https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01577861/document

A comparison of technologies for remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are considered as promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries owing to the abundant sodium resources. However, the limited energy density, moderate cycling life, and immature manufacture technology of SIBs are the major challenges hindering their practical application. Recently, numerous efforts are devoted to developing novel electrode materials with high specific capacities and long durability. In comparison with carbonaceous materials (e.g., hard carbon), partial Group IVA and VA elements, such as Sn, Sb, and P, possess high theoretical specific capacities for sodium storage based on the alloying reaction mechanism, demonstrating great potential for high-energy SIBs. In this review, the recent research progress of alloy-type anodes and their compounds for sodium storage is summarized. Specific efforts to enhance the electrochemical performance of the alloy-based anode materials are discussed, and the challenges and perspectives regarding these anode materials are proposed.

Alloy-Based Anode Materials toward Advanced Sodium-Ion Batteries

The details of all steps involved in the quantification of
biofilm formation in microtiter plates are described. The
presented protocol incorporates information on assessment of
biofilm production by staphylococci, gained both by direct
experience as well as by analysis of methods for assaying
biofilm production. The obtained results should simplify
quantification of biofilm formation in microtiter plates, and
make it more reliable and comparable among different
laboratories.

Quantification of biofilm in microtiter plates: overview oftesting conditions and practical recommendations for assessmentof biofilm production by staphylococci.

Trace heavy metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, chromium, nickel, and mercury, are important environmental pollutants, particularly in areas with high anthropogenic pressure. In addition to these metals, copper, manganese, iron, and zinc are also important trace micronutrients. The presence of trace heavy metals in the atmosphere, soil, and water can cause serious problems to all organisms, and the ubiquitous bioavailability of these heavy metal can result in bioaccumulation in the food chain which especially can be highly dangerous to human health. This study reviews the heavy metal contamination in several areas of Pakistan over the past few years, particularly to assess the heavy metal contamination in water (ground water, surface water, and waste water), soil, sediments, particulate matter, and vegetables. The listed contaminations affect the drinking water quality, ecological environment, and food chain. Moreover, the toxicity induced by contaminated water, soil, and vegetables poses serious threat to human health.

/pdf/pollution-status-of-pakistan-a-retrospective-review-on-heavy-1cieb4ncbq.pdf

Pollution Status of Pakistan: A Retrospective Review on Heavy Metal Contamination of Water, Soil, and Vegetables

We explore the thermoelectric and phonon transport properties of two-dimensional monochalcogenides (SnSe, SnS, GeSe, and GeS) using density functional theory combined with Boltzmann transport theory. We studied the electronic structures, Seebeck coefficients, electrical conductivities, lattice thermal conductivities, and figures of merit of these two-dimensional materials, which showed that the thermoelectric performance of monolayer of these compounds is improved in comparison compared to their bulk phases. High figures of merit (ZT) are predicted for SnSe (ZT = 2.63, 2.46), SnS (ZT = 1.75, 1.88), GeSe (ZT = 1.99, 1.73), and GeS (ZT = 1.85, 1.29) at 700 K along armchair and zigzag directions, respectively. Phonon dispersion calculations confirm the dynamical stability of these compounds. The calculated lattice thermal conductivities are low while the electrical conductivities and Seebeck coefficients are high. Thus, the properties of the monolayers show high potential toward thermoelectric applications.

/pdf/thermoelectric-and-phonon-transport-properties-of-two-2fh3tqdzc4.pdf

Thermoelectric and phonon transport properties of two-dimensional IV-VI compounds.

Using density functional theory, we systematically investigate the lattice thermal conductivity and carrier mobility of monolayer SnX2 (X = S, Se). The room-temperature ultra low lattice thermal conductivities found in monolayer SnS2 (6.41 W m-1 K-1) and SnSe2 (3.82 W m-1 K-1) are attributed to the low phonon velocity, low Debye temperature, weak bonding interactions, and strong anharmonicity in monolayer SnX2. The predicted values of lattice thermal conductivity are lower than those of other two-dimensional materials such as stanene, phosphorene, monolayer MoS2, and bulk SnX2. High phonon-limited carrier mobilities are obtained for the monolayer SnX2. For example, the electron mobility of monolayer SnS2 is 756.60 cm2 V-1 s-1 and the hole mobility is 187.44 cm2 V-1 s-1. The electron mobility of these monolayers is higher than their hole mobility due to the low effective mass of electrons and low deformation constants, which makes them n-type materials. Due to their ultra low lattice thermal conductivities coupled with high carrier mobilities, monolayer SnX2 materials may be promising materials for thermoelectric applications.

Ultra low lattice thermal conductivity and high carrier mobility of monolayer SnS2 and SnSe2: a first principles study.

