The effects of the precursor solution concentration on the physical and electrochemical characteristics of NiFe
2
O
4
films were studied. XRD patterns confirmed the formation of a spinel cubic ...crystal structure. FE-SEM images showed a mesoporous morphology. EDAX analysis confirmed a nearly stoichiometric deposition. Optical absorption studies confirmed the direct bandgap energies in the range 2.00–2.27 eV. The films deposited with a 0.25 M solution concentration had the minimum room-temperature electrical resistivity (3.39 × 10
3
Ωcm). Films deposited with a 0.15 M solution had the maximum specific capacitance values, 591 F g
−1
at a scan rate of 5 mV s
−1
(CV) and 632 F g
−1
at a current density of 0.5 A g
−1
(GCD). NiFe
2
O
4
films exhibited specific energy and specific power values of 15.22 W h kg
−1
and 225 W kg
−1
, respectively, at a current density of 1 A g
−1
. Further, these films retained 92.97% of their specific capacitance after 1000 continuous cycles.
Graphical abstract
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•Electrochemical properties of Mn3O4 thin films.•Crystallite size in the range of 14–19nm.•Highest specific capacitance of 394Fg−1 for film deposited at 350°C.•Specific energy and ...specific power are 8.27Whkg−1 and 850Wkg−1, respectively.
Manganese oxide (Mn3O4) is considered one of the most promising materials for high-performance supercapacitors due to its extraordinary theoretical specific capacitance, low-cost, environmental benignity and natural abundance. Mn3O4 thin films have been deposited by spray pyrolysis using aqueous/organic solvent mixture. These films were characterized for structural, morphological, optical and electrical measurements. The electrochemical performance of the supercapacitor was studied by using cyclic voltammetry curves recorded at different scan rates. The porous Mn3O4 thin film electrode exhibits significantly improved supercapacitive performance in 1M Na2SO4 electrolyte with highest specific capacitance of 394Fg−1 at scan rate of 10mVs−1 for film deposited at 350°C. The specific energy and specific power are found to be 8.27Whkg−1 and 850Wkg−1, respectively, at a current density of 1Ag−1. The specific capacitance of the Mn3O4 electrode maintains 93.01% of its initial value after 1000 cycles, at a current density of 1Ag−1 showing a good cycling stability.
Recently metal oxide thin films are extensively investigated because of their potential applications in solar energy conversion. In the present paper, Transparent conducting antimony doped tin oxide ...(Sb:SnO2) thin films have been deposited by spray pyrolysis technique at various antimony doping concentrations from non-aqueous solvent Propan-2-ol. XRD studies show that all films are polycrystalline with tetragonal crystal structure. The crystallite size observed is in the range 29–37 nm for various Sb doping concentrations. The surface morphology of Sb:SnO2 thin film is spherical with the continuous distribution of grains. The average transmittance of the undoped and Sb:SnO2 thin films, measured in the 450–850 nm wavelength is ranging between 70 and 95%. The best results are obtained at 1.5 wt.% Sb doping concentration, which are direct band gap of 3.82 eV, minimum sheet resistance of 5.7 Ω/cm2, lowest resistivity of 3.76 × 10−4 Ω-cm, carrier concentration and mobility of 4.46 × 1019 cm−3 and 372 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively.
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•Spray deposition of high quality Sb:SnO2 films from non-aqueous medium.•Highly oriented (200) polycrystalline films with tetragonal crystal structure.•Crystallite size in the range of 29–37 nm.•Average transmittance of the films in between 70-95%.•Lowest resistivity is found to be 3.76 × 10−4 Ω-cm.
Quaternary stannite Cu2FeSnS4 thin films (CFTS) have been grown on well cleaned amorphous glass substrates at various deposition temperatures (175 °C–325 °C) by chemical spray pyrolysis. CFTS thin ...films have been characterized to examine the structural, morphological, compositional, optical and electrical properties. Tetragonal crystal structure has been confirmed from X-ray diffraction. Crystalline size was found to be 10–18 nm. Scanning electron microscopy showed monodisperse particles with hexagonal morphologies. Energy dispersive analysis by X-rays study confirmed stoichiometric deposition of CFTS thin films. The direct bandgap was found to be 1.54 eV for CFTS thin film deposited at 250 °C. It was observed that film resistivity drop at deposition temperature of 250 °C. The structural, morphological, compositional, optical and electrical properties of CFTS films have been found to be deposition temperature dependent. An appropriate optical band gap of 1.54 eV and a noteworthy and stable electrical property indicate their prospective for solar cell applications.
•Stoichiometric quaternary stannite Cu2FeSnS4 thin films.•Tetragonal crystal structure.•SEM shows monodisperse particles with hexagonal morphologies.•Direct band gap of 1.54 eV for film deposited at 250 °C.
A combination of Pd and Ni complexes activated aryl bromides for the thermal Mizoroki-Heck reaction and Suzuki coupling giving high yields in short reaction times. A thermal redox mechanism probably ...occurs whereby Ni complex transfers electron and reduces the Pd (II) to Pd (0) which then takes the reactants through the standard protocol of oxidative-addition, migratory insertion and reductive elimination, typical for the Mizoroki-Heck reaction and the Suzuki coupling.
Graphic Abstract
Semiconducting Cu2FeSnS4 (CFTS) thin films were spray-deposited with different thiourea contents in the precursor solution. The influence of thiourea contents (10–14 ml) in the precursor solution on ...the crystallographic, morphological, compositional, optical, electrical and thermoelectrical properties of CFTS films was studied. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed stannite phase having tetragonal crystal structure. The surface of CFTS thin films had hexagonal crystals. Nearly stoichiometric deposition has been witnessed through energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Optical bandgap was found to be in the range 1.54–1.76 eV based on the different thiourea contents in the precursor solution. The considerable reduction in electrical resistivity has been observed for TH13 sample. The CFTS thin films are p-type as confirmed from thermoelectrical analysis.
