Browsing by Author "Biswas, Rathindranath"
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Item Access to carbon nanofiber composite hydrated cobalt phosphate nanostructure as an efficient catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction(Frontiers Media S.A., 2023-02-23T00:00:00) Ahmed, Imtiaz; Biswas, Rathindranath; Sharma, Rohit; Burman, Vishal; Haldar, Krishna KantaAttractive technology for producing sustainable hydrogen with water electrolyzers was foreseen as one of the most promising ways to meet the increasing demands of renewable resources and electricity storage. Mainly used for the efficient generation of H2, water electrolysis involving hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) depends on efficient and affordable electrocatalysts. Hydrogen is an effective fuel that can be produced by splitting water. Hence, the search for highly efficient HER catalysts is a major challenge as efficient hydrogen evolution catalysts are sought to replace catalysts such as platinum. Here, we describe a low-cost and highly effective electrocatalyst for the proper incorporation of the HER electrocatalyst with low overpotential, effective charge transfer kinetics, low Tafel slope, and good durability. By using a simple hydrothermal approach to produce Co3(PO4)2.8H2O/CNF, it is possible to attach Co3(PO4)2.8H2O to the surface of carbon nanofibers (CNFs), which also exhibit remarkable HER activity at an overpotential of 133�mV and produce a current density of 10�mA/cm2 and a 48�mV/decade for the Tafel slope. Large electrochemical surface areas and easy charge transfer from Co3(PO4)2.8H2O to the electrode through conductive Co3(PO4)2.8H2O/CNF composites are the reasons for the improved performance of Co3(PO4)2.8H2O/CNF. Copyright � 2023 Ahmed, Biswas, Sharma, Burman and Haldar.Item Bifunctional electrochemical OER and HER activity of Ta2O5 nanoparticles over Fe2O3 nanoparticles(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2023-08-23T00:00:00) Ahmed, Imtiaz; Burman, Vishal; Biswas, Rathindranath; Roy, Ayan; Sharma, Rohit; Haldar, Krishna KantaHydrogen production via electrocatalytic water splitting offers encouraging innovations for sustainable and clean energy production as an alternative to conventional energy sources. The improvement of extraordinarily dynamic electrocatalysts is of great interest for work on the performance of gas generation, which is firmly blocked due to the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The development of highly efficient base metal catalysts for electrochemical hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER) is a challenging and promising task. In the present work, a particle over particles of Fe2O3 and Ta2O5 was successfully produced by hydrothermal treatment. The prepared composite shows promising catalytic performance when used as an electrochemical catalyst for OER and HER in alkaline and acidic electrolytes with low overpotentials of 231 and 201 mV at 10 mV cm?2, small Tafel slopes of 71 and 135 mV dec?1, respectively, and good stability properties. The calculated electrochemical surface area (ECSA) for composites is five times higher than that of the original oxides. The result of the OER is significantly better than that of commercial IrO2 catalysts and offers a promising direction for the development of water-splitting catalysts. � 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry.Item Bio-assisted Synthesis of Au/Rh Nanostructure Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution and Methanol Oxidation Reactions: Composition Matters!(American Chemical Society, 2023-08-11T00:00:00) Biswas, Rathindranath; Dastider, Saptarshi Ghosh; Ahmed, Imtiaz; Biswas, Sayani; Mondal, Krishnakanta; Haldar, Krishna KantaIn the field of catalysis, bimetallic nanostructures have attracted much interest. Here, we discuss the effect of Au/Rh bimetallic composition-tuned nanostructure and electrocatalytic activity. A simple bio-assisted technique was used to fabricate multiple Au:Rh nanoplate ratios (25:75, 50:50, and 75:25). XRD and XPS studies show that both Au and Rh phases coexist in a bimetallic nanostructure, and electron microscopy confirms the formation of a triangle-shaped nanoplate. Au0.25Rh0.75 exhibited the maximum catalytic activity and