Christie Thomas Cherian

Electrospun α-Fe2O3 nanorods as a stable, high capacity anode material for Li-ion batteries

α-Fe2O3 nanorods are synthesized by electrospinning of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/ferric acetyl acetonate (Fe(acac)3) composite precursors and subsequent annealing at 500 °C for 5 h. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy analyses confirm the formation of a hematite structure as the predominant phase. The electron microscopy studies show that the electrospun α-Fe2O3 nanorods are composed of agglomerates of nano-sized particles and the average diameter of the nanorods is found to be 150 nm. Li-storage and cycling properties are examined by galvanostatic cycling in the voltage range 0.005–3 V vs. Li at various current densities and it is complemented by cyclic voltammetry. The electrospun α-Fe2O3 nanorods exhibit a high reversible capacity of 1095 mA h g−1 at 0.05 C, are stable up to 50 cycles and also show high rate capability, up to 2.5 C. The high rate capability and excellent cycling stability can be attributed to the unique morphology of the macroporous nanorods comprised of inter-connected nano-sized particles, thus making electrospun α-Fe2O3 a promising anode material for Li-ion batteries.

Morphologically robust NiFe2O4 nanofibers as high capacity Li-ion battery anode material.

In this work, the electrochemical performance of NiFe2O4 nanofibers synthesized by an electrospinning approach have been discussed in detail. Lithium storage properties of nanofibers are evaluated and compared with NiFe2O4 nanoparticles by galvanostatic cycling and cyclic voltammetry studies, both in half-cell configurations. Nanofibers exhibit a higher charge-storage capacity of 1000 mAh g(-1) even after 100 cycles with high Coulmbic efficiency of 100% between 10 and 100 cycles. Ex situ microscopy studies confirmed that cycled nanofiber electrodes maintained the morphology and remained intact even after 100 charge-discharge cycles. The NiFe2O4 nanofiber electrode does not experience any structural stress and eventual pulverisation during lithium cycling and hence provides an efficient electron conducting pathway. The excellent electrochemical performance of NiFe2O4 nanofibers is due to the unique porous morphology of continuous nanofibers.

Interconnected Network of CoMoO4 Submicrometer Particles As High Capacity Anode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries

Interconnected networks of CoMoO(4) submicrometer particles are prepared by thermolysis of polymer matrix based metal precursor solution. The material exhibited a high reversible capacity of 990 (±10) mAh g(-1) at a current density of 100 mA g(-1), with 100% capacity retention between 5 and 50 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance of CoMoO(4) submicrometer particles with interconnected network like morphology makes it promising as a high-capacity anode material for rechargeable lithium ion batteries.

Zn2SnO4 nanowires versus nanoplates: electrochemical performance and morphological evolution during Li-cycling.

Zn2SnO4 nanowires have been synthesized directly on stainless steel substrate without any buffer layers by the vapor transport method. The structural and morphological properties are investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical performance of Zn2SnO4 nanowires is examined by galvanostatic cycling and cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements in two different voltage windows, 0.005-3 and 0.005-1.5 V vs Li and compared to that of Zn2SnO4 nanoplates prepared by hydrothermal method. Galvanostatic cycling studies of Zn2SnO4 nanowires in the voltage range 0.005-3 V, at a current of 120 mA g(-1), show a reversible capacity of 1000 (±5) mAh g(-1) with almost stable capacity for first 10 cycles, which thereafter fades to 695 mAh g(-1) by 60 cycles. Upon cycling in the voltage range 0.005-1.5 V vs Li, a stable, reversible capacity of 680 (±5) mAh g(-1) is observed for first 10 cycles with a capacity retention of 58% between 10-50 cycles. On the other hand, Zn2SnO4 nanoplates show drastic capacity fading up to 10 cycles and then showed a capacity retention of 80% and 70% between 10 and 50 cycles when cycled in the voltage range 0.005-1.5 and 0.005-3 V, respectively. The structural and morphological evolutions during cycling and their implications on the Li-cycling behavior of Zn2SnO4 nanowires are examined. The effect of the choice of voltage range and initial morphology of the active material on the Li-cycleabilty is also elucidated.

