Herein we introduce an effective approach for incorporating sulfamic acid (SA) into HKUST-1.

The use of redox-active organic materials in rechargeable batteries has the potential to improve the field of energy storage by enabling lightweight and flexible green batteries. In addition, replacing lithium with sodium further mitigates the resource limitations and high cost of lithium for Li-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were cross-linked by covalently bonded azo compounds to facilitate sodium-ion insertion and increase charge storage capacity. In the processes, diamine functional groups of p-phenylenediamine (PPD) were converted into diazonium salts (DSs), followed by an electrophilic aromatic substitution between the DSs and GO nanosheets to synthesize azobenzene partially reduced graphene oxide compounds (AB-PRGO) for sodium-ion storage. The as-synthesized AB-PRGO is characterized by various techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherm, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The AB-PRGO was used as a new cathode material in half-cell Na-ion batteries (SIBs). The results revealed that within a given potential window (0.01−3.0 V), the AB-PRGO-based SIB exhibits good cyclic stability, a high specific capacity, and good rate capability while obtaining a specific capacity of 160 mAh g −1 at 50 mA g −1 and preserved the capacity for 50 cycles. This work provides an effective route for developing improved organic electrode materials for SIBs.

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Developing a sustainable photocatalyst is crucial to mitigate the foreseeable energy shortage and environmental pollution caused by the rapid advancement of global industry. We developed Dy 2 O 3 /TiO 2 nanoflower (TNF) with a hierarchical nanoflower structure and a near-ideal anatase crystallite morphology to degrade aqueous rhodamine B solution under simulated solar light irradiation. The prepared photocatalyst was well-characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectra, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Further analysis was performed to highlight the photoelectrochemical activity of the prepared photocatalysts such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, photocurrent response, and a Mott–Schottky study. The crystalline Dy 2 O 3 /TNF exhibits superb photocatalytic activity attributed to the improved charge transfer, reduced recombination rate of the electron–hole pairs, and a remarkable red-shift in light absorption.

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