good stability for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with an overpotential of 105 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm2. On the other hand, Au0.50Rh0.50 exhibits a higher activity for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) compared to the other compositions. Theoretical studies indicate that the electrocatalytic enhancement obtained for both HER and MOR relies on electronic modification effects of the surface, with the overall reaction energy profile being optimized due to Au/Rh d-band mixing. � 2023 American Chemical Society.Item Br�nsted acid catalyzed mechanochemical�domino multicomponent reactions by employing liquid assisted grindstone chemistry(Nature Research, 2023-01-25T00:00:00) Borah, Biplob; Swain, Sidhartha; Patat, Mihir; Kumar, Bhupender; Prajapat, Ketan Kumar; Biswas, Rathindranath; Vasantha, R.; Chowhan, L. RajuHere, we have demonstrated a metal-free energy-efficient mechanochemical approach for expedient access to a diverse set of 2-amino-3-cyano-aryl/heteroaryl-4H-chromenes, tetrahydrospiro[chromene-3,4?-indoline], 2,2?-aryl/heteroarylmethylene-bis(3-hydroxy-5,5-dimethylcyclohex-2-enone) as well as tetrahydro-1H-xanthen-1-one by employing the reactivity of 5,5-dimethylcyclohexane-1,3-dione/cyclohexane-1,3-dione with TsOH?H2O as Br�nsted acid catalyst under water-assisted grinding conditions at ambient temperature. The ability to accomplish multiple C�C, C=C, C�O, and C�N bonds from readily available starting materials via a domino multicomponent strategy in the absence of metal-catalyst as well as volatile organic solvents with an immediate reduction in the cost of the transformation without necessitates complex operational procedures, features the significant highlights of this approach. The excellent yield of the products, broad functional group tolerances, easy set-up, column-free, scalable synthesis with ultralow catalyst loading, short reaction time, waste-free, ligand-free, and toxic-free, are other notable advantages of this approach. The greenness and sustainability of the protocol were also established by demonstrating several green metrics parameters. � 2023, The Author(s).Item Charge Separated One-Dimensional Hybrid Cobalt/Nickel Phosphonate Frameworks: A Facile Approach to Design Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions(American Chemical Society, 2021-09-30T00:00:00) Rom, Tanmay; Biswas, Rathindranath; Haldar, Krishna Kanta; Sarkar, Sourav; Saha, Uttam; Paul, Avijit KumarTwo new organoamine templated one-dimensional transition metal phosphonate compounds are synthesized, and their bifunctional electrocatalytic activities are examined in highly alkaline and acidic media. Compared with state-of-the-art materials, the cobalt phosphonate system is a new fabrication of sustainable and highly efficient catalysts toward electrochemical water splitting systems. � 2021 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.Item Construction of three-dimensional marigold flower-shaped Ni3V2O8 for efficient solid-state supercapacitor applications(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2022-06-13T00:00:00) Haldar, Krishna K.; Biswas, Rathindranath; Arya, Anil; Ahmed, Imtiaz; Tanwar, Shweta; Sharma, Achchhe LalDevelopment of binary spinel-type mixed metal oxide and fabrication various morphological heterostructure nanomaterials having two distinct metals paid a wide attention in emerging field. Here, we prepared three-dimensional (3D) marigold flower-like Ni3V2O8 structure via a simple and facile technique for electrochemical supercapacitor applications. 3D Ni3V2O8 with thick petals as cathode materials exhibits high specific capacitance of 263.12 F g?1 at a scan rate of 0.5�mA cm?2. The high energy density of 32.98 W h kg?1 at power density of 189.96 W kg?1 is obtained by the cathode formation of marigold flower-shaped Ni3V2O8, indicating excellent ions accessibility and large charge storage ability of Ni3V2O8 structure. It is also observed that even after 5000 cycles charging-discharging profile analysis, Ni3V2O8 cathode retains 32% of its initial capacitance along with 100% Coulombic efficiency. This higher capacitance retention strengthens its adoption as a potential candidate for supercapacitor application. � 