Copper sulfides have gained significant attention as alternative electrodes for rechargeable batteries. A simple and easily scalable synthetic pathway to access these materials is highly desirable. ...This paper describes the facile synthesis of metal-rich digenite Cu
1.8
S nanocrystals from a structurally characterized new single-source molecular precursor in various high boiling solvents of varied polarity. The as-prepared nanostructures were thoroughly characterized by PXRD, Raman spectroscopy, EDS, XPS, electron microscopy techniques and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to understand the crystal structure, phase purity, elemental composition, morphology and band gap. It was found that the reaction solvent has a profound role on their crystallite size, morphology and band gap, however the crystal structure and phase purity remained unaffected. Pristine Cu
1.8
S nanostructures have been employed as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The cell delivers a high initial charge capacity of 462 mA h g
−1
and retains a capacity of 240 mA h g
1
even after 300 cycles at 0.1 A g
1
. DFT calculations revealed that multi-size polyhedron layers in the direction perpendicular to the two Li movement channels aid in the sustainable uptake of Li atoms with controlled volume expansion. The structure-mediated flexibility of the metal-rich Cu
1.8
S lattice during lithiation permits high cyclability with reasonable retention of capacity.
Cu
1.8
S nanostructures, obtained through thermolysis of a new SSP, serve as an efficient anode material for LIBs. Suitable morphology, unique structural features are the crucial factors contributing to the good electrochemical performance of Cu
1.8
S.
The air stable tin(
iv
) complex Me
2
Sn{2-SeC
5
H
2
(Me-4,6)
2
N}
2
has been synthesized, characterized by NMR, elemental analysis, and single crystal XRD, and employed as a single source molecular ...precursor (SSP) for the facile synthesis of orthorhombic SnSe nanosheets. The crystal structure, phase purity, morphology and band gap of the nanosheets were investigated by pXRD, EDS, electron microscopy and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques, respectively. It was found that the preferential orientation of planes and the morphology of the nanosheets rely upon the reaction conditions. The band gaps of the nanosheets were blue shifted with respect to the bulk band gap of the material. The synthesized SnSe nanosheets have been employed as an anode material in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The material exhibits an initial specific capacity of 1134 mA h g
−1
at a current density of 50 mA g
−1
and was found to retain a capacity of 380 mA h g
−1
even after 70 cycles with 100% efficiency.
Phase pure SnSe nanosheets, prepared from a novel molecular precursor Me
2
Sn{2-SeC
5
H
2
(Me-4,6)
2
N}
2
was employed as anode material in LIBs. The fabricated cell exhibits promising results with high specific capacity and reversible Li ion uptake.
In the present study, a total of 53 promising salt-tolerant genotypes were tested across 18 salt-affected diverse locations for three years. An attempt was made to identify ideal test locations and ...mega-environments using GGE biplot analysis. The CSSRI sodic environment was the most discriminating location in individual years as well as over the years and could be used to screen out unstable and salt-sensitive genotypes. Genotypes CSR36, CSR-2K-219, and CSR-2K-262 were found ideal across years. Overall, Genotypes CSR-2K-219, CSR-2K-262, and CSR-2K-242 were found superior and stable among all genotypes with higher mean yields. Different sets of genotypes emerged as winners in saline soils but not in sodic soils; however, Genotype CSR-2K-262 was the only genotype that was best under both saline and alkaline environments over the years. The lack of repeatable associations among locations and repeatable mega-environment groupings indicated the complexity of soil salinity. Hence, a multi-location and multi-year evaluation is indispensable for evaluating the test sites as well as identifying genotypes with consistently specific and wider adaptation to particular agro-climatic zones. The genotypes identified in the present study could be used for commercial cultivation across edaphically challenged areas for sustainable production.
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Background
Climate extremes such as drought and flood have become major constraints to the sustainable rice crop productivity in rainfed environments. Availability of suitable climate-resilient ...varieties could help farmers to reduce the grain yield losses resulting from the climatic extremities. The present study was undertaken with an aim to develop high-yielding drought and submergence tolerant rice varieties using marker assisted introgression of
qDTY
1.1
,
qDTY
2.1
,
qDTY
3.1
and
Sub1.
Performance of near isogenic lines (NILs) developed in the background of Swarna was evaluated across 60 multi-locations trials (MLTs). The selected promising lines from MLTs were nominated and evaluated in national trials across 18 locations in India and 6 locations in Nepal.
Results
Grain yield advantage of the NILs with
qDTY
1.1
+ qDTY
2.1
+
qDTY
3.1
+
Sub1
and
qDTY
2.1
+
qDTY
3.1
+
Sub1
ranged from 76 to 2479 kg ha
− 1
and 396 to 2376 kg ha
− 1
under non-stress (NS) respectively and 292 to 1118 kg ha
− 1
and 284 to 2086 kg ha
− 1
under reproductive drought stress (RS), respectively. The NIL, IR96322–34-223-B-1-1-1-1 having
qDTY
1.1
+ qDTY
2.1
+
qDTY
3.1
+
Sub1
has been released as variety CR dhan 801 in India. IR 96321–1447-651-B-1-1-2 having
qDTY
1.1
+
qDTY
3.1
+
Sub 1
and IR 94391–131–358-19-B-1-1-1 having
qDTY
3.1
+
Sub1
have been released as varieties Bahuguni dhan-1′ and ‘Bahuguni dhan-2’ respectively in Nepal. Background recovery of 94%, 93% and 98% was observed for IR 96322–34-223-B-1-1-1-1, IR 96321–1447-651-B-1-1-2 and IR 94391–131–358-19-B-1-1-1 respectively on 6 K SNP Infinium chip.
