Recently, there exists a discrepancy on the lithium ion de-INTERCALATION mechanism for LiCoPO4 electrode. In the present work, the study was focused upon exploring the origin of this discrepancy by studying the dependence of the impedance spectrum on the state of charge and the carbon content. For the pure LiCoPO4 electrode, the two plateaus in the charge curve are at 4.82 and 4.92 V. We have also studied the variation of electrochemical impedance spectroscopies (EISs) with the state of charge. The EIS measurement has shown that the total interfacial resistance increases as the state of charge increases for the pure LiCoPO4 electrode. If higher content of sucrose was added in the precursor (this implies higher carbon content in the synthesized sample), only one potential plateau can be found in the charge curve. For this electrode, the total interfacial resistance decreases with the state of charge. Especially, the total interfacial resistance has a dramatic decrease when the state of charge increases from 20% to 40%. It is believed that the influence of carbon impurity on the variation tendency of the EIS pattern may reflect the change of the fine structure. For the pure LiCoPO4 electrode, the intermediate phase is Li0.20~0.45 CoPO4.

There are various methods for preparation of polymeric nanocomposite materials. One of these methods is melt INTERCALATION procedure. In this study, segmented linear thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers based on polytetramethylene glycol, toluene diisocyanate and 1,4-butanediol were synthesized by prepolymer method. The molar ratios of reactants were 1:3:2 for polyol, isocyanate and chain extender, respectively. Then, melt INTERCALATION of thermoplastic polyurethane with nanoclay was carried out in a Haake internal mixer at 135ºC temperature, 60 rpm rotational speed for 6 min. Three different weight percents of a nanoclay as filler were used in the synthesized polyurethane model compound. Using this method, an exfoliated nanocomposite structures formed which was confirmed by wide angle X-ray scattering. Tensile strength was increased as nanoclay content was increased from 0.4 to 1.2. It is believed that, this behaviour can be related to delamination of nanoclay layers and strong surface adhesion of polymer and modified nanoclay. Also, thermogravimetric analysis and T95 studies have shown that the thermal stability of nanocomposite has been shifted to higher temperatures as clay content is being increased.

The angular dependent magnetoresistance oscillation (ADMRO) of the stage-2 IBr graphite INTERCALATION compound (GIC) was studied between 1.8 K and 110 K in magnetic fields between 1 and 9 T. There was a series of peaks in the c-axis resistance as the field direction was changed from the c axis to the (001) plane. The field independence of the angular positions of the peaks, showing that the oscillation is not from the Shubnikov-de Haas effect, and the presence of the oscillation at high temperatures indicate that the effect is semiclassic. The location and the relative amplitudes of the peaks show that the ADMRO in this compound does not follow the predictions for the symmetrical corrugation model of the cylindrical Fermi surface. The reason is attributed to the presence of two cylindrical Fermi surfaces and zone folding of the Fermi surface by the periodicity of the IBr lattice in this compound.

Effluent, containing toxic and hazardous wastes, discharged by industries has been an eye-catching issue for researchers over the past few years. Mainly, this hazardous waste incorporates a large variety of dyes, chemicals, and traces of heavy metals. This work focuses on the treatment of industrial wastewater using the adsorption technique for Graphite INTERCALATION Compound (GIC) as an adsorbent. NyexTM 1000, a commercial adsorbent with a surface area of 1.0 m2/g, offering a Bulk density of 0.88 g/cm3 and Pore diameter of 133 Å respectively, was utilized to remediate an industrial contaminant. A GIC adsorbent was found to reduce COD by about 90% i.e., 150 mg/L to 10 mg/L. The outcome of this research has revealed that Graphite INTERCALATION compound (GIC) as an adsorbent is suitable for the reduction of COD from industrial effluent. Kinetic studies reveal adsorbent surface heterogeneity is increased and multilayer adsorption was observed. 6 cyclic adsorption studies were performed by regenerating the adsorbent 5 times consecutively. The GIC adsorbent was regenerated via an electrochemical reactor and has shown a significant regeneration efficiency of more than 99%. The electrochemical reactor was integrated with a solar energy system to make the process cost-effective.

polypropylene-clay nanocomposites were prepared in solution and followed by a melt mixing process. The nanocomposites were prepared for 5% (by weight) organoclay with varying amounts of two oxidized polypropylene waxes (OPPWs) as compatibilizer. The clay dispersion was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy and melt rheology technique. The extent of INTERCALATION in clay platelets was quantified by XRD analysis based on interactions between OPPW and clay layers. A maximum of ca.10% increase in clay basal spacing was observed. It was revealed that the degree of clay INTERCALATION in solution technique varies by the polarity of OPPW. In subsequent melt mixing process, the clay dispersion was evaluated by XRD which correlated well with the variations of storage moduli at low frequency region and displayed a pseudo solid-like behaviour. The rheological measurements also showed higher dispersion of clay platelets in PP matrix in the presence of OPPW. The increase in storage moduli especially at low frequency region implied that there were stronger interactions between Cloisite® 15A organoclays and polymer chains when OPPW is present. The TEM images mainly suggested to com-patibilizing effect of OPPW in clay INTERCALATION. In spite of low mechanical properties of OPPW, the DMTA showed the highest modulus of glassy region in nanocomposites with maximum OPPW content. These findings agreed well with each other in co-INTERCALATION effect of OPPW in PP nanocomposites.

Graphene Oxide has been synthesized using Hummer’s method by the oxidation of graphite powder using reagents like potassium permanganate, Sulphuric acid, hydrogen peroxide, and distilled water at low temperatures. The filtered suspension of graphene oxide was changed to a dry powder at room temperature. Synthesized Graphene oxide was further modified by functionalizing using diamine 2,6-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzonitrile (BAAP) by ultrasonication and reflux methodology, air-cooled mixture was washed with the equimolar ratio of ethanol and water which was dried at room temperature and followed by drying in the oven at 80 oC. The sample was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) which confirmed all required functional groups and proved the functionalization and modification of Graphene Oxide. Further, UV-Visible spectroscopy confirmed the slight reduction of graphene oxide by the redshift which is due to the chromophoric effect of diamine. X-ray diffraction also confirmed the expected d-spacing due to the covalent reduction of graphene oxide by shifting the peak position towards higher 2θ values. The cyclic voltammetry results are in a quasi-rectangular shape, due to the pseudocapacitance behaviour of diamine functionalized graphene oxide; successfully synthesised and functionalized graphene oxide showed electrochemical stability and an increase in capacitance with an increase in scan rates which is the promising property for supercapacitance to ensure energy storage and conservation.