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Item Coupling Nonstoichiometric Zn0.76Co0.24S with NiCo2S4Composite Nanoflowers for Efficient Synergistic Electrocatalytic Oxygen and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions(American Chemical Society, 2022-12-15T00:00:00) Biswas, Rathindranath; Thakur, Pooja; Ahmed, Imtiaz; Rom, Tanmay; Ali, Mir Sahidul; Patil, Ranjit A.; Kumar, Bhupender; Som, Shubham; Chopra, Deepak; Paul, Avijit Kumar; Ma, Yuan-Ron; Haldar, Krishna KantaTransition-metal sulfide-based composite nanomaterials have garnered extensive interest not only for their unique morphological architectures but also for exploring as a noble-metal-free cost-effective, durable, and highly stable catalyst for electrochemical water splitting. In this work, we synthesized in situ nonstoichiometric Zn0.76Co0.24S with NiCo2S4binary composite flowers (Zn0.76Co0.24S/NiCo2S4) in one step by thermal decomposition of Zn2[PDTC]4and Ni[PDTC]2complexes by a solvothermal process in a nonaqueous medium from their molecular precursor, and their potential application in electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was investigated. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed the flower-shaped morphology of as-synthesized Zn0.76Co0.24S/NiCo2S4. Again, the structural and chemical compositions were confirmed through powder X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies, respectively. The as-obtained 3D flower-type Zn0.76Co0.24S/NiCo2S4nanostructure was further subject to electrochemical OER and HER in alkaline and acidic media, respectively. Zn0.76Co0.24S/NiCo2S4showed low overpotential values of 248 mV (Tafel slope, 85 mV dec-1) and 141 mV (Tafel slope, 79 mV dec-1) for OER and HER activities, respectively, due to the synergistic effects of Zn0.76Co0.24S and NiCo2S4. Several long-term stability tests also affirmed that the Zn0.76Co0.24S/NiCo2S4composite nanostructure is a highly stable and efficient electrocatalyst toward OER and HER activities as compared to the recently reported superior bifunctional electrocatalysts as well as state-of-the-art materials. � 2023 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.Item Dithiophosphonate Anchored Heterometallic (Ag(I)/Fe(II)) Molecular Catalysts for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution Reaction(American Chemical Society, 2022-08-12T00:00:00) Jangid, Dilip Kumar; Dastider, Saptarshi G.; Biswas, Rathindranath; Khirid, Samreet; Meena, Sangeeta; Kumar, Pankaj; Sahoo, Subash C.; Verma, Ved Prakash; Makde, Ravindra D.; Kumar, Ashwani; Jangir, Ravindra; Mondal, Krishnakanta; Haldar, Krishna Kanta; Dhayal, Rajendra S.The dichalcogenide ligated molecules in catalysis to produce molecular hydrogen through electroreduction of water are rarely explored. Here, a series of heterometallic [Ag4(S2PFc(OR)4] [where Fc = Fe(?5-C5H4)(?5-C5H5), R = Me, 1; Et, 2; nPr, 3; isoAmyl, 4] clusters were synthesized and characterized by IR, absorption spectroscopy, NMR (1H, 31P), and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The molecular structures of 1, 2, and 3 clusters were established by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis. The structural elucidation shows that each triangular face of a tetrahedral silver(I) core is capped by a ferrocenyl dithiophosphonate ligand in a trimetallic triconnective (?3 ?2, ?1) pattern. A comparative electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction of 1-5 (R = iPr, 5) was studied in order to demonstrate the potential of these clusters in water splitting activity. The experimental results reveal that catalytic performance decreases with increases in the length of the carbon chain and branching within the alkoxy (-OR) group of these clusters. Catalytic durability was found effective even after 8 h of a chronoamperometric stability test along with 1500 cycles of linear sweep voltammetry performance, and only 15 mV overpotential was increased at 5 mA/cm2 current density for cluster 1. A catalytic mechanism was proposed by applying density functional theory (DFT) on clusters 1 and 2 as a representative. Here, a ?1 coordinated S-site between Ag4 core and ligand was found a reaction center. The experimental results are also in good accordance with the DFT analysis. � 2022 American Chemical Society.Item