Stainless Steel Mesh Substrates Research Articles

High flexible piezoelectric PZT thin films deposited on stainless steel mesh

This paper describes high flexible piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters (PVEHs) composed of PZT thin films on stainless steel (SS) mesh. The PZT thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti-coated SS mesh substrates which were plain-woven with the SS wire diameter of 15 μm and 30 μm, respectively. Relative dielectric constant of the PZT thin films on the SS mesh of φ15 and φ30 was measured to be 475, 263, respectively. In φ15 device, the remnant polarization and the coercive field was 11.9 µC/cm2 and 48.7 kV/cm, respectively. For the measurement of the piezoelectric response, we attached conductive rubber sheets to the rectangular top electrode. The maximum output voltage of about 30 mV was measured in each bending motion. We confirmed the capability of the PZT thin films on SS mesh for the PVEH applications.

Superfast Electrodeposition of Newly Developed RuCo2O4 Nanobelts over Low‐Cost Stainless Steel Mesh for High‐Performance Aqueous Supercapacitor

AbstractThe superfast (≈30 min) and template‐free electrochemical approach is developed to prepare the unique nanobelts‐architectured RuCo2O4 thin films over the stainless steel mesh substrates. The vertically aligned and interconnected RuCo2O4 nanobelts present sufficient interspace to provide more electroactive sites and shorten the diffusion path for electrolyte ions. Owing to their unique nanostructure and higher electrical conductivity, the RuCo2O4 nanobelts exhibit excellent electrochemical features, including a specific capacitance of 1447 F g−1, and excellent electrochemical stability (82.25% retention over 16 000 cycles). Additional electrochemical kinetic analysis is carried out to confirm whether the energy storage in the RuCo2O4 electrode is limited by solid‐state diffusion or whether it is surface‐controlled capacitive. More importantly, the comprehensive cycling analysis is performed to identify the factors responsible for capacity reduction upon long‐term cycling. The RuCo2O4 nanobelts based symmetric supercapacitor shows good supercapacitive characteristics and excellent specific capacitance (276 F g−1 at 2.5 A g−1) and specific energy (30 Wh kg−1 at a specific power of 200 W kg−1), which are superior to those of recently reported symmetric and asymmetric supercapacitor devices. This work presents a new electrode material for fabricating advanced high energy supercapacitor for different applications.

Characterization of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Nanowires and its Solar Cell Applications

Iron oxide nanowires were synthesized on stainless steel mesh substrate using the thermal oxidation process at the varying temperature of 750°C for 60 min. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD pattern showed that the iron oxide nanowires exhibited the structure of alpha-Fe2O3 (hematite). SEM images indicated that the diameter and the length of the nanowires were 80 to 285 nm and more than 5 μm, respectively. The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) properties based on the nanowires substrate was also studied. It was found that the power conversion efficiency (η) of the device was 0.11%.

Separation of Viscous Oil Emulsions Using Three-Dimensional Nanotetrapodal ZnO Membranes

The steam-assisted gravity-drainage (SAGD) method has emerged as among the leading methods of enhanced oil recovery and is predicated on the injection of steam within the wellbore followed by extraction of emulsions of viscous oil and water. The emulsions are stabilized by endogenous surfactants, necessitating extensive processing such as addition of chemical de-emulsifiers and slow gravity-based separation methods. Here, we show that a hierarchically textured membrane exhibiting orthogonal wettability, specifically, superoleophilic but superhydrophobic behavior, allows for effective separation of the water and viscous oil fractions of SAGD emulsions. The membrane is constructed by integrating ZnO nanotetrapods onto stainless steel meshes using a conformal amorphous SiO2 layer and is both mechanically resilient and thermally robust. The intrinsic surface energy characteristics of the ZnO tetrapods as well as their three-dimensional texture when arrayed atop the stainless steel mesh substrates contribute to the observed differential wettability between water and oil. Water content in permeated bitumen is reduced to as low as 0.69 vol % through a single-pass filtration step with the further advantage of eliminating silt particles. The permeation temperature and water content are tunable based on modulation of the mesh size and ZnO loading. The membranes allow for operation at SAGD temperatures in excess of 130 °C, thereby enabling the thermal disruption of hierarchical emulsions. The membrane-based separation of SAGD emulsions under realistic process conditions paves the way for entirely new process designs for recovering dry viscous oil.

