applications. We also report our results of photodiode-like behavior in (n- and p- type) Si/PLD-MoS2heterostructures. Finally we show that MoS2films deposited on flexible kapton substrate show a good photoresponse and recovery. Our investigations thus hold great promise for the development of PLD MoS2films in application domains such as field emitters and heterostructures for novel nanoelectronic devices.

In the present investigation, we report a detailed examination of the effect of off-stoichiometry introduced in NiCo2O4by adding excess cobalt. Thus, we compare and analyze the structural and magnetic properties of the Ni0.75Co2.25O4and NiCo2O4cubic systems. A low temperature combustion method was utilized to synthesize stoichiometric (NiCo2O4) and off-stoichiometric (Ni0.75Co2.25O4) nanoparticles on a large scale. The X-ray diffraction pattern for the sample annealed at high temperature (773 K) shows the presence of a much less intense NiO phase (∼2–5%) in Ni0.75Co2.25O4as compared to that in the case of NiCo2O4sample (∼15–20%). The Ni 2p and Co 2p XPS spectra reveal the coexistence of Ni2+, Ni3+, Co2+, and Co3+species on the surface of both the NiCo2O4and Ni0.75Co2.25O4samples in differing proportions. In addition to the basic magnetic characterizations using PPMS, these were also analyzed by neutron diffraction. The off-stoichiometric Ni0.75Co2.25O4sample shows an interesting magnetic phase conversion from frustrated dipolar system to an enhanced magnetic ordering upon annealing. Local moments on the lattice sites of NiCo2O4and Ni0.75Co2.25O4samples are further compared by neutron diffraction confirming stronger ordered moments and enhanced structural and thermal stability for the Ni0.75Co2.25O4sample.

A composite of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with oxides of manganese and cobalt together was prepared by a solvothermal method. During synthesis, both the reduction of graphene oxide as well as the growth of nanorod shaped CoMn2O4and Co3O4occurred simultaneously having a crystallite size of ~8 nm calculated from X-ray diffraction (XRD). The as-obtained triple nanocomposite material designated as RGO–MnCoO exhibited excellent activity for the liquid phase aerobic oxidation of aromatic alcohols under base-free conditions selectively giving the corresponding aldehydes (>85%). RGO loading was varied in the range of 1–10%, among which 1% RGO–MnCoO showed maximum catalytic activity enhancement of 24% as compared to the bare mixed oxide (MnCo-MO) for the oxidation of vanillyl alcohol. HR-TEM of RGO–MnCoO revealed that it was a composite material having uniform nanotubes of ~25 nm length and 6 nm diameter with a fringe pattern showing the (103) and (004) planes and lattice spaces of 0.26 nm and 0.22 nm, respectively, for the spinel CoMn2O4. The detailed studies on the morphology, size and composition of the as-prepared RGO–MnCoO nanocomposite by XRD, XPS, N2-adsorption/desorption and O2-TPD techniques were used to understand the role of RGO in the enhancement of catalytic activity for oxidation reaction.

We report the synthesis of CuO nanostructures by metal organic framework (MOF) based approach. Spherical shaped, phase pure CuO nanoparticles are obtained by controlled pyrolysis of Cu-based MOF. Electrochemical properties are evaluated in half-cell assembly and it is found that ∼1.6mol of Li (∼538mAhg–1) is cycleable viaconversion reaction. Further, MOF derived CuO retained ∼90% of initial reversible capacity after 40 cycles. Rate performance studies showed the deliverable reversible capacity of ∼210mAhg–1at high current rate of 2Ag–1.

The photosensing properties of vertically aligned ZnIn2S4nanopetal films grown hydrothermally on FTO coated glass are examined without and with surface dispensed agarose gel. For the ZnIn2S4nanopetals photodetector (without gel) there is no photoresponse for zero bias. Most interestingly, with surface dispensation of agarose gel, the hybrid electronic-iontronic interface system shows a strong photoresponse even under zero bias, a highly efficient self-powered UV-visible light photodetector. Indeed, the zero bias ZnIn2S4/gel hybrid photoresponse is a factor of 100 stronger as compared to the response of the only ZnIn2S4device (at −1.5 V bias) and that too without any significant degradation in response time. The possible operating mechanisms are proposed.