DNA Origami-Templated Bimetallic Core-Shell Nanostructures for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction(American Chemical Society, 2022-04-15T00:00:00) Kaur, Gagandeep; Biswas, Rathindranath; Haldar, Krishna Kanta; Sen, TapasiHydrogen generation through electrocatalytic water splitting offers promising technology for sustainable and clean energy production as an alternative to conventional energy sources. The development of highly active electrocatalysts is of immense interest for improving the efficiency of gas evolution, which is strongly hindered due to the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we present the design of Ag-coated Au nanostar (core-shell-type Au@Ag nanostar) monomer structures assembled on rectangular DNA origami and study their electrocatalytic activities through OER, which remains unexplored. Our designed DNA origami-templated bimetallic nanostar catalyst showed excellent OER activity and high stability without using any external binder and exhibited a current density of 10 mA cm-2at a low overpotential of 266 mV, which was smaller than those of ss-DNA-functionalized Au@Ag nanostars and DNA origami-templated pure Au nanostars. Our results reveal that DNA origami-assembled core-shell Au@Ag nanostars show better electrocatalytic performance as compared to pure-core Au nanostars immobilized on DNA origami, owing to the presence of a highly conductive Ag layer. Such controlled assembly of bimetallic nanostructures on a DNA origami template can provide additional electrochemical surface area and a higher density of active sites resulting in enhanced electrocatalysis. � 2022 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.Item Dumbbell-Shaped Ternary Transition-Metal (Cu, Ni, Co) Phosphate Bundles: A Promising Catalyst for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction(American Chemical Society, 2022-01-27T00:00:00) Singh, Harjinder; Biswas, Rathindranath; Ahmed, Imtiaz; Thakur, Pooja; Kundu, Avinava; Panigrahi, Abhishek Ramachandra; Banerjee, Biplab; Halder, Krishna Kamal; Lahtinen, Jouko; Mondal, Krishnakanta; Haldar, Krishna KantaDevelopment of economical and high-performance electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of tremendous interest for future applications as sustainable energy materials. Here, a unique member of efficient OER electrocatalysts has been developed based upon structurally versatile dumbbell-shaped ternary transition-metal (Cu, Ni, Co) phosphates with a three-dimensional (3D) (Cu2(OH)(PO4)/Ni3(PO4)2�8H2O/Co3(PO4)2�8H2O) (CNCP) structure. This structure is prepared using a simple aqueous stepwise addition of metal ion source approach. Various structural investigations demonstrate highly crystalline nature of the composite structure. Apart from the unique structural aspect, it is important that the CNCP composite structure has proved to be an excellent electrocatalyst for OER performance in comparison with its binary or constituent phosphate under alkaline and neutral conditions. Notably, the CNCP electrocatalyst displays a much lower overpotential of 224 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and a lower Tafel slope of 53 mV dec-1 with high stability in alkaline medium. In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis suggested that the activity and long-term durability for the OER of the ternary 3D metal phosphate are due to the presence of electrochemically dynamic constituents such as Ni and Co and their resulting synergistic effects, which was further supported by theoretical studies. Theoretical calculations also reveal that the incredible OER execution was ascribed to the electron redistribution set off in the presence of Ni and Cu and the most favorable interaction between the *OOH intermediate and the active sites of CNCP. This work may attract the attention of researchers to construct efficient 3D ternary metal phosphate catalysts for various applications in the field of electrochemistry. � 2022 American Chemical Society.Item Efficient MoS2/V2O5 Electrocatalyst for Enhanced Oxygen and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions(Springer, 2023-04-29T00:00:00) Haldar, Krishna Kanta; Ahmed, Imtiaz; Biswas, Rathindranath; Mete, Shouvik; Patil, Ranjit A.; Ma, Yuan-RonElectrochemical (EC) water splitting is a promising approach for the generation of renewable hydrogen (H2) fuels and oxygen (O2) evolution. Composite structured molybdenum disulphide (MoS2)/vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) with low overpotential is a promising electrocatalyst for anodic and cathodic material for an alternative energy source. We fabricated a flower shape MoS2/V2O5 composite via a hydrothermal approach where V2O5grew on the surface of the MoS2 petals. The unique flower-type composite structure alleviates the surface expansion of electrode material. The electrochemical studies show that the composite possesses good stability with low overpotential and smaller Tafel slope compared to its constituents. It has been found that the MoS2/V2O5 composite exhibits a stable rate performance under the current density of 10�mA�cm?2 which indicates that the MoS2/V2O5 composite might be a good candidate for both oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions.; Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] � 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.Item Europium Molybdate/Molybdenum Disulfide Nanostructures with Efficient Electrocatalytic Activity for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction(American Chemical Society, 2023-04-26T00:00:00) Ghosh, Debarati; Ghosal Chowdhury, Monojit; Biswas, Rathindranath; Haldar, Krishna Kanta; Patra, AmitavaThe design of hybrid nanostructures of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has been extensively explored as potent electrocatalysts for hydrogen generation reactions. Here, we report the in situ synthesis of a nanocomposite containing europium molybdate [Eu2(MoO4)3] and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) for an enhanced electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The characteristic X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks of both 2H-MoS2 and ?-Eu2(MoO4)3 confirm the formation of the nanocomposite. The nanoflower (NF) architecture of MoS2 coupled with flakes of europium molybdate is observed in the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, which lead to an enhanced surface area of the nanocomposite. Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies reveal a variation in the layer thickness of MoS2 and a significant interfacial electronic interaction between Eu2(MoO4)3 and MoS2. As evident from the small onset potential of ?0.05 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and a lower overpotential value of 186 mV (at a current density of 10 mA/cm2), the nanocomposite outperforms pristine MoS2 nanoflowers in terms of electrocatalytic HER. The charge-transfer resistance of the nanocomposite (80.02 ?) is significantly low compared to pristine MoS2 (158.37 ?), thus confirming the enhanced interfacial charge transfer. The Tafel slope value of the nanocomposite (189 mV/dec) is notably less than that of pristine MoS2 (313 mV/dec), indicating the enhanced HER activity of the nanocomposite. The fabrication of lanthanide-containing MoS2 nanocomposites appears to be promising for an efficient electrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction. � 2023 American Chemical SocietyItem Experimental investigations on morphology controlled bifunctional NiO nano-electrocatalysts for oxygen and hydrogen evolution(Elsevier Ltd, 2022-09-27T00:00:00) Manjunath, Vishesh; Bimli, Santosh; Biswas, Rathindranath; Didwal, Pravin N.; Haldar, Krishna K.; Mahajan, Mangesh; Deshpande, Nishad G.; Bhobe, Preeti A.; Devan, Rupesh S.Developing a single electrocatalyst effective for both oxygen and hydrogen evolution remains challenging. Although an attempt to utilize a single electrocatalyst for overall water splitting is made, there still exist several issues of efficiency and stability of the electrocatalyst. Hence, the present study reports on morphology-controlled NiO electrocatalyst, a single electrocatalyst for oxygen and hydrogen evolution. The cubic phase NiO nanoparticles and nanoplates of diameter and thickness <10 nm delivered surface-to-volume ratios of 0.078 and 0.083, respectively. XRD and TEM confirm the formation of NiO nanostructures, where morphology transformed independently of the chemical composition. XPS and EXAFS confirm the 2+ oxidation state of Ni ions