Faculty Publications
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/18736
Publications by NITK Faculty
Browse
18 results
Search Results
Item ZnO/carbon nanotube nanocomposite for high energy density supercapacitors(2013) Aravinda, L.S.; Nagaraja, K.K.; Nagaraja, H.S.; Bhat, K.; Badekai Ramachandra, B.A facile, green and highly efficient method for the decoration of carbon nanotubes with ZnO was developed for the fabrication of binder-free composite electrode for supercapacitor applications. The nano composite was prepared by using reactive magnetron sputtering in Ar/O2 environment. This approach leads to more uniform coating with tuneable thickness, which alters the electrochemical performance of the nano composite electrodes. The structure and surface morphology of the composite film have been studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The XRD study reveals the formation of Wurtzite ZnO structure. The electrochemical performance of nano composite electrode was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, chronopotentiometry and electrochemical impedance measurements in non-aqueous electrolyte. The nano composite electrode shows significant increase in the specific capacitance up to 48 F g-1 with an energy density 13.1 Wh kg-1 in the potential range -2 V to 1 V. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Item Influence of Sn doping on photoluminescence and photoelectrochemical properties of ZnO nanorod arrays(Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2014) Santhosh Kumar, A.S.; Huang, N.M.; Nagaraja, H.S.Herein, the nanostructured Sn containing ZnO is directly synthesized on the surface of substrate by modified sol gel approach under low-temperature condition. The samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman-scattering, photoluminescence (PL) and photoelectrochemical analyses. The SEM micrographs show that the undoped and 1 at. % Sn doped films are composed of nanorods and the concentration of 2 at. % Sn doping hinders the rod-like structure's growth and modulates into granular nature. The investigations of XRD reveal that the synthesized undoped and Sn doped ZnO nanorods possess a perfect hexagonal growth habit of wurtzite zinc oxide, along the (002) direction of preference. The Raman spectra demonstrate that the vibrational mode of E1(LO), which is very weak in undoped and 1at. % Sn doped ZnO, is strongly enhanced with 2 at. % Sn doping into ZnO lattice. PL spectra show that strong UV emission in pure and 1 at. % Sn doped ZnO, while there is dominant green emission in 2 at. % Sn doped ZnO. Moreover, all the samples are photo electrochemically active and exhibit the highest photocurrent of 28 ?A for the 1 at. % Sn doped ZnO nanorod arrays in 0.2M Na2SO4 electrolyte, on light irradiation. Time dependent photoresponse tests are carried out by measuring the photocurrent under chopped light irradiation. © 2014 The Korean Institute of Metals and Materials and Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.Item Solar exfoliated graphene and its application in supercapacitors and electrochemical H2O2 sensing(Elsevier Ltd, 2015) Moolayadukkam, M.; Huang, N.M.; Nagaraja, H.S.In the present study, graphene nanosheets are synthesized using sunlight irradiation focussed onto graphite oxide. The morphological characteristics of graphene are examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are used for the structural characterization of the sample. The electrochemical performance is evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), charge-discharge characteristics and impedance spectroscopy. A high specific capacitance value of 223 F g-1 is obtained using cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical detection of H2O2, a common biological species using solar graphene is demonstrated. The impedance spectroscopy and CV are used to study the electrocatalytic activity of the material. High sensitivity of 64.79 ?A mM-1 cm-2 is reported. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Item Design and fabrication of spectrally selective TiAlC/TiAlCN/TiAlSiCN/TiAlSiCO/TiAlSiO tandem absorber for higherature solar thermal power applications(Elsevier, 2015) Jyothi, J.; Chaliyawala, H.; Srinivas, G.; Nagaraja, H.S.; Barshilia, H.C.A new nanostructured TiAlC/TiAlCN/TiAlSiCN/TiAlSiCO/TiAlSiO tandem absorber has been designed for higherature solar thermal power applications. The first three layers in this tandem act as an absorbing layer, whereas, TiAlSiCO and TiAlSiO act as semi-transparent and anti-reflecting layers. The tandem absorber was deposited on stainless steel substrates using a four-cathode reactive direct current unbalanced magnetron sputtering system. The composition and thicknesses of the individual component layers have been optimized by adjusting the reactive flow rate of C2H2, N2, O2, and also Al, Ti and Si target power densities to achieve high absorptance (0.961) and low emittance (0.07 