•Stoichiometric quaternary stannite Cu2FeSnS4 thin films.•Tetragonal crystal structure.•SEM shows hexagonal crystals of CFTS films.•Direct band gap of 1.54–1.76 eV.
Mesoporous NiFe
2
O
4
thin films have been prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis. The films are characterized by XRD, FESEM, EDAX, UV-Visible spectroscopy, DC electrical resistivity and ...electrochemical measurements. XRD result shows the cubic crystal structure with Fd-3 m (227) space group. Crystallite size is found in the range of 14-21 nm. FESEM showed crack free, well defined, uniform, mesoporous spherical grain-like surface morphology. EDAX study confirmed nearly stoichiometric deposition. The optical absorption studies confirmed direct allowed type transition with bandgap in the range of 2.09-2.29 eV. The films showed room temperature electrical resistivity of 2.34 × 10
4
Ωcm. The NiFe
2
O
4
thin film spray deposited at 450°C exhibited a specific capacitance of 591 Fg
−1
at a scan rate of 5 mV·s
−1
from CV and specific capacitance of 632 Fg
−1
at a current density of 0.5 Ag
−1
from GCD. These findings recommend a constructive route towards the preparation of NiFe
2
O
4
electrodes for high-performance electrochemical supercapacitors.
•PEC cell with n- Fe:ZnS0.2Se0.8 thin film/1 M polysulphide/C (graphite) configurations.•Open circuit voltage of 320 mV and short circuit current of 1.48 mA cm−2.•Efficiency and fill factor of 2.84% ...and 0.60.
Binary and ternary II–VI group semiconductor compounds are materials with potential use in various optoelectronic applications, including photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cells. Thin films of ZnS0.2Se0.8 with various Fe-doping concentrations were successfully deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated glass substrates at a deposition temperature of 275 °C using the chemical spray pyrolysis. PEC cells with Fe:ZnS0.2Se0.8 thin film/1 M polysulphide/C (graphite) configurations were designed, and the effect of Fe doping on the PEC performance was studied. The results showed that Fe doping in ZnS0.2Se0.8 enhanced the performance of the PEC cells significantly. The optimum concentration was 0.20 mol%. The flat band potential and junction barrier height were maximum at this concentration, with values of −1.18 V and 0.27 eV, respectively. The junction ideality factors of the 0.20 mol% Fe-doped ZnS0.2Se0.8 thin film-based PEC cell in the dark and under illumination were found to be 1.21 and 1.17, respectively. The photovoltaic power output characteristics were boosted by Fe doping with a concentration of 0.20 mol%, with the open circuit voltage being 320 mV and the short circuit current being 1.48 mA cm−2. The solar-to-electrical conversion and the fill factor of the 0.20 mol% Fe-doped ZnS0.2Se0.8 thin film-based PEC cells were superior, with values of 2.84% and 0.60, respectively. A PEC cell with a 0.20 mol% Fe-doped ZnS0.2Se0.8 photosensitive thin film had the highest spectral sensitivity, at a wavelength of 375 nm, with an optical band gap of 3.30 eV.
The centrosome acts as a centre for microtubule organisation and plays crucial roles in cell polarity, migration, growth and division. Cep131 has recently been described as a basal body component ...essential for cilium formation, but its function in non-ciliogenic cells is unknown. We identified human Cep131 (also known as AZI1) in a screen for regulators of genome stability. We show that centrosomal localisation of Cep131 is cell-cycle-regulated and requires both an intact microtubule network and a functional dynein-dynactin transport system. Cep131 is recruited to centriolar satellites by PCM1, and localised to the centriolar core region by both pericentrin and Cep290. Depletion of Cep131 results in a reduction in proliferation rate, centriole amplification, an increased frequency of multipolar mitosis, chromosomal instability and an increase in post-mitotic DNA damage. These data therefore highlight the importance of human Cep131 for maintaining genomic integrity.
Through an RNAi-based screen for previously uncharacterized regulators of genome stability, we have identified the human protein C5orf45 as an important factor in preventing the accumulation of DNA ...damage in human cells. Here, we functionally characterize C5orf45 as a binding partner of the MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) damage-sensing complex. Hence, we rename C5orf45 as MRNIP for MRN-interacting protein (MRNIP). We find that MRNIP is rapidly recruited to sites of DNA damage. Cells depleted of MRNIP display impaired chromatin loading of the MRN complex, resulting in reduced DNA end resection and defective ATM-mediated DNA damage signaling, a reduced ability to repair DNA breaks, and radiation sensitivity. Finally, we show that MRNIP phosphorylation on serine 115 leads to its nuclear localization, and this modification is required for MRNIP’s role in promoting genome stability. Collectively, these data reveal that MRNIP is an important component of the human DNA damage response.
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•C5orf45/MRNIP is identified as a MRN-interacting protein•MRNIP facilitates MRN complex association with chromatin•MRNIP promotes efficient ATM-mediated DDR signaling•MRNIP prevents accumulation of DNA damage in human cells
Staples et al. describe the cellular function of the human protein C5orf45. They find that C5orf45 physically interacts with the MRN complex and rename it MRN-interacting protein. MRNIP acts as an accessory factor to the MRN complex to facilitate robust ATM-mediated signaling in response to DNA damage.
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