EPR spectra of (i) CuO annealed in air at different temperatures up to 900 C and (ii) CuO reacted with BaO in the ratio 3:2 at different temperatures up to 900 C were studied. In (i), evidence for the formation of monomers, dimers, and tetramers of copper ions was found. In (ii), in addition to those spectra obtained in (i), aggregates of four copper ions coupled through cyclic exchange with resultant electronic spin S =2 and affected by the immediate barium neighbors were obtained. It is found that these copper aggregates giving the EPR signals are magnetically isolated from the main CuO cluster.

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Hydrogen fuel is becoming a hot topic among the scientific community as an alternative energy source. Hydrogen is eco-friendly, renewable, and green. The synthesis and development of materials with great potential for hydrogen storage is still a challenge in research and needs to be addressed to store hydrogen economically and efficiently. Various solid-state materials have been fabricated for hydrogen energy storage; however, carbon-based nanocomposites have gained more attention because of its high surface area, low processing cost, and light weight nature. Carbon materials are easy to modify with various metals, metal oxides (MOs), and other organometallic frameworks because of the functional groups available on the surface and edges that increase the storage capacity of hydrogen. In addition, chemisorption is another way to enhance the hydrogen storage capacity of carbonbased nanocomposites. In this review, we discuss the success achieved thus far and the challenges that remain for the physical and chemical storage of hydrogen in various carbon-based nanocomposites. Various compositions of catalysts (eg, metal, MOs, alloy, metal organic frameworks) and carbon materials are designed for hydrogen storage. Superior energy storage in hybrids and composites as compared with pristine materials (catalysts or carbon nanotubes) is governed by the interaction, activation, and hydrogen adsorption/ absorption mechanism of materials in the reaction profile. (Nano)composites comprising carbon material with metals, MOs, or alloys are important in this field, not only because of their potential for hydrogen sorption but also their significant cyclic stability and high efficiency upon successive adsorptiondesorption cycles.

In the present work, a novel biosensor (GCE/RGO/PPy/NR) based on the nanocomposite of reduced graphene oxide (RGO), polypyrrole (PPy) immobilized by nitrate reductase (NR) was developed on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The conductive nanocomposite (RGO/PPy) was synthesized by in situ oxidative polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of RGO in acidic medium. A facile and green path was employed to synthesize RGO from graphene oxide (GO). This was performed by a novel route using Abelmoschus esculentus vegetable extract as a stabilizing and reducing agent for GO. The composite of reduced graphene oxide and polypyrrole (RGO/PPy) was deposited onto GCE with subsequent deposition of NR enzyme on the GCE/ RGO/PPy to develop GCE/RGO/PPy/NR biosensor. The surface morphology and structural features of the composites were studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical behavior and electrocatalytic activity of the biosensor were examined by cyclic voltammetry at different scan rates (20-100 mV s −1) in the synthetic nitrate solution. The developed bio-anode achieved a maximum current density of 4.24 mA cm −2 at a scan rate of 100 mV s −1 for 10 mM sodium nitrate solution.