Muhammad Ikram

By Mujtaba Ikram, Sana Arbab, Bilal Tariq, Rayha Khan, Husnain Ahmad, Abdullah Khan Durran, Muhammad Ikram, Muhammad Aamir Iqbal and Asghari Maqsood

Ceramic monoliths are applied in many insulating and high resistive engineering applications, but the energy application of ceramics monoliths is still vacant due to less conductivity of monolithic ceramics (for example, in silica- and alumina-based hybrids). This book chapter is a significant contribution in the graphene industry as it explains some novel and modified fabrication techniques for ceramics-graphene hybrids. The improved physical properties may be used to set ceramics-graphene hybrids as a standard for electrical, mechanical, thermal, and energy applications. Further, silica-rGO hybrids may be used as dielectric materials for high-temperature applications due to improved dielectric properties. The fabricated nano-assembly is important for a technological point of view, which may be further applied as electrolytes, catalysts, and conductive, electrochemically active, and dielectric materials for the high-temperature applications. In the end, this chapter discussed porous carbon as a massive source of electrochemical energy for supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries. Carbon materials which are future of energy storage devices because of their ability to store energy in great capacity, so sustainability through smart materials got a huge potential, so hereby keeping in view all the technological aspects, this chapters sums up important contribution of graphene and porous carbon for applied applications.

Part of the book: 21st Century Surface Science

By Mujtaba Ikram, Sana Arbab, Huma Anwar, Arsalan Nadeem, Sidra Baber, Abdullah Khan Durrani, Muhammad Ikram, Muhammad Aamir Iqbal, Muhammad Umer Farooq and Asghari Maqsood

In the developing world, energy crisis is the main reason for less progress and development. Renewable and sustainable energy may be of bright future for scientific lagging and low-income countries; further, sustainability through smart materials got a huge potential; so, hereby keeping in view the energy crisis which the developing world is facing for many decades, we are proposing to write a chapter project for obtaining energy through cheap, sustainable, and functional advanced carbon materials. Carbon materials are the future of energy storage devices because of their ability to store energy in great capacity. The graphene is a material with amazing properties like no band gap, which turns graphene a wonderful candidate for use in the photovoltaic. Shortly, this chapter will discuss how superior energy storage may be obtained through various routes like using pyrrolic (N5) and pyridinic (N6) doping in advanced carbon functional materials, or superior energy by KOH activation in carbon materials, or through carbonization in organic matter, respectively. Further, for the advanced carbon functional materials, the superior energy storage using pyrrolic (N5) and pyridinic (N6) doping, or KOH activation, or through carbonization will be discussed one by one for lithium ion batteries, supercapacitors, and relevant energy devices, respectively.

Part of the book: Advanced Functional Materials

By Muhammad Ikram, Ali Raza, Sarfraz Ali and Salamat Ali

Advanced 2D carbon materials such as graphene and derivatives are basic building blocks for future nanostructured generation in electronics and energy horizons owing to their remarkable physical and chemical properties. In this context, production scalability of 2D materials having high purity with distinctive and multi-functionalities, that facilitate in fundamental research and advanced studies as well as in industrial applications. A variety of techniques have been employed to develop 2D advanced carbon materials, amongst state-of-the-art synthetic protocols, electrochemical is deliberated as a promising approach that provides high yield, great performance, low cost, and excellent up-scalability. Notably, playing with electrochemical parameters not only allows tunable properties but also enhances the content variety from graphene to a wide spectrum of 2D semiconductors. In this chapter, a succinct and comprehensive survey of recent progress in electrochemical exfoliation routes and presents the processing techniques, strategic design for exfoliations, mechanisms, and electrochemistry of graphene.

Part of the book: 21st Century Advanced Carbon Materials for Engineering Applications

By Muhammad Ikram, Ali Raza, Atif Shahbaz, Haleema Ijaz, Sarfraz Ali, Ali Haider, Muhammad Tayyab Hussain, Junaid Haider, Arslan Ahmed Rafi and Salamat Ali

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are referred to as carbon nano-architecture allotropes, with wrapped graphene sheets forming a cylindrical structure. CNTs are either developed by metals or narrow-band semiconductors with rolling graphene sheets in various ways. Researchers have dedicated a great deal of attention to understanding the fascinating properties of CNTs over the years, and possess certain peculiar properties, such as a high degree of stiffness, a wide ratio of length to diameter, and remarkable toughness, and are employed in a number of applications. These properties can be enhanced by scheming the diameter, nature of walls, chirality, length of CNTs which is rolled up, and depending on the synthesis process. This chapter extensively covers the various properties of CNTs and how it influences to desired applications and also explains numerous methods of synthesis and processing of CNTs with advantages and some drawbacks.