at 82 °C). The reflectance data showed that the absorptance increases gradually with shift of reflectance minimum to higher wavelengths from first layer to last layer (i.e., TiAlC to TiAlSiO). The thickness of optimized tandem absorber was calculated from the cross-sectional field-emission scanning electron microscopy images and confirmed using transmission electron microscopy. The performance evaluation of the tandem absorber has been evaluated by heating it in air and vacuum under cycling conditions at different temperatures. These results showed that the tandem absorber was stable up to 325 °C in air for 400 h and up to 650 °C in vacuum for 100 h, thus demonstrating its suitability for higherature solar thermal power generation applications. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Item Effect of electrolyte temperature on the formation of highly ordered nanoporous alumina template(Elsevier B.V., 2016) Boominathasellarajan, B.; Sharma, M.; Ghosh, S.K.; Nagaraja, H.S.; Barshilia, H.C.; Chowdhury, P.In this work, we present a systematic influence of electrolyte temperature along with anodizing potential on the pore parameters during two-step anodization of Al in H2SO4 electrolyte. Top surface morphology of the nanoporous templates was examined with the help of field emission scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. Three-dimensional (3D) Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) image analysis was then employed to quantify pore regularity and pore periodicity as a function of both the bath temperature (1-15 °C) and the anodic potential (15-25 V). A highest pore regularity ratio of 5 × 108 was obtained at 3°C and 25 V with a pore diameter of 32 ± 3 nm and inter-pore distance of 65 nm. With further increase in temperature, the pore regularity ratio was found to decrease drastically. It was found that higher temperature favored the dissolution of compact aluminum oxide layer isotropically along the pore length. This process in effect enhanced the pore size, growth rate, and template top surface roughness without affecting much inter-pore distance. Self-ordering of the pores was found to improve with increasing anodizing potential with a critical influence of the current density along with inter-pore distance. The mechanism of pore growth was discussed in terms of temperature-dependent activation energy controlled dissolution of aluminum. The typical activation energy evaluated at 25 V was 72.8 kJ/mol at 3°C. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Item Porous nickel telluride nanostructures as bifunctional electrocatalyst towards hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction(Elsevier Ltd, 2017) Bhat, K.S.; Barshilia, H.C.; Nagaraja, H.S.Electrochemical water splitting technology has attracted researchers for the development of next generation fuels. Herein, we report the synthesis of nanostructured porous hollow nickel telluride nanosheets and their use as bifunctional electrocatalyst towards hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction, anticipating an enhanced performance owing to their 2D sheet like morphology, conductivity, porous nature providing larger catalytic surface for water splitting reaction. In this regard, nickel telluride nanostructures were synthesized via an anion-exchange-reaction between pre-synthesized nickel hydroxide hexagonal nanosheets and tellurium ions under hydrothermal conditions. The as-synthesized nanostructures were characterized for structural, morphological and compositional properties using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Nickel telluride modified electrodes were tested as bifunctional electrocatalyst under acidic and alkaline conditions, through linear sweep voltammetry and constant current chronopotentiometry methods. The modified electrodes revealed an onset potential of ?422 mV and 87.4 mV dec?1 Tafel slope towards HER and overpotential of 679 mV and 151 mV dec?1 Tafel slope towards OER. The lower onset potentials are complimented with excellent electrocatalytic stability. © 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLCItem Porous cobalt chalcogenide nanostructures as high performance pseudo-capacitor electrodes(Elsevier Ltd, 2017) Bhat, K.S.; Shenoy, S.; Nagaraja, H.S.; Sridharan, K.Electrochemical supercapacitor is an essential technology that is pivotal for the development of reliable energy storage devices. Herein, we report the fabrication of supercapacitor electrodes using nanostructured porous cobalt chalcogenide (CoTe2 and CoSe2) electrodes, anticipating an enhanced performance owing to their higher contact area with electrolyte and large pore volume enabling shorter diffusion paths for ion exchange. In this regard, we synthesized CoTe2 and CoSe2 nanostructures via an anion-exchange-reaction between pre-synthesized Co(OH)2 hexagonal nanosheets and chalcogen (tellurium and selenium) ions under hydrothermal conditions. Structural, morphological