(N,F)-Co-doped TiO2: synthesis, anatase–rutile conversion and Li-cycling properties

Nitrogen and fluorine co-doped Ti-oxide, TiO1.9N0.05F0.15 (TiO2(N,F)), with the anatase structure is prepared by the pyro-ammonolysis of TiF3. For the first time it is shown that TiO2(N,F) and anatase-TiO2 are converted to nanosize-rutile structure by high energy ball milling (HEB). The polymorphs are characterised by X-ray diffraction, Rietveld refinement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and Raman spectra. The Li storage and cycling properties are examined by galvanostatic cycling and cyclic voltammetry in the voltage range 1–2.8 V vs.Li at 30 mA g−1. The performance of TiO2(N,F) is much better than pure anatase-TiO2 and showed a reversible capacity of 95 (±3) mA h g−1 stable up to 25 cycles with a coulombic efficiency of ∼98%. Nano-phase rutile TiO2(N,F) showed an initial reversible capacity of 210 mA h g−1 which slowly degraded to 165 (±3) mA h g−1 after 50 cycles and stabilised between the 50th and 60th cycle whereas the nano-phase rutile-TiO2 (prepared by HEB of anatase-TiO2) exhibited a reversible capacity of 130 (±3) mA h g−1 which is stable in the range, 10–60 cycles. The crystal structure of anatase TiO2(N,F) is not destroyed upon Li-cycling and is confirmed by ex situXRD and HR-TEM.

Facile synthesis and Li-storage performance of SnO nanoparticles and microcrystals

Nano- and micron-sized SnO samples are prepared by simple chemical methods and their lithium cycling behavior is investigated and compared. SnO microcrystals with stacked mesh like morphology are prepared from SnF2 by an aqueous solution synthetic route. SnO nanoparticle-aggregates are prepared from SnCl2, Na2CO3 and NaCl by high energy ball milling. The compounds are characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM and HRTEM techniques. Galvanostatic cycling studies at a current density of 50 mA g−1 in the voltage range 0.005–0.8 V vs. Li, showed that the micro-SnO has an initial reversible capacity of 790 mA h g−1 with capacity retention of 43% between 5–50 cycles. Under similar cycling conditions, nano-SnO showed a reversible discharge capacity of 738 mA h g−1 with much better capacity retention of 77% between 5–50 cycles. High energy ball milling technique can be adopted for the large scale synthesis of SnO nanoparticles which show novel electrochemical performance as anode material.

Ultrathin Hexagonal Hybrid Nanosheets Synthesized by Graphene Oxide‐Assisted Exfoliation of β‐Co(OH)2 Mesocrystals

In the present study, we report the synthesis of a high-quality, single-crystal hexagonal β-Co(OH)2 nanosheet, exhibiting a thickness down to ten atomic layers and an aspect ratio exceeding 900, by using graphene oxide (GO) as an exfoliant of β-Co(OH)2 nanoflowers. Unlike conventional approaches using ionic precursors in which morphological control is realized by structure-directing molecules, the β-Co(OH)2 flower-like superstructures were first grown by a nanoparticle-mediated crystallization process, which results in large 3D superstructure consisting of ultrathin nanosheets interspaced by polydimethoxyaniline (PDMA). Thereafter, β-Co(OH)2 nanoflowers were chemically exfoliated by surface-active GO under hydrothermal conditions into unilamellar single-crystal nanosheets. In this reaction, GO acts as a two-dimensional (2D) amphiphile to facilitate the exfoliation process through tailored interactions between organic and inorganic molecules. Meanwhile, the on-site conjugation of GO and Co(OH)2 promotes the thermodynamic stability of freestanding ultrathin nanosheets and restrains further growth through Oswald ripening. The unique 2D structure combined with functionalities of the hybrid ultrathin Co(OH)2 nanosheets on rGO resulted in a remarkably enhanced lithium-ion storage performance as anode materials, maintaining a reversible capacity of 860 mA h g(-1) for as many as 30 cycles. Since mesocrystals are ubiquitous and rich in morphological diversity, the strategy of the GO-assisted exfoliation of mesocrystals developed here provides an opportunity for the synthesis of new functional nanostructures that could bear importance in clean renewable energy, catalysis, photoelectronics, and photonics.

Dynamical spin injection at a quasi-one-dimensional ferromagnet-graphene interface

We present a study of dynamical spin injection from a three-dimensional ferromagnet into two-dimensional single-layer graphene. Comparative ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) studies of ferromagnet/graphene strips buried underneath the central line of a coplanar waveguide show that the FMR linewidth broadening is the largest when the graphene layer protrudes laterally away from the ferromagnetic strip, indicating that the spin current is injected into the graphene areas away from the area directly underneath the ferromagnet being excited. Our results confirm that the observed damping is indeed a signature of dynamical spin injection, wherein a pure spin current is pumped into the single-layer graphene from the precessing magnetization of the ferromagnet. The observed spin pumping efficiency is difficult to reconcile with the expected backflow of spins according to the standard spin pumping theory and the characteristics of graphene, and constitutes an enigma for spin pumping in two-dimensional structures.