No abstract

No abstract

The ever‐growing need for energy storage has been at the forefront of research for the past few decades. A supercapacitor is an attractive candidate for storage needs with widespread applications in electronic gadgets, electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, especially in space and the military. The significant role of electrodes in the performance of supercapacitors has led to the development of materials endowed with exceptional electrochemical performance and mechanical stability. Conducting polymers with intriguing properties like tuneable electronic conductivity, broad voltage window, tuneable redox activity etc., are excellent candidates as electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors with superior performance parameters. Electrospun conducting polymer nanofibers exhibit unique characteristics and favourable morphologies that have the potential to enhance the performance of supercapacitors. The review covers the fundamentals of electrochemical capacitors and introduces electrospinning as a versatile method to fabricate nanofibers using conducting polymers and their composites. The application of these nanofibers as electrodes in supercapacitors is discussed in detail and the performance parameters are compared. The article also discusses the challenges and prospects in using these electrospun nanofibers as effective supercapacitor electrodes.

Stable and efficient optical limiters for eye and sensor protection have been in great demand ever since the advent of high-power lasers. In this study, we report the preparation of highly stable hematene nanoflakes for optical limiting applications by a facile exfoliation method from a low-cost, non-van der Waals material. Optical and structural characterization has been carried out to confirm the structure, morphology, and composition of the hematene nanoflakes. Open aperture Z-scan measurements have been carried out in near-transparent samples (87% linear transmission at the excitation wavelength of 532 nm), using 5 ns laser pulses. Despite the high transparency of the sample, a high nonlinear absorption coefficient of up to 13.0 ± 1.1 cm GW −1 has been determined, signifying the potential of this material for fabricating highly efficient optical power limiting devices.

Energy storage has become the most crucial topic of research in the 21 st century owing to the growing demand for energy for various modern-day requirements. Supercapacitors (SCs) are energy storage devices that can deliver power for a wide range of electronic gadgets, electric/hybrid vehicles and sophisticated machines used in space and the military. Electrode materials play a vital role in determining the electrochemical performance and stability of these energy devices. It is therefore essential to design efficient and long-lasting materials that are solid, lightweight and flexible to suit various applications. The excellent chemical and physical properties of MoS 2 have made it one of the most widely considered two-dimensional nanomaterials in the past few years. Through this review, we mainly highlight the synthesis, properties, and electrochemical performance of MoS 2 and its composites-based functional materials. The potential uses of MoS 2 in various fields imply that this material still offers many possibilities for exploration and development.