Part of the book: 21st Century Advanced Carbon Materials for Engineering Applications

By Muhammad Ikram, Ali Raza, Khurram Shahzad, Ali Haider, Junaid Haider, Abdullah Khan Durrani, Asim Hassan Rizvi, Asghari Maqsood and Mujtaba Ikram

Advance carbon material that includes graphene, fullerenes, hierarchical carbon, and CNTs are referred to as strength of revolution and advancement in the era of material science and technology. In general, 20th century corresponds to plastic meanwhile 21st century will be named as “Century of Graphene” owing to its exceptional physical properties. Graphene is now well-known and prominent 2D carbon allotrope that is considered as multipurpose material in comparison with any material discovered on earth. One of the interesting properties of graphene is strongest and lightest material that enables it to conduct electricity and heat as compared to any other material. Such features permit it to utilize in numerous applications including biosensors, electronic industry, environmental remediation, drug delivery, energy storage, and production as well. Owing to these capabilities, it can be stated that graphene can be utilized to improve effectiveness and performance of existing substances and materials. In the future, conjugation of graphene with other 2D material will be devolved to produce further remarkable compounds that make it appropriate for an extensive variety of applications. This chapter grants the utilization and applications of advanced carbons materials in chemical, polymer, sensing and energy enegineering.

Part of the book: 21st Century Advanced Carbon Materials for Engineering Applications

By Muhammad Ikram, Ali Raza, Jahan Zeb Hassan, Arslan Ahmed Rafi, Asma Rafiq, Shehnila Altaf and Atif Ashfaq

An attractive class of transition metal oxides (TMOs) have been freshly concerned with increasing research interest worldwide concerning stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric configurations as well, that usually exhibits a spinel structure. These TMOs will contribute substantial roles in the production of eco-friendly and low-cost energy conversion (storage) devices owing to their outstanding electrochemical properties. The current chapter involves the summary of the latest research and fundamental advances in the effectual synthesis and rational design of TMOs nanostructures with meticulous size, composition, shape, and micro as well as nanostructures. Also applications of TMOs such as effective photocatalyst, gas sensing, biomedical, and as an electrode material that can be utilized for lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic applications. Additionally, certain future tendencies and visions for the development of next-generation advanced TMOs for electrochemical energy storage methods are also displayed.

Part of the book: Transition Metal Compounds

By Muhammad Ikram, Ali Raza, Shehnila Altaf, Arslan Ahmed Rafi, Misbah Naz, Sarfraz Ali, Syed Ossama Ali Ahmad, Ayesha Khalid, Salamat Ali and Junaid Haider

One of the pioneers who introduced superconductivity of metal solids was Kamerlingh Onnes (1911). Researchers always struggled to make observations towards superconductivity at high temperatures for achieving goals of evaluating normal room temperature superconductors. The physical properties are based entirely on the behavior of conventional and metal superconductors as a result of high-temperature superconductors. Various synthetic approaches are employed to fabricate high-temperature superconductors, but solid-state thermochemical process which involves mixing, calcinating, and sintering is the easiest approach. Emerging novel high-temperature superconductors mainly engaged with technological applications such as power transmission, Bio-magnetism, and Tokamaks high magnetic field. Finally, in this chapter, we will discuss a brief outlook, future prospects, and finished with possible science fiction and some opportunities with high-temperature superconductors.

Part of the book: Transition Metal Compounds

By Sara Baig, Muazzam Ahmed, Amna Batool, Aneeqa Bashir, Saadia Mumtaz, Muhammad Ikram, Mohsin Saeed, Khurram Shahzad, Muhammad Umer Farooq, Asghari Maqsood and Mujtaba Ikram

Part of the book: Graphene

By Hamza Asghar, Sara Baig, Mahnoor Naeem, Shamim Aslam, Aneeqa Bashir, Saadia Mumtaz, Muhammad Ikram, Mohsin Saeed, Khurram Shahzad, Muhammad Umer Farooq, Asghari Maqsood and Mujtaba Ikram

Because of the versatile chemical, physical, and electrical properties, graphene as well as its nanocomposites are regarded as the backbone of engineering and scientific innovation. Different physical and chemical methods are used to create sustainable carbon materials. Furthermore, fabrication methods are employed in order to produce the composites, which are of constituents with desirable properties. Because of their biocompatibility, graphene nanomaterials have enormous potential for improving biology and drug delivery. The proposed chapter provides a variety of fabrication methods for sustainable graphene composites and highlights various applications of graphene. Furthermore, graphene nanocomposites are promising multifunctional materials with improved tensile strength and elastic modulus. Despite some challenges and the fact that carbon nanotube/polymer composites are sometimes better in some specific performance, graphene nanocomposites may have a wide range of potential applications due to their outstanding properties and the low cost of graphene. Because these graphene composites have a controllable porous structure, a large surface area, high conductivity, high temperature stability, excellent anti-corrosion properties, and composite compatibility, they can be used in energy storage as electrocatalysts, electro-conductive additives, intercalation hosts, and an ideal substrate for active materials. Meanwhile, the chapter summaries the graphene nanocomposites requirements for technological innovation and scientific applied research.

Part of the book: Graphene