Faculty Publications
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Item Effect of annealing temperature on the bifunctional electrocatalytic properties of strontium nickelate (SrNiO3) nanoparticles for efficient overall water splitting(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) J, J.; Jayalakshmi, J.; Rodney, J.D.The global trend in energy demand has paved way for clean hydrogen (H2) energy production at large scale. To address this issue, perovskite (ABX3) nanomaterials are widely researched to replace the noble metal electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting. In this work, the effect of annealing temperature on the structural and electrochemical properties of combustion derived strontium nickelate (SrNiO3) nanoparticles are studied. Benefitting from the unique features of perovskites, SrNiO3 nanoparticles displays excellent OER and HER activity in 1.0 M KOH with an overpotential of 259 mV and 451 mV to achieve 10 mAcm−2 respectively. SrNiO3 nanoparticles show superior HER activity when annealed at higher temperature and subtle change in OER activity. The stability of SrNiO3 nanoparticles were noteworthy as it shows no degradation even after 12 h. The overall water splitting of highly active SrNiO3 nanoparticles was carried out in a two-electrode system and the setup posted a cell voltage of 1.88 V at 10 mAcm−2 after continuous water splitting for 24 h. Thus, SrNiO3 nanoparticles may possibly serve as a potential bifunctional electrocatalyst for H2 production. © 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLCItem Boosting overall electrochemical water splitting via rare earth doped cupric oxide nanoparticles obtained by co-precipitation technique(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Rodney, J.D.; Deepapriya, S.; Jerome das, S.J.; Robinson, M.C.; Perumal, S.; Sadhana, S.; Periyasamy, P.; Jung, H.; Justin Raj, C.J.The development of electrocatalyst based on nonprecious metals has been a persistent issue as electrochemical water splitting requires electrocatalyst with advanced activity and stability. Further, the electrocatalyst must require low overpotential above the standard potential (>1.23 V) of water splitting to produce hydrogen. This study presents the facile co-precipitation derived rare earth dysprosium (Dy) doped cupric oxide nanoparticles (Cu1−xDyxO) as a non-noble transition metal oxide nanoparticle. The 3 % Dy doped CuO (3 % Dy/CuO) and 1 % Dy doped CuO (1 % Dy/CuO) electrocatalysts showed excellent Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) at 1.55 V vs RHE and Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) at − 0.036 V vs RHE in aqueous 1 M KOH aqueous electrolyte to attain the benchmark current density (10 mA cm−2). The stability of the driven electrocatalyst in a bi-functional electrocatalytic setup was monitored for 24 h and was found to be exhibiting a cell voltage of about 2.1 V at 30 mA cm−2 constant current density. Further, the retention capability of the electrode was observed to be 99 % with a very minimal loss. This study hugely suggests the promising consequence of doping rare earth onto a non-precious metal oxide-based electrocatalyst, making it a highly effective bifunctional material for water splitting. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.Item Combustion-derived BaNiO3 nanoparticles as a potential bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting(Elsevier Ltd, 2023) J, J.; Jayalakshmi, D.; Rodney, J.D.Electrochemical water electrolyser though an assuring solution for clean hydrogen production, the sluggish kinetics and high cost of existing precious metal electrocatalyst remains a barrier to its effective utilization. Herein, solution combustion route derived perovskite type barium nickelate (BaNiO3) nanoparticles were developed and studied for their bifunctional electrocatalytic properties towards overall water splitting. The unannealed BaNiO3 nanoparticles exhibited the highest OER and HER activity with overpotentials 253 mV and 427 mV respectively to attain 10 mAcm−2 in 1.0 M KOH. Using unannealed BaNiO3 as a bifunctional electrocatalyst in a two-electrode alkaline electrolyser, the cell was able to achieve the benchmark current density at a low cell voltage of 1.82 V. Impressively the setup's electrocatalytic performance improved 4.9% after continuous overall water splitting for 24 h at 30 mAcm−2. Therefore, BaNiO3 nanoparticles can be a low-cost and efficient alternative for noble metal electrocatalysts for clean H2 production. © 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLCItem Cobalt-doped LaFeO3 for photo-Fenton degradation of organic pollutants and visible-light-assisted water splitting(Springer, 2024) James, A.; Rodney, J.D.; Manojbabu, A.; Joshi, S.; Rao, L.; Badekai Ramachandra, B.R.; Udayashankar, N.K.The increasing demand for clean energy sources and the growing concerns about environmental pollution have led to a significant interest in developing efficient photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical systems. Here, we report the visible-light-induced photo-Fenton catalytic degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye over LaFeO3 and LaCo xFe1−xO3 (x = 0.01, 0.05, 0.1) catalysts synthesized via the facile combustion method. The LaCo0.01Fe0.99O3 has significantly enhanced the photo-Fenton catalytic efficiency of LaFeO3 from 67.75 to 93.85% for MB dye removal after 180 min of light irradiation. The