and compositional properties of the as-synthesized materials are examined using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Pseudo-capacitive properties of CoTe2 and CoSe2 nanostructures as working electrodes are studied through cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge methods using an electrochemical workstation. CoSe2 electrode delivered a specific capacitance of 951 F g?1 at a scan rate of 5 mV s?1, which surprisingly is almost three times higher in comparison to CoTe2 electrode (360 F g?1). Both CoTe2 and CoSe2 electrodes exhibited good capacitance retention capability for 2500 CV cycles. The superior electrochemical performance of the nanoporous CoSe2 electrode indicate their applicability for high-performance energy storage device applications. © 2017 Elsevier LtdItem Adsorption and photocatalytic properties of NiO nanoparticles synthesized via a thermal decomposition process(Cambridge University Press, 2018) Ramesh, M.; Rao, M.P.C.; Anandan, S.; Nagaraja, H.S.NiO nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized at different annealing temperatures via a thermal decomposition process and characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The NiO NPs prepared at higher annealing temperature (400 °C) were shown excellent adsorption and photocatalytic activity toward textile dyes reactive black 5 (RB-5) and methylene blue (MB). About 87.2% of RB-5 in 60 min and 70.2% of MB in 5 h was removed using NiO NPs synthesized at 400 °C. The photocatalytic degradation of MB was found to increase with an increase in the annealing temperature of the catalyst. Moreover, the kinetic study revealed that the adsorption and photocatalytic activity of NiO NPs followed the second and first-order kinetics, respectively. The enhanced performance of NiO NPs toward dye removal might be related to its optical and structural properties. © Materials Research Society 2018.Item Effect of isoelectronic tungsten doping on molybdenum selenide nanostructures and their graphene hybrids for supercapacitors(Elsevier Ltd, 2019) Bhat, K.S.; Nagaraja, H.S.Electrochemical supercapacitors are vital for the advancement of energy storage devices. Herein, we report the synthesis of molybdenum selenide (MoSe 2 ), tungsten-doped molybdenum selenide (W–MoSe 2 ) and their graphene (G) composites (W–MoSe 2 /G) via a facile hydrothermal method. Physiochemical properties of the as-synthesized samples are examined using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller measurements, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy measurements. Used as working electrodes for supercapacitors, MoSe 2 nanostructures could deliver the specific capacitance of 106 F g ?1 at 2 mV s ?1 scan rate. Further, doping with tungsten (W) demonstrates the variation of specific capacitances with 2 M % of tungsten as the optimum doping amount, delivering the maximum specific capacitance of 147 F g ?1 . Furthermore, graphene composites of these nanostructures deliver the enhanced specific capacitances of 248 F g ?1 and complimented with excellent capacitance retention capability of 102% for 20000 cycles. © 2019 Elsevier LtdItem Dual electrochemical application of r-GO wrapped ZnWO4/Sb nanocomposite(Institute of Physics Publishing helen.craven@iop.org, 2019) Brijesh, K.; Bindu, K.; Amudha, A.; Nagaraja, H.S.ZnWO4/Sb nanorods and r-GO-ZnWO4/Sb nanocomposite have been prepared using a single step solvothermal method. The prepared nanocomposites have been characterized using x-ray diffractometer (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HR-TEM), Raman and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique was used to determine the elemental composition of ZWS-5 (5 mg r-GO-ZnWO4/Sb) composite. The XRD reveals the monoclinic wolframite structure of ZnWO4/Sb and r-GO-ZnWO4/Sb. SEM and HRTEM confirms that the ZnWO4/Sb has been decorated on the r-GO sheets. The electrochemical performance of the prepared samples towards the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) and dopamine sensing has been tested using electrochemical techniques. Onset potential of 265 mV @10 mA cm-2, lower Tafel slope (95 mV dec-1), high electrochemical surface area (1383.216 m2g-1) and high specific site density (18.551 06 × 1021 g-1) of ZWS-5 reveals the high electrocatalytic activity of the composite towards HER. Chronoamperometric dopamine sensing shows that ZWS-5 has the superior sensing performance with highest specific sensitivity (723 ?A ?M-1 ?g-1), lowest limit of detection (0.9624 ?M), along with a good selectivity. Results suggest that the r-GO-ZnWO4/Sb nanocomposite is a good candidate for the HER and electrochemical dopamine sensor. The incorporation of r-GO nanosheets with ZnWO4/Sb (ZWS) nanorods enhances the specific and electrochemical surface area, which accounts for the high electrocatalytic activity of the composite. © 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd.