It is a fundamental truth in solid compounds that the physical properties follow the symmetry of the crystal structure. Nowhere is the effect of symmetry more pronounced than in the electronic and magnetic properties of materials—even the projection of the bulk crystal symmetry onto different crystal faces is known to have a substantial impact on the surface electronic states. The effect of bulk crystal symmetry on the properties...

The design of efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is an essential task in developing sustainable water splitting technology for the production of hydrogen. In this work, manganese cobalt spinel oxides with a general formula of MnxCo3-xO4 (x=0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2) were synthesised via a soft chemistry method. Non-equilibrium mixed powder compositions were produced, resulting in high electrocatalytic activity....

In this work, PdO/TiO2 and Eu2O3/TiO2 nanocomposites (NCs), were synthesized using a new facile, template-free and one-step solvothermal approach, and characterized by several instrumentation techniques. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies revealed the presence of oxidised form of the Pd and Eu nanoparticles within the nanocomposite materials (PdO and Eu2O3). The two catalysts exhibited remarkable activity for the HER...