Properties such as the high binding energy of the Na adatom, high charge storage capacity, low half-cell voltage, and low activation energy barrier for Na diffusion render monolayer SnS2 a suitable anode material for rechargeable sodium ion batteries. However, the large expansion of the pristine monolayer SnS2 during sodiation and its high band gap, which is a barrier to the free flow of electrons, limit its practical use in batteries. These limitations can be adequately overcome by making a SnS2/graphene heterostructure. The graphene layer of the heterostructure prevents the SnS2 layer from expanding during sodiation and enhances its electrical conductivity, while the SnS2 monolayer makes Na atoms bind tightly. Even though the energy barrier for Na diffusion is increased by the heterostructure, it still competes with popular anode materials for Li and Na ion batteries. The combination of abundant and low-cost carbon, SnS2, and Na has high potential as an efficient commercial anode material for non-toxic rechargeable Na ion batteries.

First principles study of a SnS2/graphene heterostructure: a promising anode material for rechargeable Na ion batteries

A comparative study of the monovalent (Li, Na, and K) and multivalent (Be, Mg, Ca, and Al) metal ion adsorption and diffusion on an electronically semi-metallic two-dimensional nanosheet of 1T structured TiS2 is presented here to contribute to the search for abundant, cheap, and nontoxic ingredients for efficient rechargeable metal ion batteries. The total formation energy of the metal ion adsorption and the Bader charge analysis show that the divalent Mg and Ca ions can have a charge storage density double that of the monovalent Li, Na, and K ions, while the Be and Al ions form metallic clusters even at a low adsorption density because of their high bulk energies. The adsorption of Mg ions shows the lowest averaged open circuit voltage (0.13 V). The activation energy barriers for the diffusion of metal ions on the surface of the monolayer successively decrease from Li to K and Be to Ca. Mg and Ca, being divalent, are capable of storing a higher power density than Li while K and Na have a higher rate capability than the Li ions. Therefore, rechargeable Li ion batteries can be totally or partially replaceable by Mg ion batteries, where high power density and high cell voltage are required, while the abundant, cheap, and fast Na ions can be used for green grid applications.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6528/aa6536/pdf

Adsorption and diffusion of mono, di, and trivalent ions on two-dimensional TiS2.

Using density functional theory, MoS2@VS2 nanocomposite is reported as a hybrid anode with upgraded electronic conductivity and Li/Na storage capacity. The chemically active monolayer VS2 can be stabilized in energy and phonon vibrations by using the monolayer MoS2 as a substrate. The stability of the chemically active monolayer VS2 is attributed to the interfacial charge accumulation between the monolayer MoS2 and VS2. The maximum specific capacity of the nanocomposite has been enhanced to 584 mAh/g both for Li and for Na storage. We attribute the high enhancement in the Li/Na storage capacity of MoS2@VS2 nanocomposite to the charge redistribution in the formation of the nanocomposite. The lithiation/sodiation open-circuit voltage range of the nanocomposite is quite feasible to be used as anode. Diffusion barriers of Li/Na ions on the surfaces of the nanocomposite are comparable to the barriers on corresponding monolayers, while at the interface the barriers are lower than that for bulk MoS2. This study ...

MoS2@VS2 Nanocomposite as a Superior Hybrid Anode Material

The growth of inch-scale high-quality graphene on insulating substrates is desirable for electronic and optoelectronic applications, but remains challenging due to the lack of metal catalysis. Here we demonstrate the wafer-scale synthesis of adlayer-free ultra-flat single-crystal monolayer graphene on sapphire substrates. We converted polycrystalline Cu foil placed on Al2O3(0001) into single-crystal Cu(111) film via annealing, and then achieved epitaxial growth of graphene at the interface between Cu(111) and Al2O3(0001) by multi-cycle plasma etching-assisted-chemical vapour deposition. Immersion in liquid nitrogen followed by rapid heating causes the Cu(111) film to bulge and peel off easily, while the graphene film remains on the sapphire substrate without degradation. Field-effect transistors fabricated on as-grown graphene exhibited good electronic transport properties with high carrier mobilities. This work breaks a bottleneck of synthesizing wafer-scale single-crystal monolayer graphene on insulating substrates and could contribute to next-generation graphene-based nanodevices. 

/pdf/wafer-scale-single-crystal-monolayer-graphene-grown-on-lkh45u7b.pdf

Abdus Samad

Papers

Ultra low lattice thermal conductivity and high carrier mobility of monolayer SnS2 and SnSe2: a first principles study.

First principles study of a SnS2/graphene heterostructure: a promising anode material for rechargeable Na ion batteries

Adsorption and diffusion of mono, di, and trivalent ions on two-dimensional TiS2.

MoS2@VS2 Nanocomposite as a Superior Hybrid Anode Material

Wafer-scale single-crystal monolayer graphene grown on sapphire substrate