Faculty Publications
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Item Structural characterization of nano-crystalline Co3O4 ultra-fine fibers obtained by sol-gel electrospinning(2013) George, G.; Anandhan, S.In this paper, we report the obtention of ultrafine fibers of cobalt oxide (Co3O4) by combining electrospinning method with high-temperature calcinations from the precursor sol of poly(2-ethyl-2- oxazoline) (PEtOx)/cobalt acetate tetrahydrate [Co(CH3COO) 2·4H2O] in water. The optimum electrospinning conditions for obtaining precursor composite nanofibers from PEtOx/Co(CH 3COO)2·4H2O solution in water, to produce ceramic nanofibers, were studied. The average fiber diameter of the precursor composite fibers measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was approximately 200 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis of PEtOx was performed to estimate the suitable calcination temperature of the precursor fibers. SEM images of the ceramic fibers obtained after calcination revealed the shrinkage in diameter due to complete degradation of the polymer and Co(CH 3COO)2·4H2O. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to ensure the complete pyrolysis of polymer during calcinations of the composite fibers. Crystalline properties of the ceramic fibers were studied by X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The ceramic fibers are polycrystalline with an average grain size of ?40 nm obtained at a calcination temperature of 773 K. It was observed that the grain sizes increased as the calcination temperature was increased, due to self assembly mechanism. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.Item Synthesis and characterisation of nickel oxide nanofibre webs with alcohol sensing characteristics(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014) George, G.; Anandhan, S.In this study, nickel oxide (NiO) nanofibres were obtained by a sol-gel electrospinning process followed by calcination from an aqueous sol of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)/nickel acetate tetrahydrate. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to determine the degradation temperature of the composite fibres, so as to get nickel oxide nanofibres. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction studies revealed the complete elimination of the organic phase from NiO fibres during calcination. The change in grain size with calcination temperature was determined by X-ray diffraction. The defects in fibres resulted in the modification of their Raman spectra as compared with that of a single crystal. The magnetic properties of the fibres were reduced as the calcination temperature was increased; this is due to the presence of non-stoichiometric defects. As the calcination temperature was increased, the amount of defects was reduced, which induced a difference in the band gap energy of the fibres. Sensitivity of the NiO fibres towards five different alcohols was studied, and the sensitivity towards ethanol was the highest. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2014.Item Morphological and structural characterisation of sol-gel electrospun Co3O4 nanofibres and their electro-catalytic behaviour(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015) George, G.; Elias, L.; Hegde, A.C.; Anandhan, S.Evolution of hydrogen and oxygen are a crucial part of many renewable energy systems. The replacement of the essential and expensive components in such systems can reduce the capital cost and improve the effectiveness of those systems. In this study, Co3O4 nanofibres were fabricated from sol-gel assisted electrospun poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile)/cobalt acetate tetrahydrate precursor composite fibres. The morphological and compositional features of the Co3O4 nanofibres obtained after calcination of the precursor nanofibers were studied using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results of X-ray diffraction study and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the average grain size of the fibres increased with the calcination temperature. Clear evidence of defects in the fibres was observed in ultraviolet-visible-near infrared and energy dispersive spectroscopic measurements. The electrocatalytic behaviour of Co3O4 nanofibres obtained at different calcination temperatures was studied using them for the water splitting reaction in an alkaline medium. The maximum efficiency in the hydrogen evolution reaction was achieved using the Co3O4 nanofibres obtained at the lowest calcination temperature, which had the highest surface area and the smallest grain size. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015.Item Tuning characteristics of Co3O4 nanofiber mats developed for electrochemical sensing of glucose and H2O2(Elsevier B.V., 2016) George, G.; Anandhan, S.Nano-crystalline Co3O4 nanofibrous mats were fabricated by calcining the precursor nanofibers obtained by electrospinning of a sol comprising of a unique polymeric binder poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) and cobalt acetate tetrahydrate in water. The influence of the calcination temperature used for the synthesis of the oxide nanofibers from the xerogel fibers on various physico-chemical properties of the former was studied. The Co3O4 nanofibers obtained at 400 °C had the highest electrochemical sensitivity towards glucose and H2O2. Further, the results prove that Co3O4 nanofibers can be used for the detection of glucose and H2O2 concurrently as the response times taken by these moieties are different. Therefore, one can differentiate the concentration of glucose and H2O2 by analyzing the signals obtained after the respective response time and this multiple sensitivity of Co3O4 can be applied in the field of biosensors. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.