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surfaces on Stainless Steel Mesh Substrates via Electro-brush Flow Plating Technology

Recently, superhydrophobic surface has attracted increasing attention because of its possible application prospect on self-cleaning, anti-icing, drag-reduction and corrosion-resistance. Although the main route to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces is first constructing the micro-structures and then lowering the surface energy, the lack of effective method to large-area fabricate suitable micro-structures limits its application. Here, we developed an electro-brush flow plating method to high-effectively fabricate micro-structures and superhydrophobic surfaces on stainless steel mesh substrate. The processing parameters including the plating voltage, plating time and brush speed which have significant influences on the superhydrophobicity of substrate were discussed. Under the proper parameters, the water contact angle on the prepared surface reaches to 158° and the water sliding angle is less than 10°. The SEM and XRD results demonstrate that the wires of superhydrophobic mesh were coated with micro/nano hierarchical Ni structures which trapped enough air to support water droplet and provide high mechanical robustness because of the high hardness of the coating.

Electrochemical investigation of Metal- Malonyldihydrazide complexes for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Application

Developing active and high efficient electro catalyst for the methanol oxidation is very important for the large scale commercialization of Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC). Here we report the metal-complex based catalyst providing a large potentiality to generate a new function compared to metal alloy catalysts. We formulated Iron malonyl dihydrazide, Copper malonyl dihydrazide, and Cobalt malonyl dihydrazide complexes by simple chemical synthesis. The prepared catalysts were characterized by the IR studies to confirm the metal-complex formation. The prepared catalysts were coated on the stainless steel mesh substrate with the incorporation of carbon powder. The modified electrodes were investigated for the methanol oxidation in 0.5M sulphuric acid medium through Cyclic Voltammetry. The results indicate Fe- malonyldihydrazide (abbreviated as Fe-MDH) complex shows efficient electro oxidation of methanol with better stability during long term potential cycling. The Fe-MDH modified electrode oxidizes the methanol at around 0.6V. The studies were optimized by varying the Fe-MDH ratio with carbon powder, catalyst drying temperature and concentration of the acidic medium. The modified Fe-MDH electrode was characterized using BET surface analysis, XRD, SEM analysis. Fuel cell performance was carried out which shows current density about 77mA/cm2.

Enhanced catalytic methane combustion over Co3O4 nanowire arrays by cation substitution

By using a simple hydrothermal method, large scale Co3O4 nanowire catalysts have been grown onto stainless steel mesh substrates to increase the catalyst utilization efficiency. To further enhance the catalytic activity, Mn species are doped into Co3O4 for the substitution of Co cations in the lattice to modify the activity of reactive sites. Detailed microstructure characterizations and catalytic performance evaluation have been carried out, and we found that this cation substitution strategy can significantly improve the catalytic properties of Co3O4 nanowires towards methane combustion at low temperature with appropriate amount of Mn species. On the other hand, further increase Mn concentration would result in drastically decrease of specific surface area of synthesized nanostructures and adverse effect on their catalytic activities. This study provides a feasible approach for scalable synthesis and rational optimization of nanotructured metal oxide catalysts applicable for various catalytic applications.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of a Stainless Steel Mesh-Supported Co3O4 Microrod Array As a Highly Efficient Catalyst for Electrochemical Water Oxidation

With the rising energy crisis and increasingly serious environmental issues, clean energy sources like fuel cell and lithium–air batteries are attracting the attention of the whole world. The direct fuel cell, especially, is believed to be the quintessential replacement for conventional sources of energy because of its high energy conversion capacity. Electrochemical water splitting has an important role in such sustainable energy technologies. Catalysts play a worthwhile role in water splitting, especially the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Engineering fine micro/nanostructures with subtle morphologies represents an effective strategy to enhance the activity of the resultant catalyst toward OER through exposing abundant electrochemically active sites. So, here we report a Co3O4@SUS catalyst, the well-defined Co3O4 microrods were successfully anchored onto the stainless steel mesh substrate with the assistance of diethylenetriamine using microwave irradiation, utilizing a commercially available microwav...

Biomimetic Plastronic Surfaces for Handling of Viscous Oil

Unconventional deposits such as extra heavy oil and bitumen represent a steadily increasing proportion of extracted fuels. The rheological properties of viscous crude oil represents a formidable impediment to their extraction, transportation, and processing and have necessitated considerable retooling and changes to process design. In this work, we demonstrate that highly textured inorganic substrates generated by depositing ZnO nanotetrapods onto periodically ordered stainless steel mesh substrates exhibit viscous oil contact angles exceeding 150° as well as enable the facile gliding of viscous oil. Such functionality is derived as a result of multiscale texturation and porosity achieved within these substrates, which are characterized by trapping of plastronic air pockets at the solid/liquid interface. Further reduction of the surface energy has been achieved by constituting a helical highly ordered self-assembled monolayer of a perfluorinated phosphonic acid on the ZnO surfaces. Such structures are strongly ejected upon immersion in water with water contact angles in excess of 160°. The functionalized substrates demonstrate remarkable superoleophobic behavior toward viscous crude oil with contact angles reaching 156° and are furthermore stable to temperatures of 290 °C. The remarkable results evidenced here hold promise for deployment of these constructs in the handling of viscous oil in order to reduce losses associated with transportation from railroad cars, pipelines, and other oil-handling equipment.

Low-cost superior symmetric solid-state supercapacitors based on MWCNTs/MnO 2 nanocomposite thin film

Abstract Herein we developed a nanocomposite of MnO 2 and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) deposited on a stainless-steel mesh substrate using a simple and scalable chemical approach to greatly expand the capacitive performance of MnO 2 -based electrodes. Electrochemical investigations of the chemically prepared MWCNTs/MnO 2 nanocomposite showed that it has high specific capacitance (614 F/g), high specific energy (85.3 Wh/kg), and high stability over 2500 cycles. The enhanced capacitive performance of the MWCNTs/MnO 2 nanocomposite was analyzed by calculating the surface-controlled and diffusion-controlled charge components. A symmetric solid-state supercapacitor using a MWCNTs/MnO 2 nanocomposite electrode and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-Na 2 SO 4 gel electrolyte achieved a cell voltage of 1.0 V and a maximum specific capacitance of 204 F/g with an energy density of 28.33 Wh/kg. Furthermore, the assembled symmetric solid-state supercapacitor achieved coulombic efficiency of 99.04%. The excellent electrochemical features of the MWCNTs/MnO 2 nanocomposite electrode make it a promising material for application in future capacitor-based energy storage systems.

Zn2+-Doped Polyaniline/Graphene Oxide as Electrode Material for Electrochemical Supercapacitors

Electrodes based on Zn2+-doped polyaniline/graphene oxide (Zn2+/PANI/GO) were synthesized on stainless steel mesh substrates in H2SO4 solution via electrochemical codeposition. Different concentrations of graphene oxide (GO) were incorporated into the films to improve the electrochemical performance of the electrodes. Electrochemical properties of the films were tested by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge tests, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, in a three-electrode system. The maximum specific capacitance of the Zn2+/PANI/GO film with a GO concentration of 15 mg L−1 was found to be 1266 F g−1 at a scan rate of 3 mV s−1. This value was higher than that of a Zn2+ doped polyaniline (Zn2+/PANI) film (814 F g−1). The Zn2+/PANI/GO film also showed good cycling stability, retaining over 86% of its initial capacitance after 1000 cycles. These results indicate that the Zn2+/PANI/GO composites can be applied as high performance supercapacitor electrodes.

Open‐Structured V2O5·nH2O Nanoflakes as Highly Reversible Cathode Material for Monovalent and Multivalent Intercalation Batteries

The high‐capacity cathode material V2O5·nH2O has attracted considerable attention for metal ion batteries due to the multielectron redox reaction during electrochemical processes. It has an expanded layer structure, which can host large ions or multivalent ions. However, structural instability and poor electronic and ionic conductivities greatly handicap its application. Here, in cell tests, self‐assembly V2O5·nH2O nanoflakes shows excellent electrochemical performance with either monovalent or multivalent cation intercalation. They are directly grown on a 3D conductive stainless steel mesh substrate via a simple and green hydrothermal method. Well‐layered nanoflakes are obtained after heat treatment at 300 °C (V2O5·0.3H2O). Nanoflakes with ultrathin flower petals deliver a stable capacity of 250 mA h g−1 in a Li‐ion cell, 110 mA h g−1 in a Na‐ion cell, and 80 mA h g−1 in an Al‐ion cell in their respective potential ranges (2.0–4.0 V for Li and Na‐ion batteries and 0.1–2.5 V for Al‐ion battery) after 100 cycles.

Electrodeposition of flexible stainless steel mesh supported ZnO nanorod arrays with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Large scale well oriented ZnO nanorod arrays (ZNRAs) were electrodeposited on flexible stainless steel mesh (SSM) substrate pre-treated by Al doped ZnO (AZO) seed layers. The effects of substrate pre-treatment conditions such as Al doping and spin coating times of the colloid on the morphology characteristics and photocatalytic properties of as-prepared ZNRAs were systematically studied. The results showed that by introducing Al into ZnO colloid solution, well aligned ZNRAs with relatively higher specific surface area (higher growth density and smaller rod diameter) could be obtained on the premodified SSM substrate. In addition, increasing spin coating times of AZO colloid solution would decrease the average diameter of ZNRAs. Under the optimum preparing conditions, the formed flexible SSM supported ZNRAs exihibited enhanced photocatalytic performance of 93.42% and remarkable photocatalytic stability under the UV-lamp for degradation of Rhodamine B.

