RSC Applied Interfaces Blog

RSC Applied Interfaces has published its first articles which can be read for free here. To celebrate publishing our first articles, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.

In this post, we hear from Kauê Santos and Fabiano Bernardi from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, as they discuss their recently published article entitled ‘Engineering Pt–CeO2 interfaces for reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction’.

Discover the full article here

Engineering Pt–CeO2 interfaces for reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction

Kauê G. G. dos Santos, Alisson S. Thill, Livia P. Matte, Gustavo Z. Girotto, Mateus V. Costa, Denise R. Bohn, Fernanda Poletto and Fabiano Bernardi

RSC Appl. Interfaces, 2024, 1, 992-1000. DOI: 10.1039/D4LF00064A

Meet the authors

Bernardi group

Kauê Santos

Kauê Santos completed his undergraduate Bachelor’s in Physics and his Master’s degree in Physics at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) in 2020 and 2023, respectively. During this period, he investigated the dissociation of CO2 molecules through the RWGS reaction. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Physics, also at UFRGS. Now, his focus remains on environmental issues, but this time dedicated to hydrogen storage in solid materials.

Fabiano Bernardi

Fabiano Bernardi is Associate Professor and Head of the Physics of Nanostructures Lab at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). He was Director of the Centro de Nanociência e Nanotecnologia (CNANO), and is currently Deputy Director of the CNANO and Centro de Microscopia e Microanálise (CMM) at UFRGS. He earned his PhD in Physics at UFRGS. The main research line is Surface and Interface Physics and it is devoted to study metal/metal oxide nanoparticles used in the hydrogen storage, heterogeneous catalysis (mainly but not restricted to CO2 dissociation), photocatalytic hydrogen production, artificial photosynthesis, and photodegradation of dyes.

RSC Applied Interfaces publishes interdisciplinary work with an applied focus, which can be read for free here. To celebrate the excellent articles that have been published so far in our journal, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.

In this post, we hear from Michael Dooley from Professor Shubham Vyas’ group at the Colorado School of Mines, as they discuss their recently published article entitled ‘Light-driven interfaces for PFAS detection and destruction’.

Read more »

RSC Applied Interfaces has published its first articles which can be read for free here. To celebrate publishing our first articles, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.

In this post, we hear from Scott E. Crawford. Dr Scott Crawford is a research physical scientist at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, where he researches materials for luminescent and quantum sensing of various energy relevant analytes, including economically critical metals. He discusses his recently published article entitled ‘Zinc adeninate metal–organic framework-coated optical fibers for enhanced luminescence-based detection of rare earth elements’.

Discover the full article here

Zinc adeninate metal–organic framework-coated optical fibers for enhanced luminescence-based detection of rare earth elements

Scott E. Crawford, Ward A. Burgess, Ki-Joong Kim, John P. Baltrus and Nathan A. Diemler

RSC Appl. Interfaces, 2024,1, 689-698, DOI: 10.1039/D4LF00001C

RSC Applied Interfaces is a dedicated, interdisciplinary reference journal for cutting-edge research on the applications of surfaces and interfaces. In addition to the applied focus, work considered for publication in RSC Applied Interfaces is expected to be highly original and of top quality. The journal seeks to report major scientific advances beyond the state of the art, at the cutting edge of this interdisciplinary field.

• • • • • • • • Find out more about the journal
              • Read our recent articles
              • Submit your manuscript today
              • Sign up for email alerts
              • Follow us on social media

RSC Applied Interfaces has published its first articles which can be read for free here. To celebrate publishing our first articles, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.

In this post, we hear from Miss Pranoti Patil and Dr Sushilkumar Jadhav from Shivaji University Kolhapur, India, as they discuss their recently published article entitled ‘Manganese dioxide (MnO₂) and biomass-derived carbon-based electroactive composite materials for supercapacitor applications’.

Discover the full article here

Manganese dioxide (MnO₂) and biomass-derived carbon-based electroactive composite materials for supercapacitor applications

Pranoti H. Patil and Sushilkumar A. Jadhav

RSC Appl. Interfaces, 2024, 1, 624-647. DOI: 10.1039/D4LF00085D

Insights from the authors

Our review article contains a compilation of the latest research and developments in the synthesis of manganese dioxide and biomass-derived, carbon-based composites to be used as electrode materials in energy storage devices.

With the growing demand for high-performance energy storage devices, supercapacitors have gained significant attention. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how MnO₂-biomass-derived carbon composites as electroactive materials are advancing the capabilities of supercapacitors. The review outlines different types of MnO₂ and their characteristic features, as well as different biomasses used for the synthesis of carbons with desired properties. It offers a detailed examination of the various methods used for synthesizing biomass-derived carbon materials and provides insights into the sustainability and environmental benefits of using biomass-derived carbon materials.

It also contains information about different morphologies of MnO₂ and biomass-derived carbon-based composites that contain MnO₂ in forms such as nanosheets, nanowires, nanorods, nanoflakes, nanoneedles, nanowrinkles, nanoplates, nanowalls etc. We have provided corresponding reproduced structural characterization images with our discussion.

The discussion covers several latest reports and provides a comparative analysis of the electrochemical performance of various MnO₂-carbon-based composite materials, such as their specific capacitance and power densities, cyclic stability, and electrolytes used in the devices.

Our review provides insights into the advancement and future research directions in this field. These insights can guide the development of more efficient and sustainable energy storage devices. Our latest research focuses on the development of new carbons from cheap or no-cost biomasses, a timely subject considering the economic aspects of energy storage devices.

We invite you to read our review article to gain a deeper understanding of the subject and prospects of this exciting and interesting field of research.

Meet the authors

Miss Pranoti Patil obtained her Master of Science degree from Shivaji University Kolhapur, India, with excellent academic records. Her research works are focused on the synthesis and electrochemical testing of biomass-derived carbon, manganese dioxide, conducting polymers, and carbonaceous materials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene oxide, and reduced graphene oxide-based binary as well as ternary nanocomposites as electrode materials to be used in energy storage devices like supercapacitors and battery type supercapacitors.

Dr Sushilkumar Jadhav obtained his Ph.D. degree from the University of Genova, Italy. He has extensive research experience in Europe. At present, he is working as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the School of Nanoscience and Technology, Shivaji University, Kolhapur. His research works are focused on the synthesis of various hybrid, porous, and polymer-grafted nanomaterials for energy storage, drug delivery, environmental remediation, and nanocatalysis applications. He is involved in various multidisciplinary research projects. He is also a member of important scientific organizations at the national and international levels.