Due to the high cost of presently utilized Pt/C catalysts, a quick and sustainable synthesis of electrocatalysts made of cost-effective and earth-abundant metals is urgently needed. In this work, we demonstrated a mechanochemically synthesized cobalt nanoparticles supported on N and S doped carbons derived from a solid-state-reaction between zinc acetate and 2-amino thiazole as metal, organic ligand in presence of cobalt (Co) metal ions Zn_xCo_x(C₃H₄N₂S). Pyrolysis of the Zn_xCo_x(C₃H₄N₂S) produced, Co/NSC catalyst in which Co nanoparticles are evenly distributed on the nitrogen and sulfur doped carbon support. The Co/NSC catalyst have been characterized with various physical and electrochemical characterization techniques. The Co content in the Zn_xCo_x(C₃H₄N₂S) is carefully adjusted by varying the Co content and the optimized Co/NSC-3 catalyst is subjected to the oxygen reduction reaction in 0.1 M HClO₄ electrolyte. The optimized Co/NSC-3 catalyst reveals acceptable ORR activity with the half-wave potential of ~0.63 V vs. RHE in acidic electrolytes. In addition, the Co/NSC-3 catalyst showed excellent stability with no loss in the ORR activity after 10,000 potential cycles. When applied as cathode catalysts in dual chamber microbial fuel cells, the Co/NCS catalyst delivered satisfactory volumetric power density in comparison with Pt/C.

A novel anthracene-based receptor was synthesized via a facile condensation method. The anion-sensing behavior of the receptor was systematically investigated using colorimetric analysis, UV–visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence studies, and binding constant calculations. The synthesized receptor exhibited effective and selective recognition of cyanide (CN⁻) ions, accompanied by a distinct visual color change from pale yellow to light pink, whereas other tested metal ions produced no appreciable color response. Notably, in the presence of CN⁻ ions, the receptor displayed a pronounced and selective response toward Fe³⁺ ions, as evidenced by a subsequent color change from light pink to light yellow. Furthermore, the receptor enabled the construction of implication (IMP) and inhibition (INH) logic gates through the selective detection of CN⁻ and Fe³⁺ ions. The detection limit for CN⁻ ions was determined to be 7.3 × 10⁻⁷ M. The practical applicability of the receptor for CN⁻ detection was further demonstrated using sprouted potato samples and optical sensing platforms. In addition, the receptor exhibited excellent sensing performance and was successfully applied for the fluorescence labeling and imaging of CN⁻ ions in living biological cells.