Morphology-controlled synthesis and field-emission properties of patterned SnO2 nanostructures with different morphologies

Tin oxide nanostructured arrays with different morphologies were grown on stainless-steel mesh substrates by a simple thermal evaporation process. It was found that the SnO2 nanostructures could be easily changed from nanobelts to nanocones, nanoneedles, micro-rods, ultra-long nanowires, and slim nanorods by controlling the parameters of growth temperature and N2/O2 flow. A model combining vapor-liquid-solid (VLS)-base growth and vapor-solid (VS)-tip growth was proposed to explain the growth of SnO2 nanostructures with manifold morphologies. Field-emission (FE) studies revealed that the morphologies of these patterned SnO2 nanostructures had considerable effects on the FE properties. Among these nanostructures, ultra-long nanowire arrays had the lowest turn-on field (~0.47V/um) and the highest field enhancement factor (~8848). More importantly, the ultra-long nanowire emitters showed excellent FE stability with fluctuations within 2.7%. The enhanced FE properties may be attributed to synergic effects arising from the aligned structures of the ultra-long nanowire emitters, their smaller areal density and their highest aspect ratio (~12000).

Effect of annealing temperature on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of MoS2 electrodeposited onto stainless steel mesh

Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) thin films were deposited on flexible stainless steel mesh (SSM) using an electrodeposition method. The influence of annealing treatment from 200 to 800 °C under a Nitrogen atmosphere for 30 min, on the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of samples were investigated. X-ray diffraction showed that MoS2 thin film annealed at 700 °C exhibited the best crystalline quality with (002) preferential orientation. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the films were compact and grain size increased with increasing annealing temperature, from 825 nm to 1.5 µm, whereas annealing at a higher temperature (800 °C) resulted in a significant agglomeration of MoS2. According to the UV–Vis diffuse reflectivity spectra, the band gap of thin films was deduced in the range between 1.52 and 1.56 eV. Through photoluminescence measurement, it was demonstrated that among the five samples annealed at different temperatures, the 700 °C-annealed sample presents the lowest intensity with a narrow shape. Using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data, the interface was modeled as an equivalent circuit approach. From Mott–Schottky plots, the flat-band potential and the acceptor density for MoS2 thin films are determined. All the films showed an n-type semiconductor character with the highest carrier density of 4.8 × 1022 cm−3 and lowest flat-band potential of −0.55 V when the annealing was maintained at 700 °C. These results suggest that the MoS2 thin film electrodeposited on SSM substrate and annealed at 700 °C under N2 atmosphere is a promising strategy in the range of chalcogenide material suitable for the photoelectrochemical applications.

Extremely permeable porous graphene with high H2/CO2 separation ability achieved by graphene surface rejection.

Fabrication of a graphene separation sheet is difficult because of the necessity for leakage-free graphene transfer onto a substrate. In this study, porous graphene sheets with thicknesses of one, two, and four layers were directly fabricated on stainless-steel mesh substrates and demonstrated to display high separation ability for H2, CO2, and CH4. The single-layer graphene sample exhibited higher permeance for these molecules than double- and four-layer graphene and displayed similar high selectivity to that of other porous materials. Permeance was proportional to molecular velocity and inversely proportional to interaction strength with graphene; molecular size-dependent permeance was not seen. Molecules that interacted strongly with graphene were attracted to the graphene surface, which hindered permeation. Such graphene surface rejection allowed graphene containing larger pores than the molecular size to provide both high molecular permeance and selectivity. The relationship between the permeance of porous graphene for H2 and H2/CO2 with selectivity suggested that its permeance was higher than that of other materials with high separation performance. Therefore, the porous graphene samples separated molecules with extremely high permeance by graphene surface rejection.

Correlation between SSM substrate effect and physical properties of ZnO nanowires electrodeposited with or without seed layer for enhanced photoelectrochemical applications

ZnO nanowires (NWs) were grown vertically by electrodeposition technique on a stainless-steel mesh (SSM) substrate in the presence and absence of seed layer. A new contribution to the knowledge of both substrate nature and seed layer dependence on structural, morphological, optical properties is reported. X-ray diffraction revealed that all the samples are mainly crystallized in the wurtzite ZnO phase. In the presence of seed layer onto the SSM substrate, the crystalline nature of ZnO NWs is improved by the enhancement of intensity in (002) peak, which indicates a preferential orientation along this peak. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show that, in the presence of seed layer, nanowires appear uniform and stand perpendicular to the substrate with hexagonal shape, implying the occurrence of the wurtzite ZnO crystal structure. According to optical measurements, the decrease of the band-gap energy is due mainly to the seed layer effect and the SSM substrate contribution. To investigate the effect of seed layer and SSM substrate, a photoeletrochemical (PEC) analysis of ZnO NWs is performed. The photocurrent density produced by the ZnO NWs/ZnO/SSM electrode reached 0.2mA·cm^-2, about two times higher than that measured on the ZnO NWs/SSM electrode. These results indicate that both seed layer and substrate have great potential in photoelectrochemical devices.