and its octahedral coordination with oxygen. The 0D nanoparticles providing a larger surface area and active sites offered the overpotentials of 373 and 268 mV for OER and HER activity, respectively, and performed well than the 2D porous NiO nanoplates. The chronoamperometry and repetitive LSV cyclic studies confirmed the excellent long-term stability of 0D NiO nanoparticles in basic and acidic mediums during electrocatalytic water splitting reactions, owing to its increased electrochemically exposed active sites. � 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLCItem Facile Fabrication of Ni9S8/Ag2S Intertwined Structures for Oxygen and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2022-12-21T00:00:00) Biswas, Rathindranath; Ahmed, Imtiaz; Manna, Priyanka; Mahata, Partha; Dhayal, Rajendra S.; Singh, Amol; Lahtinen, Jouko; Haldar, Krishna KantaHere, we report the fabrication of the unique intertwined Ni9S8/Ag2S composite structure with hexagonal shape from their molecular precursors by one-pot thermal decomposition. Various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques were utilized to confirm the Ni9S8/Ag2S intertwined structure. Powder X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis suggest that there is an enrichment of Ni9S8 phase in Ni9S8/Ag2S. The presence of Ag2S in Ni9S8/Ag2S improves the conductivity by reducing the interfacial energy and charge transfer resistance. When Ni9S8/Ag2S is employed as an electrocatalyst for electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, it requires a low overpotential of 152 mV for HER and 277 mV for OER to obtain the geometrical current density of 10 mA cm?2, which is definitely superior to that of its components Ni9S8 and Ag2S. This work provides a simple design route to develop an efficient and durable electrocatalyst with outstanding OER and HER performance and the present catalyst (Ni9S8/Ag2S) deserves as a potential candidate in the field of energy conversion systems. � 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.Item Ferrocene decorated homoleptic silver(I) clusters: Synthesis, structure, and their electrochemical behaviour(Elsevier B.V., 2021-06-07T00:00:00) Khirid, Samreet; Jangid, Dilip Kumar; Biswas, Rathindranath; Meena, Sangeeta; Sahoo, Subash C.; Verma, Ved Prakash; Nandi, Chandan; Haldar, Krishna Kanta; Dhayal, Rajendra S.Silver(I) ferrocenyl dithiophosphonato [Ag{S2P(OiPr)Fc}]n I, [Fc = Fe(?5-C5H4)(?5-C5H4)] 1D polymer was yielded via a ligand exchange reaction between silver nanocluster [Ag21(S2P(OiPr2)12)]PF6 and monoanionic [S2P(OiPr)Fc]� ligand. As per molecular stoichiometry of 1, a direct reaction between [Ag(CH3CN)4]PF6 and [S2P(OiPr)Fc]? was performed in methanol solvent and surprisingly, generate a tetrahedral Ag4{S2P(OiPr)Fc}4 2 cluster instead of 1. Both (1 and 2) clusters are the novel example of homoleptic Ag(I) complexes supported by ferrocenyl dithiophosphonates. Molecular structure of these clusters was unequivocally established by single crystal X-ray crystallographic analyses and supported by the ESI-MS, and 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy. Structural elucidations reveal that compound 1 has subsequently Ag2S2 square plane and Ag2S4P2 twisted boat units to build a long chain 1D polymer. The cluster 2 exhibits with a tetrahedral Ag(I) core framed by four [S2P(OiPr)Fc]? ligands. interstingly, the [S2P(OiPr)Fc]? ligand display a trimetallic triconnective (?3; �1, �2) bonding pattern in both molecules. The electrochemical behaviours of both compounds (1 and 2) were studied by using cyclic voltammetry, which shows a single wave for all the peripheral ferrocenes and implies negligible electrostatic factor between all ferrocene moieties. � 2021Item Genomic DNA-mediated formation of a porous Cu2(OH)PO4/Co3(PO4)2�8H2O rolling pin shape bifunctional electrocatalyst for water splitting reactions(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2022-01-28T00:00:00) Singh, Harjinder; Ahmed, Imtiaz; Biswas, Rathindranath; Mete, Shouvik; Halder, Krishna Kamal; Banerjee, Biplab; Haldar, Krishna KantaAmong the accessible techniques, the production of hydrogen by electrocatalytic water oxidation is the most established process, which comprises oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, we