Presence Of RuO2 Research Articles

Biocompatibility of hydroxyethyl cellulose/glycine/RuO2 composite scaffolds for neural-like cells

Fabrication of scaffolds for nerve regeneration is one of the most challenging topics in regenerative medicine at the moment, which is also interlinked with the development of biocompatible substrates for cells growth. This work is targeted towards the development of green biomaterial composite scaffolds for nerve cell culture applications. Hybrid scaffolds of hydroxyethyl cellulose/glycine (HEC/Gly) composite doped with different concentrations of green ruthenium oxide (RuO2) were synthesized and characterized via a combination of different techniques. X-rays diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses showed a crystalline nature for all the samples with noticeable decrease in the peak intensity of the fabricated scaffolds as compared to that for pure glycine. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) tests revealed an increase in the vibrational bands of the synthesized RuO2 containing scaffolds which are related to the functional groups of the natural plant extract (Aspalathuslinearis) used for RuO2 nanoparticles (NPs) synthesis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results revealed a 3D porous structure of the scaffolds with variant features attributed to the concentration of RuO2 NPs in the scaffold. The compressive test results recorded an enhancement in mechanical properties of the fabricated scaffolds (up to 8.55 MPa), proportionally correlated to increasing the RuO2 NPs concentration in HEC/Gly composite scaffold. Our biocompatibility tests revealed that the composite scaffolds doped with 1 and 2 ml of RuO2 demonstrated the highest proliferation percentages (152.2 and 135.6%) compared to control. Finally, the SEM analyses confirmed the impressive cells attachments and differentiation onto the scaffold surfaces as evidenced by the presence of many neuron-like cells with apparent cell bodies and possessing few short neurite-like processes. The presence of RuO2 and glycine was due to their extraordinary biocompatibility due to their cytoprotective and regenerative effects. Therefore, we conclude that these scaffolds are promising for accommodation and growth of neural-like cells.

Graphene/RuO2 nanocrystal composites as sulfur host for lithium-sulfur batteries

Abstract An optimized graphene/RuO2/S composite is prepared by hydrothermal growth of RuO2 particles on graphene oxide sheets as the positive electrode for rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries. The electrode with 6.1 wt% RuO2 nanocrystals and a high sulfur content of 79.0 wt% delivers an optimal electrochemical performance with high residual capacities of 508 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles and 389 mAh g−1 after 800 cycles at 1 C with a low capacity decay of 0.054%. The RuO2 nanocrystals promote the redox reaction kinetics and facilitate the transformation of sulfur chemistry, leading to large improvements in reversibility and rate capability of the composite electrode. The density functional theory calculations signify the formation of Li–O and Ru–S bonds through chemical interactions between RuO2 and Li polysulfides while the adsorption energies between graphene and polysulfide species are much higher in the presence of RuO2 than that of the neat graphene acting alone. These discoveries support the efficient entrapment of polysulfides by the composite electrode to the benefit of enhanced cyclic stability of the battery.

Simultaneous co-doping of RuO2 and IrO2 into anodic TiO2 nanotubes: A binary catalyst for electrochemical water splitting

The simultaneous doping of RuO2 and IrO2 catalysts into anodic TiO2 nanotubes (NTs) was successfully achieved by single-step anodization. KRuO4 was used as the precursor for the RuO2 dopant. However, for IrO2 doping, IrOx nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized from IrCl3 as an intermediate species to avoid damage to the NTs by chloride ions during doping. IrO4− generated from the IrOx NPs through selective dissolution in the electrolyte was simultaneously doped into the positively biased TiO2 NTs along with RuO2. The structural features, NT length, and amount of catalyst doping were controlled by the concentration of HF in the electrolyte and the anodizing time. The binary-catalyst-doped TiO2 NTs exhibited an outstanding onset potential of 0.84 V for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In addition, the amount of O2 gas evolved during the OER at 2.0 V was measured to be 230 μmol cm−2 min−1 by gas chromatography, which corresponds to a faradaic efficiency of 99%. The major oxidation states of the metals in the catalysts were found to be Ru4+ and Ir4+ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy selected area electron diffraction analysis, indicating the presence of RuO2 and IrO2 in the TiO2 NTs.

Atmospheric‐pressure nonthermal plasma synthesis of ammonia over ruthenium catalysts

Atmospheric‐pressure nonthermal plasma was used to synthesize ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen over ruthenium catalysts. Formation of NH3 in a N2‐H2 mixture altered the plasma characteristics due to the low ionization potential of NH3 (10.15 eV). The optimum gas ratio was found at N2:H2 = 4:1 by volume (i.e., N2‐rich conditions). When plasma was operated at a temperature below 250 °C, the NH3 concentration increased linearly with increasing specific input energy (SIE). For the Ru(2)‐Mg(5)/γ‐Al2O3 catalyst at 250 °C, pulse energization was four times more efficient than the AC energization case. The presence of RuO2 was found to be beneficial for the NH3 synthesis via plasma‐catalysis. The addition of a small amount of O2 was found to be effective for the in situ regeneration of the deactivated catalyst. The effect of metal promoters was in the order of Mg > K > Cs > no promoter.

Promoting effect of nitrogen doping on carbon nanotube-supported RuO2 applied in the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

RuO2 nanoparticles supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) functionalized with oxygen (OCNTs) and nitrogen (NCNTs) were employed for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 0.1M KOH. The catalysts were synthesized by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition using ruthenium carbonyl (Ru3(CO)12) as Ru precursor. The obtained RuO2/OCNT and RuO2/NCNT composites were characterized using TEM, H2-TPR, XRD and XPS in order probe structure–activity correlations, particularly, the effect of the different surface functional groups on the electrochemical OER performance. The electrocatalytic activity and stability of the catalysts with mean RuO2 particle sizes of 13–14nm was evaluated by linear sweep voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, and chronopotentiometry, showing that the generation of nitrogen-containing functional groups on CNTs was beneficial for both OER activity and stability. In the presence of RuO2, carbon corrosion was found to be significantly less severe.

RuO2 loaded into porous Ni as a synergistic catalyst for hydrogen production

Electrolytic hydrogen by renewable electricity such as solar and wind power is considered as a sustainable energy storage approach. In this work, a porous nano/microarchitectured RuO2/Ni composite catalyst has been elaborately designed via a facile and controllable route. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), linear scanning voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to scrutinize the catalysts and the electrochemical performance. The designed RuO2/p-Ni catalyst significantly displays enhanced catalytic activity and long-term durability toward hydrogen production compared with a Pt catalyst. The excellent performance of the composite catalyst could be ascribed to the fact that RuO2 can be well incorporated into the constructed porous Ni network with large specific surface area. The presence of RuO2 and the Ni network in pairs on the surface of the composite catalyst may not only result in a synergistically enhanced catalytic effect between RuO2 and the porous Ni network by hydrogen spillover, but also ensure that RuO2 firmly binds with the porous Ni network, consequently ensuring the long-term durability of the catalyst during the whole reaction.