Ponnusamy Sasikumar

Supercapacitors (SCs) differ significantly from batteries due to their superior electrochemical performance. Metal–organic framework (MOF)-based electrodes exhibit promise for use in energy storage systems, and their possible implementations have been reported. In this research work, we employ a two-step hydro/co-precipitation method to synthesize different types of metal oxide-based nanocomposite electrode materials, including C-LH, FC-LDH, and CFC-LTH. Additionally, CFC-LTH@MOF is prepared, and its electrochemical activity is studied. Trimetallic (Co, Fe, and Ce) CFC-LTH@MOF positive electrodes are prepared on nickel foam, which is utilized as a substrate due to its high conductivity, by the hydrothermal synthesis method. Furthermore, the synthesis parameters were optimized to achieve the desired hierarchical morphology, thereby enhancing the electrochemical performance of CFC-LTH@MOF composites. The CFC-LTH@MOF electrode revealed a high areal/specific capacitance of 1.76 μAh cm2/2120.8 F g–1 at a current density of 4 mA/cm2, which was about 1.4 times higher than that of CFC-LTH (1.47 μAh cm2/2008 F g–1), followed by FC-LDH (1.2 μAh cm2/1175.2 F g–1) and C-LH (0.7 μAh cm2/887.2 F g–1). Additionally, their structural, spectral, morphological, and crystalline properties, as well as their chemical states and surface features, were studied through appropriate characterization techniques. An asymmetric hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) device was successfully fabricated, and its electrochemical performance was evaluated through cyclic voltammetry (CV) and GCD analyses within a potential window of 1.6 V. The as-fabricated assembled coin cell HSC exhibits exceptional electrochemical characteristics, including outstanding cycling stability (10k cycles) and increased rate capability (96.5%). The obtained results demonstrate the improved electrochemical performance of the prepared nanocomposite electrode material, CFC-LTH@MOF-based HSCs which have high energy densities and are suitable for advanced SC applications.

The world needs sustainable energy resources with affordable, economic, and accountable sources. Consequently, energy innovation technologies are evolving toward electrochemical applications like batteries, supercapacitors, etc. The current study involves the solid blend biopolymer electrolyte (SBBE) with different compositions of sodium alginate blended with pectin via the casting technique. The characterization of the sample was tested by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, AC impedance, linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) analyses. Evidently, the sample NP4 (NaAlg/pectin = 60:40 wt %) has a higher conductivity of 1.26 × 10^-7 and 3.25 × 10^-6 S cm^-1 at 303 and 353 K, respectively. The performances of the samples were analyzed with variations in temperature, frequency, and time responses to signify the blended nature of the electrolyte. Hence, the studied biopolymers can be constructed for electrochemical device applications.

Some new transition metal complexes were prepared by reacting metal(II) salts with Schiff base azines, which were prepared via condensation of 5-(diethylamino) salicylaldehyde and hydrazine with pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde. Their structures were confirmed based on CHN, UV-visible, FT-IR, and EPR measurements. The complexes were also assessed for their antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. Some of these chemicals were said to be extraordinarily effective in this respect. The antibacterial activities of the complexes in vitro demonstrated their potential, although the [Cu(L)(bpy] complex was suggested to exhibit moderate activity against pathogens compared to all other in this series. The cytotoxic activity of the prepared analogues showed better cell viability compared with standard cisplatin. Moreover, there is a good agreement between the experimental and theoretical findings from docking and theoretical investigations done using DFT at the B3LYP level.

A new series of ternary metal complexes, including Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II), were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and diverse spectroscopic methods. The complexes were synthesized from respective metal salts with Schiff’s-base-containing amino acids, salicylaldehyde derivatives, and heterocyclic bases. The amino acids containing Schiff bases showed promising pharmacological properties upon complexation. Based on satisfactory elemental analyses and various spectroscopic techniques, these complexes revealed a distorted, square pyramidal geometry around metal ions. The molecular structures of the complexes were optimized by DFT calculations. Quantum calculations were performed with the density functional method for which the LACVP++ basis set was used to find the optimized molecular structure of the complexes. The metal complexes were subjected to an electrochemical investigation to determine the redox behavior and oxidation state of the metal ions. Furthermore, all complexes were utilized for catalytic assets of a multi-component Mannich reaction for the preparation of -amino carbonyl derivatives. The synthesized complexes were tested to determine their antibacterial activity against E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and S. aureus bacteria. To evaluate the cytotoxic effects of the Cu(II) complexes, lung cancer (A549), cervical cancer (HeLa), and breast cancer (MCF-7) cells compared to normal cells, cell lines such as human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) were used. Further, the docking study parameters were supported, for which it was observed that the metal complexes could be effective in anticancer applications.

Under conventional and silica-supported Muffle furnace methods, water-soluble substituted trimeric triaryl pyridinium cations with various inorganic counter anions are synthesized. The solvent-free synthesis method is superior to the conventional method in terms of non-toxicity, quicker reaction times, ease of workup, and higher yields. Trimeric substituted pyridinium salts acted as excellent catalytic responses for the preparation of Gem-bisamide derivatives compared with available literature. To evaluate the molecular docking, benzyl/4-nitrobenzyl substituted triaryl pyridinium salt compounds with VEGFR-2 kinase were used with H-bonds, π–π stacking, salt bridges, and hydrophobic contacts. The results showed that the VEGFR-2 kinase protein had the most potent inhibitory activity. Intriguingly, the compound [NBTAPy]PF₆^- had a strongly binds to VEGFR-2 kinase and controlled its activity in cancer treatment and prevention.