synthesized a genomic DNA-guided porous Cu2(OH)PO4/Co3(PO4)2�8H2O rolling pin shape composite structure in one pot. The nucleation and development of the porous rolling pin shape Cu2(OH)PO4/Co3(PO4)2�8H2O composite was controlled and stabilized by the DNA biomolecules. This porous rolling pin shape composite was explored towards electrocatalytic water oxidation for both OER and HER as a bi-functional catalyst. The as-prepared catalyst exhibited a very high OER and HER activity compared to its various counterparts in the absence of an external binder (such as Nafion). The synergistic effects between Cu and Co metals together with the porous structure of the composite greatly helped in enhancing the catalytic activity. These outcomes undoubtedly demonstrated the beneficial utilization of the genomic DNA-stabilised porous electrocatalyst for OER and HER, which has never been observed. This journal is � The Royal Society of Chemistry.Item Graphitic Carbon Nitride Composites with MoO3-Decorated Co3O4Nanorods as Catalysts for Oxygen and Hydrogen Evolution(American Chemical Society, 2021-10-22T00:00:00) Ahmed, Imtiaz; Biswas, Rathindranath; Patil, Ranjit A.; Halder, Krishna Kamal; Singh, Harjinder; Banerjee, Biplab; Kumar, Bhupender; Ma, Yuan-Ron; Haldar, Krishna KantaWe have prepared a graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) composite with MoO3-decorated Co3O4 nanorods (Co3O4/MoO3/g-C3N4) via the hydrothermal approach, and this hybrid material acts as a highly active and durable electrocatalyst for water splitting reactions. This material could fundamentally influence the catalytic processes and performance of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The OER and HER activities of Co3O4-/MoO3-based nanorods are enhanced by blending with conducting support, for example, graphitic carbon nitrides (g-C3N4). The X-ray diffraction pattern and the attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared data revealed that the as-synthesized nanorods are highly crystalline in nature and are attached to the g-C3N4 support. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy studies also affirm the successful heterointerface formation between Co3O4/MoO3 nanorods and g-C3N4. This Co3O4/MoO3/g-C3N4 rod-shaped catalyst is highly stable in comparison to its individual constituent and generates a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at a low overpotential of 206 mV for OER and 125 mV for HER in alkaline and acidic media, respectively. This work could pave the way for developing Co3O4/MoO3/g-C3N4 composite materials as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting reactions. � 2021 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.Item Green Approach for the Fabrication of Au/ZnO Nanoflowers: A Catalytic Aspect(American Chemical Society, 2021-03-19T00:00:00) Biswas, Rathindranath; Banerjee, Biplab; Saha, Monochura; Ahmed, Imtiaz; Mete, Shouvik; Patil, Ranjit A.; Ma, Yuan-Ron; Haldar, Krishna KantaAn easy, environmentally benign, and biomimetic approach employing Azadirachta indica (neem) leaf extract as a reducing as well as capping agent was used for the fabrication of gold (Au)/zinc oxide (ZnO) hybrid nanoflowers in one pot without utilizing any hazardous chemicals. The different phytoconstituents, for example, nimbolide, azadirachtin, ascorbate, etc., present in A. indica (neem) leaf extract synergistically reduce gold(III) ions to gold(0), which later on acts as an active surface for the growth of zinc oxide (ZnO) via thermal decomposition of sodium zincate [Na2Zn(OH)4]. The development of Au/ZnO hybrid nanoflowers was observed by estimating the absorption maxima at various time intervals in the wake of adding a Au precursor to the aqueous extract. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) investigation unambiguously confirm the formation of highly crystalline Au/ZnO composed of Au(0) and ZnO. The as-synthesized Au/ZnO hybrid nanoflowers were analyzed utilizing different spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images clearly show that the synthesized hybrid Au/ZnO nanoflowers are monodisperse and uniform. The fabricated Au/ZnO nanoflowers were used as a catalyst for the efficient reduction of various aromatic nitro compounds to corresponding amino compounds with excellent yield (76-94%) in the presence of reducing agent sodium borohydride. The superior catalytic properties were credited to the extraordinary nanoflower morphology and the synergistic impact of the typified Au nanoparticles. � 2021 American Chemical Society.Item Green Synthesis of Bimetallic Au/Ag Nanostructures Using Aqueous Extract of Eichhornia crassipes for Antibacterial Activity(Springer, 2022-02-12T00:00:00) Halder, Arindom; Biswas, Rathindranath; Kushwaha, Prem Prakash; Halder, Krishna Kamal; Ahmed, Imtiaz; Singh, Harjinder; Kumar, Shashank; Haldar, Krishna KantaBiosynthesis of nanostructured materials is an arising feature of the interdisciplinary relationship between nanotechnology and biotechnology and acquiring consideration because of developing interest to foster ecologically favorable innovations in material preparation. In the present study, we synthesized an environmentally friendly and green method for the synthesis of gold/silver bimetallic nanostructure using Eichhornia crassipes leaf extract as reducing and capping agent. Au/Ag nanostructures were characterized by UV�Visible spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and power X-ray diffraction. Transmission electron microscopy images also confirmed the formation of Au/Ag nanostructures. Antibacterial activity of Au/Ag nanostructures was studied and it has been found that Ag/Au nanostructure at 100��M concentration significantly inhibited the bacterial growth of Escherichia coli bacteria. Moreover, the Hoechst 33342 staining method was used to study the effect of Ag/Au nanostructure particles on the morphological changes in breast cancer cell (MDA-MB-231) nucleus. Staining of the Ag/Au nanostructure particle�treated MDA-MB-231 cells (4�h treatments) showed the appearance of emblematic features of apoptosis such as cell membrane blabbing and shrinkage. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. � 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.Item Green synthesis of hybrid papain/Ni3(PO4)2 rods electrocatalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2022-10-21T00:00:00) Ahmed, Imtiaz; Biswas, Rathindranath; Singh, Harjinder; Patil, Ranjit A.; Varshney, Rohit; Patra, Debabrata; Ma, Yuan-Ron; Haldar, Krishna KantaHydrogen production using electrocatalytic water splitting provides encouraging innovations for enduring and clean energy generation as an option in contrast to traditional energy sources. Improvement in exceptionally dynamic electrocatalysts is of tremendous interest for work on the proficiency of gas generation, which has been emphatically blocked because of the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). We have synthesized a noble rod-shaped papain/Ni3(PO4)2 catalyst, which was further explored for electrocatalytic OER activity. An environmentally benign approach was applied to prepare binary papain/Ni3(PO4)2 in the presence of papain obtained from green papaya fruit. The yield of Ni3(PO4)2 rod structures could be controlled by varying the amount of papain extract during reaction conditions. The morphology and structural properties of the biogenic papain/Ni3(PO4)2 electrocatalyst were investigated with various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, for example, FE-SEM, XRD, XPS, and FTIR. To show how such a papain/Ni3(PO4)2 hybrid structure could deliver more remarkable electrocatalytic OER activity, we inspected the correlation between catalytic demonstrations of the papain/Ni3(PO4)2 catalyst and its constituents, and the role of papain on its own was studied during the OER process. A biosynthesised papain/Ni3(PO4)2 catalyst exhibits excellent electrochemical OER performance with the smallest overpotentials of 217 mV, 319 mV and 431 mV in alkaline, neutral and acidic conditions, respectively, at 10 mA cm?2 current density. Transport of ions and electrons is also assisted by the long peptide backbone present in papain, which plays an important role in boosting OER activity. Our results reveal that papain/Ni3(PO4)2 shows better electrocatalytic OER execution along with cyclic stability compared to its different counterparts, owing to synergism-assisted enhancement by several amino acids from papain with metal ions in Ni3(PO4)2 � 2022 The Royal Society of Chemistry.