Conclusion
The drought and submergence tolerant rice varieties with pyramided multiple QTLs can ensure 0.2 to 1.7 t ha
− 1
under reproductive stage drought stress and 0.1 to 1.0 t ha
− 1
under submergence conditions with no yield penalty under non-stress to farmers irrespective of occurrence of drought and/or flood in the same or different seasons.
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•Phase evolution in Gd2Zr2O7 has been investigated as a function of temperature.•Structural investigations revealed transformation from fluorite to pyrochlore phase.•Effect of heat treatment on ...enthalpy of formation has been studied.
The dependencies of phase evolution and thermodynamic properties of Gd2Zr2O7 with temperature of preparation have been reported. A series of samples with composition Gd2Zr2O7 have been prepared. The effect of temperature on the phases has been inferred from the powder XRD and Raman spectroscopy. High temperature favors the formation of pyrochlore phase compared to the defect fluorite type phase. The evolution of phase was further quantitatively explained by measuring the formation energy employing high temperature calorimeter. The samples with predominantly pyrochlore phase have higher ΔfH°298 and thermodynamically stable. Also, it is observed that the pyrochlore type phase has larger formation energy compared to fluorite type phase and hence the fluorite to pyrochlore phase transformation is driven by enthalpy. On increasing the annealing temperature more disorder fluorite structure is formed and once the defect concentrations exceed a critical value they order to form the thermodynamically stable pyrochlore structure.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
This work presents an investigation of CO2 absorption into aqueous blends of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) and monoethanolamine (MEA). The acid gas mass transfer has been modeled using ...equilibrium-mass transfer-kinetics-based combined model to describe CO2 absorption into the amine blends according to Higbie's penetration theory. The effect of contact time and relative amine concentration on the rate of absorption and enhancement factor were studied by absorption experiment in a wetted wall column at atmospheric pressure. The model was used to estimate the rate coefficient of the reaction between CO2 and monoethanolamine at 313K from experimentally measured absorption rates. A rigorous parametric sensitivity test has been done to identify the key systems’ parameters and quantify their effects on the mass transfer using the mathematical model developed in this work. The model predictions have been found to be in good agreement with the experimental rates of absorption of CO2 into (AMP+MEA+H2O).
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Transition-metal carbides are an emerging class of compounds which have been attracting attention due to their high electronic conductivity, capacity, and long life cycle. In the present work, an ...easy but facile synthesis method has been adopted to synthesize a Mo2C-based composite with free carbon and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as an anode material for lithium-ion battery application. The nanosize Mo2C shortens the Li+ diffusion path, whereas rGO facilitates faster migration of electrons and cushions the developed stress due to lithiation and delithiation. The electrochemical performance improves drastically by the addition of just 1% carbon which further increases in the composite having rGO. The as-developed Mo2C/C/rGO composite exhibits a specific capacity as high as 630 mA h/g after 1600 cycles with nearly 100% efficiency. The material also delivers 198 mA h/g capacity at 4 A/g current density which again comes back to the normal state. The high capacitive current in the composite contributes to superior electrochemical performance. A full cell has been fabricated using LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 (NMC 622) and Mo2C/C/rGO as electrodes, which delivers around 114 mA h/g capacity at 50 mA/g. Theoretical calculations reveal that strong interaction of Mo2C and graphene induces modification of the geometrical (widening of Li movement channels) and electronic structures of Mo2C, which in turn improves the overall performance of the composite electrode.
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Indium selenides (InSe and In
Se
) have earned a special place among the 2D layered metal chalcogenides owing to their nontoxic nature and favourable carrier mobility. Additionally, they are also ...being projected as next generation battery anodes with high theoretical lithium-ion storage capacities. While the development of indium selenide-based batteries is still in its embryonic stage, a simple and easily scalable synthetic pathway to access these materials is highly desirable for energy storage applications. This study reports a controlled synthetic route to nanometric cubic InSe and hexagonal In
Se
materials through proper choice of coordinating solvents from a structurally characterized air and moisture stable single source molecular precursor: tris(4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidylselenolato)indium(III). The crystal structure, phase purity, composition, morphology and band gap of the nanomaterials were thoroughly evaluated by pXRD, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), respectively. The pristine InSe and In
Se
nanostructures have been employed as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Both the cells deliver reasonably high initial discharge capacities with a cyclability of 200 and 620 cycles for cubic InSe and hexagonal In
Se
respectively with ∼100% coulombic efficiency.
Characterizing the physiological mechanisms behind major-effect drought-yield quantitative trait loci (QTLs) can provide an understanding of the function of the QTLs—as well as plant responses to ...drought in general. In this study, we characterized rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes with QTLs derived from drought-tolerant traditional variety AdaySel that were introgressed into drought-susceptible high-yielding variety IR64, one of the most popular megavarieties in South Asian rainfed lowland systems. Of the different combinations of the four QTLs evaluated, genotypes with two QTLs (qDTY2.2
+ qDTY4.1
) showed the greatest degree of improvement under drought compared with IR64 in terms of yield, canopy temperature, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Furthermore, qDTY2.2
and qDTY4.1
showed a potential for complementarity in that they were each most effective under different severities of drought stress. Multiple drought-response mechanisms were observed to be conferred in the genotypes with the two-QTL combination: higher root hydraulic conductivity and in some cases greater root growth at depth. As evidenced by multiple leaf water status and plant growth indicators, these traits affected transpiration but not transpiration efficiency or harvest index. The results from this study highlight the complex interactions among major-effect drought-yield QTLs and the drought-response traits they confer, and the need to evaluate the optimal combinations of QTLs that complement each other when present in a common genetic background.
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