The goal of this work has been to fabricate very thin, highly porous Ir films, of use in a wide variety of applications. To achieve this objective, Ir was electrodeposited on a Au-coated quartz crystal, allowing in situ mass measurements to be carried out while concurrently monitoring the charge passed, as a function of the deposition potential, H₂IrCl₆ concentration, and time. Ir thin films (<5 nm) could be deposited at 100% charge efficiency at an optimum potential of 0.1–0.2 V vs. RHE, all in room temperature 0.5 M H₂SO₄ containing various concentrations of H₂IrCl₆. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and in situ surface area measurements showed that the Ir films are uniform and yet highly porous (up to 50%), independent of film thickness. We were also able to efficiently convert the electrodeposited Ir to Ir oxide, without significant loss of metal or diminished coating adhesion, while also maintaining their very high surface area properties. These interesting thin films are very promising for a wide variety of electrocatalytic and sensing applications.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained considerable interest as crystalline porous materials with notable characteristics, such as high surface area and excellent electrochemical performance, particularly in supercapacitor applications. The combination of MOFs with various nanocarbon materials further enhances their performance. This study investigated the combination of zirconium-based MOFs (Zr-MOFs) with graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONRs), zipped carbon nanotubes, and functionalized carbon nanotubes (FCNTs) to fabricate composites with elevated electrical conductivity, adjustable surface area, chemical robustness, mechanical strength, and customizable attributes for specific applications. Zr-MOFs exhibit remarkable capacitance, making them promising electrode materials for supercapacitors. GONRs and FCNTs have recently emerged as focal materials owing to their unique properties, which make them promising materials for electrochemical energy storage devices. A thorough investigation of the supercapacitive behavior of GONRs, FCNTs, Zr-MOFs, Zr-MOFs/FCNTs, and Zr-MOFs/GONRs in 1 M H₂SO₄ using different evaluation systems (three- and two-electrode systems) revealed a significant enhancement in the capacitance of Zr-MOFs after the introduction of GONRs and FCNTs. Employing Zr-MOF/GONR and Zr-MOF/FCNT composites as positive electrodes and GONRs as negative electrodes in two-electrode measurements demonstrated remarkable cycling stability by retaining their specific capacitances (C_s) even after 10 000 consecutive charge/discharge cycles at a high current density of 10 A g⁻¹. Moreover, they feature a broad potential window of 1.7 V in the three-electrode system. This extends to 2 V in the two-electrode system, achieving high C_s. This highlights the remarkable electrochemical performance of the Zr-MOF/GONR and Zr-MOF/FCNT composites, offering a compelling approach for energy storage applications.

Highly concentrated (8%) and monodispersed sub-50 nm polystyrene spheres were synthesized using emulsion polymerization. Parameters such as the initiator/monomer/surfactant concentration and surfactant type were used to control the PS sphere sizes.

Ru_core@Pt_shell NPs with a controlled Pt_shell coverage and two different Ru_core sizes (2 and 3 nm) were synthesized to determine the precise role of Ru in the MOR activity at Ru_core@Pt_shell NPs.