Somnath C. Dhawale

Cu/Cu ₂ O–C nanohybrid is a cost-effective, stable electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation in DEFCs, showing a low onset potential of 0.45 V and peak current density of 37.45 mA cm ⁻² , supporting sustainable energy applications.

The authors wish to make the following correction to the published paper

An efficient approach for the synthesis of medicinally important dihydropyrano[2,3- c ]pyrazoles derivatives by using Fe ₃ O ₄ @BTC nanocomposite (NCs) based catalytic system.

As-synthesized spherical FeNi alloy nanoclusters (NCs), supported by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), were evaluated for overall water-splitting reactions, i.e., oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), in both alkaline and acidic media, respectively. The alloy NCs exhibited overpotentials of 203 and 170 mV (@ 10 mA/cm²) for OER and HER, respectively, with long-term potential/current stability. The excellent electrochemical response is attributed to changes in their electronic structure, and unique synergistic effects demonstrate outstanding catalytic stability and electrode kinetics.

In this work, we synthesized a heterogeneous magnetic nanocatalyst using iron oxide (Fe ₃ O ₄ ) surface‐modified with L‐arginine@NiO (Fe ₃ O ₄ @L‐Arg@NiO). Several characterization techniques such as fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR‐TEM), electron dispersion spectra (EDS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to extensively analyze its structural and morphological properties. The Fe ₃ O ₄ @L‐Arg@NiO nanocatalyst was subjected to the one‐pot multi‐component synthesis of 3,4‐dihydropyrimidin‐2‐(1 H )‐ones derivatives under solvent‐free conditions. It was determined that nanocatalyst Fe ₃ O ₄ @L‐Arg@NiO demonstrating desired product 3,4‐dihydropyrimidin‐2‐(1 H )‐ones with 85%–95% yield, in shorter reaction time. Furthermore, simple work‐up, reusability of the catalyst up to five cycles and sustainability of the catalyst are characteristic features of this environment friendly protocol.

To produce clean and sustainable hydrogen energy through water electrolysis, the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) needs to be accelerated sustainably by using stable and highly effective electrocatalysts. Bimetallic nanocomposites have been recently recognized as an interesting class of electrocatalysts because of their synergistic behaviour, tunable morphology, and high catalytic efficiency. Herein, InC, AgC, and InAgC nanocomposites were synthesised via a hydrothermal method using a mesoporous carbon support derived from the carbonisation of giant cane. The structural characterisation revealed that the InC composite has tetragonal In with a minor presence of cubic In₂O₃, whereas AgC and InAgC are well aligned with cubic Ag and tetragonal In. Electron microscopy revealed that InC has a 3D plate-like structure, while InAgC exhibits a spherical shape and is uniformly dispersed across the carbon surface. InAgC showed excellent activity and durability for the OER, with a notably low overpotential of 480 mV at a current density of 100 mA cm⁻², a Tafel slope of 97 mV dec⁻¹, and an oxygen production turnover frequency of 10.19 s⁻¹. The chronoamperometric (i–t) study of InAgC at 1.58 V vs. RHE for 20 h in 1 M KOH indicates that the catalyst is highly stable for the OER in alkaline electrolytes. The electrochemical double-layer capacitance (C_dl) value in the non-faradaic potential region of InAgC is greater (52.14 mF cm⁻²) than those of mesoporous carbon (16.54 mF cm⁻²), AgC (33.10 mF cm⁻²), and InC (48.77 mF cm⁻²), which is attributed to InAgC having more accessible active sites for the OER. This work presents numerous possibilities for developing effective nanocomposites using giant cane as a natural carbon source.

The Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) is considered to be one of the most important processes for energy storage and conversion applications. However, due to its sluggish kinetics it becomes extremely crucial to design and develop cost‐effective, stable and highly efficient electrocatalysts. Herein, we report two lead(II) based coordination polymers (CPs) {[Pb ₂ (TPBN)(TDC) ₂ ].3H ₂ O} _n ( CP1 ), and {[Pb ₂ (TPBN)(FDC) ₂ ].H ₂ O} _n ( CP2 ) synthesized via self‐assembly at ambient conditions in good yields (where TPBN= N,N′,N′′′,N′′′′‐tetrakis‐(2‐pyridylmethyl)‐1,4‐diaminobutane, H ₂ TDC=2,5‐2,5‐thiophenedicarboxylic acid, and H ₂ FDC=2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid. Their 3D structures were determined by Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction (SCXRD) studies. The bulk purity and thermal stability of CP1 and CP2 were studied by powder X‐ray diffraction studies and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. Both the CPs showed remarkable catalytic activity for the OER. With a current density of 15 mA cm ⁻² , for both CP1 and CP2 , overpotentials of 570 mV and 630 mV with tafel slope values of 112 mV dec ⁻¹ , and 178 mV dec ⁻¹ respectively for CP1 and CP2 in 1.0 M alkaline (KOH) solution was obtained. It is notable that the difference in their catalytic performance – CP1 is better than CP2 , can be attributed to the subtle single heteroatom in the dicarboxylate ring (S in thiophene and O in furan, respectively).

Development of highly efficient electrocatalysts for treating urea-rich wastewater is an important problem in environmental management and energy production. In this work, an iron-nickel alloy (Fe-Ni alloy) was synthesized via soft-template cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-assisted precipitation using low-temperature calcination. The as-synthesized nanoalloy was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), which revealed the formation of a face-centered cubic (FCC) structure of the Fe-Ni alloy; field emission-scanning electron microscopic (FE-SEM) analysis revealed the spherical shape of the Fe-Ni alloy; high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) revealed the average size to be ∼33.09 nm; and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed the presence of Fe, Ni, C, and O components and their chemical composition and valence states in the Fe-Ni alloy. The electrochemical urea oxidation reaction (UOR) was investigated by conducting linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) tests on the synthesized electrocatalysts with different Ni/Fe ratios in alkaline electrolytes with urea. The potential required to reach a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 is 1.27 V vs RHE, which demonstrates the higher electrochemical activity of the Fe-Ni alloy compared to other individual compounds. This could be due to CTAB which improved the structural stability and synergetic and electronic effects in the nanoscale. This study will further contribute to renewable energy generation technology with long-term energy sustainability and also opens up great potential for reducing water pollution.

Hydrazine oxidation in single-atom catalysts (SACs) could exploit the efficiency of metal atom utilization, which is a substitution for noble metal-based electrolysers that results in reduced overall cost. A well-established ruthenium single atom over mesoporous carbon nitride (SRu-mC₃N₄) catalyst is explored for the electro-oxidation of hydrazine as one of the model reactions for direct fuel cell reactions. The electrochemical activity observed with linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) confirmed that SRu-mC₃N₄ shows an ultra-low onset potential of 0.88 V vs. RHE, and with a current density of 10 mA/cm² the observed potential was 1.19 V vs. RHE, compared with mesoporous carbon nitride (mC₃N₄) (1.77 V vs. RHE). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronoamperometry (i-t) studies on SRu-mC₃N₄ show a smaller charge-transfer resistance (R_Ct) of 2950 Ω and long-term potential, as well as current stability of 50 h and 20 mA/cm², respectively. Herein, an efficient and enhanced activity toward HzOR was demonstrated on SRu-mC₃N₄ from its synergistic platform over highly porous C₃N₄, possessing large and independent active sites, and improving the subsequent large-scale reaction.