ZnO nanowires coated stainless steel meshes as hierarchical photocatalysts for catalytic photodegradation of four kinds of organic pollutants

ZnO nanostructures were grown on the stainless steel mesh substrates using an aqueous chemical growth method. The different additives (such as 1,3-diaminopropane and polyethyleneimine) can be used to control the morphology of ZnO nanostructures. ZnO nanowires exhibit very prominent green emission and week UV emission from defect and band gap in the cathodoluminescence spectrum, respectively. The different morphology of ZnO nanostructures on the stainless steel mesh substrates can be used to irradiate UV light for the photocatalytic degradation of four kinds of organic pollutants, such as methylene blue, rhodamine 6G, methyl orange, and 4-nitrophenol. The ZnO nanowires can provide a higher surface-to-volume ratio and stronger defect emission, resulting in their highest photocatalytic performance in 10 W UV light irradiation. The ZnO nanowire arrays on the stainless steel mesh substrates provide a large-scale, facile, low-cost, high surface area, and high photocatalytic efficiency, which shall be of significant value for practical applications of the decomposition of environment pollutants and reusing of wastewater treatment.

Activity and Stability of Pure and Modified Coooh for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction in an Alkaline Medium

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) plays a critical role in numerous energy conversion devices such as water splitting cells, metal-air batteries, and fuel cells. However, the high overpotential and sluggish kinetics associated with the OER greatly reduces the efficiency of these devices. To date, ruthenium oxide is considered the most active catalyst for OER, but its high cost and low abundance has prevented its large-scale application as an OER catalyst.[1] Thus, active, stable, and affordable OER catalysts are highly sought after. Among the various non-noble metal catalysts, transition metal oxyhydroxides such as NiOOH and Ni-doped FeOOH have recently attracted much attention owing to their high OER activity.[2] In addition, based on recent calculations and in situ studies, oxyhydroxides have been proposed to be the stable phase for cobalt-based oxide catalysts in alkaline conditions under OER-relevant potentials.[3,4] As a result, understanding the activity and stability of oxyhydroxides in alkaline conditions is important to aid in the design and optimization of OER catalysts. In this study, we investigate the chemical composition and structure of pure and modified CoOOH and their correlation to the activity and stability of the OER. Pure CoOOH samples were prepared using a chemical bath deposition technique followed by chemical oxidation. [5] To modify CoOOH with Ni and Mn, wet impregnation was carried out prior to chemical oxidation. All the CoOOH samples were grown on a stainless steel mesh substrate and have a nanowire morphology (Figure 1). The nanowire-on-stainless steel mesh design serves two purposes: it ensures excellent electrical contact and improves the active surface area of the electrode. All electrodes prepared by this method were characterized by using electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy prior to and after electrochemical testing. OER activity was investigated in a three electrode cell in 0.1 M KOH. Based on steady-state linear sweep voltammetry, Ni-modified CoOOH samples showed greatly improved OER activity, and the increase in performance is correlated with higher Ni content (Figure 1). On the other hand, Mn modification showed no effect on the OER activity of CoOOH. Using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Ni modification of CoOOH lowered the charge transfer resistance, whereas Mn modification did not. Ni-modified CoOOH samples exhibited lower Tafel slopes compared to pure CoOOH samples. This suggests a difference in the reaction rate-determining step between pure and Ni-modified CoOOH. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the CoOOH samples before and after stability testing revealed lower OH content in the surface region after testing and the loss of surface OH increased with higher applied potential. Acknowledgment This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CHE-1465082. ZC acknowledges support by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship.

Electro Oxidation of Methanol on Ni/Ni-Co Coated SS Mesh Electrode

In this work, the oxidation of methanol was carried out using Ni and Ni-Co alloy electrodeposited on stainless steel mesh substrate with a view to replace expensive and sensitive platinum and platinum alloy catalysts. The performance of electrode was assessed through cyclic voltammetry in alkaline media. The operating conditions of the electrode were optimized.