rate constants calculated via the pseudo-first-order kinetics mechanism are found to be 0.00532/min for LaFeO3 and 0.01476/min for LaCo0.01Fe0.99O3, respectively. In addition, the most effective LaCo0.01Fe0.99O3 catalyst has demonstrated remarkable degradation performance towards Tetracycline (TC) and Methyl Orange (MO) dye with an efficacy of 93.81% and 69.67%, respectively, indicating its versatility. Further, the pristine and doped LaFeO3 were structurally optimized using DFT, and the computed band gaps were following the experimental data. Interestingly, the same catalyst can be employed as a light-induced electrocatalyst in addition to water treatment by taking advantage of its dual functionality. The LaCo0.01Fe0.99O3 catalyst achieved a benchmark current density of 10 mA/cm2 for H2 evolution at an overpotential of 297 mV vs. RHE which further improved to 190 mV vs. RHE under illumination. This work provides valuable insights on partial Co incorporation at the B-site of LaFeO3 for the development of visible-light-induced photocatalytic and electrocatalytic systems, which is hoped to contribute to the advancement of sustainable energy production and environmental remediation. © 2024, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.Item Growth of octahedral structured AgBiS2 single crystals and its insights on the high performance electrocatalytic hydrogen generation(Elsevier Ltd, 2024) Jauhar, R.O.M.; Ramachandran, K.; Deepapriya, S.; Joshi, S.; Ghfar, A.A.; Rao, L.; Badekai Ramachandra, B.R.; Udayashankar, N.K.; Vadivel, V.; Raji, R.; Kim, B.C.; Rodney, J.D.Given the enormous depletion of fossil fuels and growing environmental concerns, there is an immediate need to develop alternative and clean energy sources. Hydrogen (H2), recognized for its cleanliness and renewability, is poised to meet future energy requirements. Consequently, ongoing research is focused on the development of electro-active, durable, and cost-effective catalysts to replace expensive noble metal-based electrocatalysts. In this study, microscale AgBiS2 chalcogenide derived from a single crystal is reported as promising electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) with a remarkably low overpotential. The physico-chemical characterization of the AgBiS2 catalyst has been investigated using various analytical techniques. The synthesized AgBiS2 catalyst exhibits excellent HER activity, manifesting a low overpotential of 86 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 44 mV dec−1, along with superior stability even after 24 h in HER at a very high current density. The developed AgBiS2 also showcased stable production when subjected to a two-electrode system. The enhanced alkaline HER activity of AgBiS2 can be attributed to its phase purity, high crystallinity, and the presence of high active sites. The observed high electrochemical performance and stability position AgBiS2 as a potential electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction. This finding holds significant promise in the quest for efficient, durable, and economically viable catalysts to drive the shift towards clean and renewable energy sources. © 2024 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLCItem Recycling waste plastics and biowaste into high-performance NiCo-MOF/activated carbon electrocatalyst for overall water splitting(Elsevier Ltd, 2025) Nayak, M.P.; Rao, L.; Rodney, J.D.; S, S.; Rohit, A.G.; Badekai Ramachandra, B.R.Environmental and energy crises are the most significant global challenges. Developing non-precious and environmentally sustainable electrocatalysts remains critical for advancing renewable hydrogen production. This study presents a novel hybrid electrocatalyst comprising a NiCo-BDC Metal-Organic Framework (NiCo-MOF), where the BDC (Benzene 1,4-di carboxylic acid) ligand was obtained by recycling waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottles, integrated with activated carbon (AC) derived from dried drumstick (Moringa olifera) biowaste, via a one-pot hydrothermal method. The research emphasizes optimizing the AC content within the MOF matrix to enhance catalytic performance. The synergistic interaction between NiCo-MOF and AC significantly reduces the overpotentials required for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) and Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) in an alkaline medium. Notably, the optimized composite, NiCo-MOF@40AC, exhibited enhanced crystallinity, BET surface area, and electrocatalytic activity. At a current density of 100 mA cm?2, NiCo-MOF@40AC achieved overpotentials as low as 217 mV for HER with a Tafel slope of 105.6 mV dec?1 and 315 mV for OER with a Tafel slope of 42.2 mV dec?1. Furthermore, this material demonstrated robust stability over a 24 h chrono potentiometric test, maintaining performance at an elevated current density of 200 mA cm?2. In a two-electrode system, NiCo-MOF@40AC needed only 1.58 V to sustain a current density of 10 mA cm?2, exhibiting stability over 48 h and 24 h at a current density of 10 mA cm?2 and 400 mA cm?2, respectively. An average faradaic efficiency was found to be 93.48 % for HER and 91.91 % for OER. These findings highlight the potential of NiCo-MOF@40AC as an efficient electrocatalyst, characterized by a high surface area, rapid electron transfer, favorable structural properties, and enhanced reaction kinetics. © 2025 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC