Molecular insights into the dispersion stability of graphene oxide in mixed solvents: Theoretical simulations and experimental verification

HYPOTHESIS

Improving the dispersion stability of graphene oxide (GO) suspensions is of great importance in many potential applications of GO, such as GO-based laminated membranes used for separation, printable electronics, and aqueous liquid crystals.

EXPERIMENTS

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and quantum chemistry (QC) calculations along with complementary experiments were performed to study the dispersion stability of GO in the mixtures of water and polar organic solvents (dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), ethanol, and acetone).

FINDINGS

GO exhibits better dispersion stability in a solvent mixture than in pure water. The MD simulations uncover the underlying mechanism that mixed solvent layers are formed steadily on the surface of GO sheets and screen the interactions between them. QC calculations reveal that both DMSO and water form hydrogen bonds with the oxidized regions of GO. X-ray diffraction experiments confirm that the GO sheets are intercalated by DMSO and water molecules. Furthermore, the optimal ratio of the organic solvent to water is determined to achieve the best dispersion stability of GO through MD simulations. And such ratio is also verified by ultraviolet absorption spectral experiments. Thus, our findings provide a facile method to prepare GO suspensions with high dispersion stability.

Atomically Precise PdSe2 Pentagonal Nanoribbons

We report atomically precise pentagonal PdSe₂ nanoribbons (PNRs) fabricated on a pristine PdSe₂ substrate with a hybrid method of top-down and bottom-up processes. The PNRs form a uniform array of dimer structure with a width of 2.4 nm and length of more than 200 nm. In situ four-probe scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) reveals metallic behavior of PNRs with ballistic transport for at least 20 nm in length. Density functional theory calculations produce a semiconducting density of states of isolated PNRs and find that the band gap narrows and disappears quickly once considering coupling between PNR stacking layers or interaction with the PdSe₂ substrate. The coupling of PNRs is further corroborated by Raman spectroscopy and field-effect transistor measurements. The facile method of fabricating atomically precise PNRs offers an air-stable functional material for dimensional control.

Emerging Bottom-Up Strategies for the Synthesis of Graphene Nanoribbons and Related Structures

The solution-phase synthesis is one of the most promising strategies for the preparation of well-defined graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) in large scale. To prepare high quality, defect-free GNRs, cycloaromatization reactions need to be very efficient, proceed without side reaction and mild enough to accommodate the presence of various functional groups. In this Minireview, we present the latest synthetic approaches for the synthesis of GNRs and related structures, including alkyne benzannulation, photochemical cyclodehydrohalogenation, Mallory and Pd- and Ni-catalyzed reactions.

Ultranarrow heterojunctions of armchair-graphene nanoribbons as resonant-tunnelling devices

A systematic investigation is performed on the electronic transport properties of armchair-graphene nanoribbon (AGNR) heterojunctions using spin-polarized density functional theory calculations in combination with the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism. 9-AGNR and 5-AGNR structures are used to form a single-well configuration by sandwiching a 5-AGNR between two 9-AGNRs. At the same time, these 9-AGNRs are matched at the left and right to electrodes, 9 and 5 being the number of carbon dimers as width. This heterojunction mimics an electronic device with two potential barriers (9-AGNR) and one quantum well (5-AGNR) where quasi-bound states are confined. First, we study the ground state properties, and then we calculate the electron transport properties of this device as a function of the well width. We show the presence of electronic tunnelling resonances between the barriers by delocalized electron density inside the well's structure. This is corroborated by transmission curves, localized densities of states (LDOS), current-vs.-bias voltage results, and the trend of the resonances as a function of the well width. This work shows that carbon AGNRs may be used as resonant-tunnelling devices for applications in nanoelectronics.

Ab initio modelling of spin relaxation lengths in disordered graphene nanoribbons

The spin-dependent transport properties of armchair graphene nanoribbons in the presence of extrinsic spin-orbit coupling induced by a random distribution of nickel adatoms is studied. By combining a recursive Green's function formalism with density functional theory, we explore the influence of ribbon length and metal adatom concentration on the conductance. At a given length, we observed a significant enhancement of the spin-flip channel around resonances and at energies right above the Fermi level. We also estimate the spin-relaxation length, finding values on the order of tens of micrometers at low Ni adatom concentrations. This study is conducted at singular ribbon lengths entirely from fully ab initio methods, providing indirectly evidence that the Dyakonov-Perel spin relaxation mechanism might be the dominant at low concentrations as well as the observation of oscillations in the spin-polarization.

Investigation on the Effect of Hyperbranched Polyester Grafted Graphene Oxide on the Crystallization Behaviors of β-Nucleated Isotactic Polypropylene

In this article, hyperbranched polyester grafted graphene oxide (GO) was successfully prepared. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed for its characterizations. On the other hand, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) were also performed to study its influences on non-isothermal crystallization behaviors of β-nucleated isotactic polypropylene (β-iPP). The grafting ratios of hyperbranched polyester with different supermolecular structures were calculated to be 19.8-24.0 wt %, which increase with the degree of branching. The results showed that the grafting of hyperbranched polyester was advantageous in increasing the crystallization peak temperature Tp and decreasing the crystallization activation energy ΔE of β-iPP/GO composites, which contributed to the iPP's crystallization process. Moreover, under all cooling rates (2, 5, 10, 20, 40 °C/min), crystallinities of β-iPP/GO were greatly improved after being grafted with hyperbranched polyester, because of the increase of the relative contents of α-phase αc and the average α-crystal sizes.

Ordered structure effects on β-nucleated isotactic polypropylene/graphene oxide composites with different thermal histories

In this paper, the influence of ordered structure effects (OSE) on crystallization behaviors of β-nucleated isotactic polypropylene/graphene oxide (β-iPP/GO) composites with different thermal histories, which crystallized at a slow cooling rate (called SLOW), fast cooling rate (called FAST) and medium cooling rate (called MED), respectively, was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The ordered structure status of three samples before crystallization measurement was controlled by tuning the fusion temperature T_f and melting time t_m. The results showed that for all samples, OSE would occur in an appropriate T_f region (Region II). The OSE efficiency of MED was the highest, while that of SLOW were the lowest. It was also found that the crystallinity and crystalline perfection of SLOW were the highest, while those of FAST were the lowest. The effects of the melting time t_m on the OSE were also investigated. At T_f = 172 °C, the OSE efficiency of FAST reached the maximum at t_m = 5 min, while that of SLOW reached the maximum at t_m = 20 min. It was indicated that the OSE efficiency was affected by thermal history, and it could be improved by selecting the appropriate t_m. Related mechanisms concerning the roles of thermal history on the OSE behavior were proposed based on the results of DSC and in situ SAXS.

In this paper, the influence of ordered structure effects on crystallization behaviors of β-nucleated isotactic polypropylene/graphene oxide composites with different thermal histories was studied.

Stacking stability of C2N bilayer nanosheet

In recent years, a 2D graphene-like sheet: monolayer C₂N was synthesized via a simple wet-chemical reaction. Here, we studied the stability and electronic properties of bilayer C₂N. According to a previous study, a bilayer may exist in one of three highly symmetric stacking configurations, namely as AA, AB and AB′-stacking. For the AA-stacking, the top layer is directly stacked on the bottom layer. Furthermore, AB- and AB′-stacking can be obtained by shifting the top layer of AA-stacking by a/3-b/3 along zigzag direction and by a/2 along armchair direction, respectively, where a and b are translation vectors of the unit cell. By using first-principles calculations, we calculated the stability of AA, AB and AB′-stacking C₂N and their electronic band structure. We found that the AB-stacking is the most favorable structure and has the highest band gap, which appeared to agree with previous study. Nevertheless, we furthermore examine the energy landscape and translation sliding barriers between stacking layers. From energy profiles, we interestingly found that the most stable positions are shifted from the high symmetry AB-stacking. In electronic band structure details, band characteristic can be modified according to the shift. The interlayer shear mode close to local minimum point was determined to be roughly 2.02 × 10¹² rad/s.

Boosting the oxygen reduction activity of a nano-graphene catalyst by charge redistribution at the graphene-metal interface

N-Doped carbon materials have been intensively studied to replace Pt catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). However, the low doping level in these catalysts results in a limited number of ORR active sites, so high catalyst loading is still required. Hence, the electrode thickness becomes extra thick, causing large mass transfer resistance in AEMFCs. In this study, we propose a unique hybrid catalyst concept utilizing charge redistribution at the graphene-transition metal interface to modify the electronic structure of graphene and simultaneously create multiple carbon active sites. The hybrid catalyst consists of n-type nano-graphene shells (NGS) three-dimensionally coated on the surface of transition metal nanoparticles highly dispersed on carbon supports. The n-type NGS catalysts efficiently facilitate oxygen adsorption owing to facile charge transfer from the metal nanoparticles underneath and provide abundant active carbon sites owing to their structural benefits. As a result, despite the same catalyst loading, the NGS catalyst shows high ORR activity and greater durability than a carbon-supported Pt (Pt/C) catalyst.

Applications of three-dimensional graphenes for preconcentration, extraction, and sorption of chemical species: a review

This review (with 115 refs) summarizes applications of 3-dimensional graphene (3DGs) and its derivatives in the fields of preconcentration, extraction, and sorption. Following an introduction into the field (including a definition of the materials treated here), the properties and synthetic strategies for 3DGs are described. The next section covers applications of 3DG-based adsorbents in solid phase extraction of organic species including drugs, phthalate esters, chlorophenols, aflatoxins, insecticides, and pesticides. Another section treats applications of 3DGs in solid phase microextraction of species such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, and pesticides. We also describe how the efficiency of assays may be improved by using these materials as a sorbent. A final section covers conclusions and perspectives. Graphical abstract Graphical abstract contains poor quality and small text inside the artwork. Please do not re-use the file that we have rejected or attempt to increase its resolution and re-save. It is originally poor, therefore, increasing the resolution will not solve the quality problem. We suggest that you provide us the original format. We prefer replacement figures containing vector/editable objects rather than embedded images. Preferred file formats are eps, ai, tiff and pdf.Tiff file of graphical abstract was attached. Schematic presentation of synthesis of three-dimensional graphene (3DG) from two-dimensional graphene (2DG) with self-assembly, template-assisted and direct deposition methods. Application of 3DG-based nanoadsorbents in direct immersion-solid phase microextraction (DI-SPME), headspace-SPME (HS-SPME), magnetic-solid phase extraction (Magnetic-SPE), dispersive-SPE, and magnetic sheet-SPE.

Alternating oligo(o,p-phenylenes) via ruthenium catalyzed diol-diene benzannulation: orthogonality to cross-coupling enables de novo nanographene and PAH construction

Ruthenium(0) catalyzed diol-diene benzannulation is applied to the conversion of oligo(p-phenylene vinylenes) 2a-c, 5 and 6 to alternating oligo(o,p-phenylenes) 10a-c, 11-13. Orthogonality with respect to conventional palladium catalyzed biaryl cross-coupling permits construction of p-bromo-terminated alternating oligo(o,p-phenylenes) 10b, 11-13, which can be engaged in Suzuki cross-coupling and Scholl oxidation. In this way, structurally homogeneous nanographenes 16a-f are prepared. Nanographene 16a, which incorporates 14 fused benzene rings, was characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. In a similar fashion, p-bromo-terminated oligo(p-phenylene ethane diol) 9, which contains a 1,3,5-trisubstituted benzene core, is converted to the soluble, structurally homogeneous hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene 18. A benzothiophene-terminated pentamer 10c was prepared and subjected to Scholl oxidation to furnish the helical bis(benzothiophene)-fused picene derivative 14. The steady-state absorption and emission properties of nanographenes 14, 16a,b,d,e,h and 18 were characterized. These studies illustrate how orthogonality of ruthenium(0) catalyzed diol-diene benzannulation with respect to classical biaryl cross-coupling streamlines oligophenylene and nanographene construction.

Stable H-Terminated Edges, Variable Semiconducting Properties, and Solar Cell Applications of C3N Nanoribbons: A First-Principles Study

Motivated by the recent synthesis of the graphene-like C3N nanosheet, the geometrical structures and electronic properties of its ribbon form, that is, C3N nanoribbons (C3NNRs), are investigated by first-principles calculations. It is found that there are five types of energetically favorable H-terminated edges in the C3NNRs. Different from graphene nanoribbons, the corresponding stable C3NNRs are all nonmagnetic semiconductors regardless of the edge shape and termination. However, their band feature and gap size can be modulated by the ribbon width and edge termination, which brings direct-, quasi-direct-, and indirect-band-gap semiconducting behaviors in the nanoribbons. Comparing to the C3N nanosheet, the work function is reduced in the C3NNRs with fully di- and monohydrogenated edges, which results in a type-II band alignment with SiC and silicane nanosheets. More interestingly, the combined hetero-nanostructures will be promising excitonic solar cell materials with high power conversion efficiencies up to 17-21%. Our study demonstrates that the C3NNRs have distinct edge stabilities and variable semiconducting behaviors, which endow fascinating potential applications in the fields of solar energy and nanodevices.

Structure of graphene and its disorders: a review

Monolayer graphene exhibits extraordinary properties owing to the unique, regular arrangement of atoms in it. However, graphene is usually modified for specific applications, which introduces disorder. This article presents details of graphene structure, including sp2 hybridization, critical parameters of the unit cell, formation of σ and π bonds, electronic band structure, edge orientations, and the number and stacking order of graphene layers. We also discuss topics related to the creation and configuration of disorders in graphene, such as corrugations, topological defects, vacancies, adatoms and sp3-defects. The effects of these disorders on the electrical, thermal, chemical and mechanical properties of graphene are analyzed subsequently. Finally, we review previous work on the modulation of structural defects in graphene for specific applications.

How Structural Defects Affect the Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Single Molecular Wires

We report how individual defects affect single graphene nanoribbons by scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy pulling experiments simultaneously accessing their electrical and mechanical properties. The on-surface polymerization of the graphene nanoribbons is controlled by cooperative effects as theoretically suggested. Further, we find, with the help of atomistic simulations, that defects substantially vary the molecule-substrate coupling and drastically increase the flexibility of the graphene nanoribbons while keeping their desirable electronic properties intact.

Electrically Tunable Broadband Terahertz Absorption with Hybrid-Patterned Graphene Metasurfaces

We numerically demonstrate a broadband terahertz (THz) absorber that is based on a hybrid-patterned graphene metasurface with excellent properties of polarization insensitivity, wide-angle, and active tunability. Our design is made up of a single-layer graphene with periodically arranged hybrid square/disk/loop patterns on a multilayer structure. We find that broadband absorption with 90% terahertz absorbance and the fractional bandwidth of 84.5% from 1.38 THz to 3.4 THz can be achieved. Because of the axisymmetric configuration, the absorber demonstrates absolute polarization independence for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarized terahertz waves under normal incidence. We also show that a bandwidth of 60% absorbance still remains 2.7 THz, ranging from 1.3 THz to 4 THz, for a wide incident angle ranging from 0° to 60°. Finally, we find that by changing the graphene Fermi energy from 0.7 eV to 0 eV, the absorbance of the absorbers can be easily tuned from more than 90% to lower than 20%. The proposed absorber may have promising applications in terahertz sensing, detecting, imaging, and cloaking.

On-Surface Synthesis of Graphene Nanoribbons Catalyzed by Ni Atoms

Nanometer-wide graphene nanoribbons can be synthesized from halogen aromatics through multistep on-surface reactions, but the catalytic role of extrinsic transition-metal atoms in these reactions are still to be explored. Here by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, we investigated the on-surface synthesis of graphene nanoribbons from 10,10'-dibromo-9,9'-bianthryl precursors in the presence of Ni atoms. Ni atoms not only act as catalysts in debromination and lead to the formation of an organometallic intermediate at 300 K, but also prompt the fusion reaction between graphene nanoribbons at 673 K. Our work demonstrates a more efficient way to fabricate fused graphene nanoribbons.

Rippling of graphitic surfaces: a comparison between few-layer graphene and HOPG

The surface structure of Few-Layer Graphene (FLG) epitaxially grown on the C-face of SiC has been investigated by TM-AFM in ambient air and upon interaction with dilute aqueous solutions of bio-organic molecules (l-methionine and dimethyl sulfoxide, DMSO). Before interaction with molecular solutions, we observe nicely ordered, three-fold oriented rippled domains, with a 4.7 ± 0.2 nm periodicity (small periodicity, SP) and a peak-to-valley distance in the range 0.1-0.2 nm. Upon mild interaction with the molecular solution, the ripple periodicity "relaxes" to 6.2 ± 0.2 nm (large periodicity, LP), while the peak-to-valley height increases to 0.2-0.3 nm. When additional energy is transferred to the system through sonication in solution, graphene planes are peeled off, as shown by quantitative analysis of Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy which indicate a neat reduction of thickness. Upon exfoliation rippled domains are no longer observed. In comparative experiments on cleaved HOPG, we could not observe ripples on pristine samples in ambient air, while LP ripples develop upon interaction with the molecular solutions. Recent literature on similar systems is not univocal regarding the interpretation of rippling. The ensemble of our comparative observations on FLG and HOPG can be hardly rationalized solely on the basis of the surface assembly of molecules, either organic molecules coming from the solution or adventitious species. We propose to consider rippling as the manifestation of the free-energy minimization of quasi-2D layers, eventually affected by factors such as interplanar stacking, and interactions with molecules and/or with the AFM tip.

Interfacial engineering in graphene bandgap

Graphene exhibits superior mechanical strength, high thermal conductivity, strong light-matter interactions, and, in particular, exceptional electronic properties. These merits make graphene an outstanding material for numerous potential applications. However, a graphene-based high-performance transistor, which is the most appealing application, has not yet been produced, which is mainly due to the absence of an intrinsic electronic bandgap in this material. Therefore, bandgap opening in graphene is urgently needed, and great efforts have been made regarding this topic over the past decade. In this review article, we summarise recent theoretical and experimental advances in interfacial engineering to achieve bandgap opening. These developments are divided into two categories: chemical engineering and physical engineering. Chemical engineering is usually destructive to the pristine graphene lattice via chemical functionalization, the introduction of defects, doping, chemical bonds with substrates, and quantum confinement; the latter largely maintains the atomic structure of graphene intact and includes the application of an external field, interactions with substrates, physical adsorption, strain, electron many-body effects and spin-orbit coupling. Although these pioneering works have not met all the requirements for electronic applications of graphene at once, they hold great promise in this direction and may eventually lead to future applications of graphene in semiconductor electronics and beyond.

Nanostructured Graphene: An Active Component in Optoelectronic Devices

Nanostructured and chemically modified graphene-based nanomaterials possess intriguing properties for their incorporation as an active component in a wide spectrum of optoelectronic architectures. From a technological point of view, this aspect brings many new opportunities to the now well-known atomically thin carbon sheet, multiplying its application areas beyond transparent electrodes. This article gives an overview of fundamental concepts, theoretical backgrounds, design principles, technological implications, and recent advances in semiconductor devices that integrate nanostructured graphene materials into their active region. Starting from the unique electronic nature of graphene, a physical understanding of finite-size effects, non-idealities, and functionalizing mechanisms is established. This is followed by the conceptualization of hybridized films, addressing how the insertion of graphene can modulate or improve material properties. Importantly, it provides general guidelines for designing new materials and devices with specific characteristics. Next, a number of notable devices found in the literature are highlighted. It provides practical information on material preparation, device fabrication, and optimization for high-performance optoelectronics with a graphene hybrid channel. Finally, concluding remarks are made with the summary of the current status, scientific issues, and meaningful approaches to realizing next-generation technologies.

Functionalized Graphdiyne Nanowires: On-Surface Synthesis and Assessment of Band Structure, Flexibility, and Information Storage Potential

Carbon nanomaterials exhibit extraordinary mechanical and electronic properties desirable for future technologies. Beyond the popular sp² -scaffolds, there is growing interest in their graphdiyne-related counterparts incorporating both sp² and sp bonding in a regular scheme. Herein, we introduce carbonitrile-functionalized graphdiyne nanowires, as a novel conjugated, one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanomaterial systematically combining the virtues of covalent coupling and supramolecular concepts that are fabricated by on-surface synthesis. Specifically, a terphenylene backbone is extended with reactive terminal alkyne and polar carbonitrile (CN) moieties providing the required functionalities. It is demonstrated that the CN functionalization enables highly selective alkyne homocoupling forming polymer strands and gives rise to mutual lateral attraction entailing room-temperature stable double-stranded assemblies. By exploiting the templating effect of the vicinal Ag(455) surface, 40 nm long semiconducting nanowires are obtained and the first experimental assessment of their electronic band structure is achieved by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy indicating an effective mass below 0.1m₀ for the top of the highest occupied band. Via molecular manipulation it is showcased that the novel oligomer exhibits extreme mechanical flexibility and opens unexplored ways of information encoding in clearly distinguishable CN-phenyl trans-cis species. Thus, conformational data storage with density of 0.36 bit nm^-2 and temperature stability beyond 150 K comes in reach.

Surface Nanostructure Formation and Atomic-Scale Templates for Nanodevices

The holy grail in nanoelectronics is the construction of nanodevices with high density, low cost, and high performance per device and per integrated circuit. One approach is the fabrication of surface nanostructures and atomic-scale templates via the autonomous assembly of atoms and/or molecules on well-defined surfaces. To steer the atomic or molecular growth processes and create a wide range of surface nanostructures with desired properties, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms that control the surface self-assembly processes is required. The capability to manipulate the nanodevices at the submolecular level with good controllability is also of paramount importance. This review highlights some key recent developments in the fabrication of low-dimensional nanostructures based on supramolecular self-assembly on predefined surfaces, with particular emphasis on the rapidly expanding field of two-dimensional materials. Special attention is also given to the latest progress in single-molecule manipulation for future device applications.

Electron transport in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons/boron nitride hybrid structures: density functional theory combined with the nonequilibrium Green's function

We investigate the electronic transport properties of two types of junction based on single polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and PAHs embedded in boron nitride (h-BN) nanoribbons, using nonequilibrium Green's functions (NEGF) and density functional theory (DFT). In the PAH junctions, a Fano resonance line shape at the Fermi energy in the transport feature can be clearly seen. In hybrid junctions, structural asymmetries enable interactions between the electronic states, leading to observation of interface-based transport. Our findings reveal that the interface of PAH/h-BN strongly affects the transport properties of the structures.

The unique Raman fingerprint of boron nitride substitution patterns in graphene

Boron nitride-substituted graphene (BNsG) two-dimensional structures are new materials of wide technological interest due to the rich variety of electronic structures and properties they can exploit. The ability to accurately characterize them is key to their future success. Here we show, by means of ab initio simulations, that the vibrational Raman spectra of such compounds are extremely sensitive to substitution motifs and concentration, and that each structure has unique and distinct features. This result can be useful as a guide for the optimization of production processes.

Electronic properties of the coronene series from thermally-assisted-occupation density functional theory

To fully utilize the great potential of graphene in electronics, a comprehensive understanding of the electronic properties of finite-size graphene flakes is essential.

Two-dimensional Dirac particles in a Pöschl-Teller waveguide

We obtain exact solutions to the two-dimensional (2D) Dirac equation for the one-dimensional Pöschl-Teller potential which contains an asymmetry term. The eigenfunctions are expressed in terms of Heun confluent functions, while the eigenvalues are determined via the solutions of a simple transcendental equation. For the symmetric case, the eigenfunctions of the supercritical states are expressed as spheroidal wave functions, and approximate analytical expressions are obtained for the corresponding eigenvalues. A universal condition for any square integrable symmetric potential is obtained for the minimum strength of the potential required to hold a bound state of zero energy. Applications for smooth electron waveguides in 2D Dirac-Weyl systems are discussed.

Broadband absorber with periodically sinusoidally-patterned graphene layer in terahertz range

We demonstrate that a broadband terahertz absorber with near-unity absorption can be realized using a net-shaped periodically sinusoidally-patterned graphene sheet, placed on a dielectric spacer supported on a metallic reflecting plate. Because of the gradient width modulation of the unit graphene sheet, continuous plasmon resonances can be excited, and therefore broadband terahertz absorption can be achieved. The results show that the absorber's normalized bandwidth of 90% terahertz absorbance is over 65% under normal incidence for both TE and TM polarizations when the graphene chemical potential is set as 0.7 eV. And the broadband absorption is insensitive to the incident angles and the polarizations. The peak absorbance remains more than 70% over a wide range of the incident angles up to 60° for both polarizations. Furthermore, this absorber also has the advantage of flexible tunability via electrostatic doping of graphene sheet, which peak absorbance can be continuously tuned from 14% to 100% by controlling the chemical potential from 0 eV to 0.8 eV. The design scheme is scalable to develop various graphene-based tunable broadband absorbers at other terahertz, infrared, and visible frequencies, which may have promising applications in sensing, detecting, and optoelectronic devices.

Fabrication routes for one-dimensional nanostructures via block copolymers

Nanotechnology is the field which deals with fabrication of materials with dimensions in the nanometer range by manipulating atoms and molecules. Various synthesis routes exist for the one, two and three dimensional nanostructures. Recent advancements in nanotechnology have enabled the usage of block copolymers for the synthesis of such nanostructures. Block copolymers are versatile polymers with unique properties and come in many types and shapes. Their properties are highly dependent on the blocks of the copolymers, thus allowing easy tunability of its properties. This review briefly focusses on the use of block copolymers for synthesizing one-dimensional nanostructures especially nanowires, nanorods, nanoribbons and nanofibers. Template based, lithographic, and solution based approaches are common approaches in the synthesis of nanowires, nanorods, nanoribbons, and nanofibers. Synthesis of metal, metal oxides, metal oxalates, polymer, and graphene one dimensional nanostructures using block copolymers have been discussed as well.

Nano-sized graphene flakes: insights from experimental synthesis and first principles calculations

In this study, we proposed a cost-effective method for preparing graphene nano-flakes (GNFs) derived from carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via three steps (pressing, homogenization and sonication exfoliation processes). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), laser scattering, as well as ultraviolet-visible and photoluminescence (PL) measurements were carried out. The results indicated that the size of as-synthesized GNFs was approximately 40-50 nm. Furthermore, we also used first principles calculations to understand the transformation from CNTs to GNFs from the viewpoints of the edge formation energies of GNFs in different shapes and sizes. The corresponding photoluminescence measurements of GNFs were carried out in this work.

Understanding the spin-dependent electronic properties of symmetrically far-edge doped zigzag graphene nanoribbon from a first principles study

DFT simulations envision that far-edge doping also induced some tunable spin-dependent properties in the zigzag graphene nanoribbons.

Recent advances in carbon based nanosystems for cancer theranostics

This review deals with four different types of carbon allotrope based nanosystems and summarizes the results of recent studies that are likely to have applications in cancer theranostics. We discuss the applications of these nanosystems for cancer imaging, drug delivery, hyperthermia, and PDT/TA/PA.

High density oxidative plasma unzipping of multiwall carbon nanotubes

Oxidative plasma-assisted unzipping of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to transform them into petal like nano ribbons, releasing excessive strain with various plasma exposure times.

Electronic and transport behavior of doped armchair silicene nanoribbons exhibiting negative differential resistance and its FET performance

The electronic and transport properties of armchair silicene nanoribbons (ASiNRs) doped with various elements are investigated.

Graphene nanoribbons anchored to SiC substrates

Graphene nanoribbons are quasi-one-dimensional planar graphene allotropes with diverse properties dependent on their width and types of edges. Graphene nanoribbons anchored to substrates is a hybrid system, which offers novel opportunities for property modifications as well as experimental control. Here we present electronic structure calculations of zigzag graphene nanoribbons chemically attached via the edges to the Si or C terminated surfaces of a SiC substrate. The results show that the edge characteristics are rather robust and the properties are essentially determined by the individual nanoribbon. While the localized spin polarization of the graphene nanoribbon edge atoms is not significantly affected by the substrate, secondary energy gaps in the highest conduction and lowest valence region may emerge in the anchored structures. The van der Waals interaction together with the electrostatic interactions due to the polarity of the surface bonds are found to be important for the structure parameters and energy stability.

Double hexagonal graphene ring synthesized using a growth-etching method

Precisely controlling the layer number, stacking order, edge configuration, shape and structure of graphene is extremely challenging but highly desirable in scientific research. In this report, a new concept named the growth-etching method has been explored to synthesize a graphene ring using the chemical vapor deposition process. The graphene ring is a hexagonal structure, which contains a hexagonal exterior edge and a hexagonal hole in the centre region. The most important concept introduced here is that the oxide nanoparticle derived from annealing is found to play a dual role. Firstly, it acts as a nucleation site to grow the hexagonal graphene domain and then it works as a defect for etching to form a hole. The evolution process of the graphene ring with the etching time was carefully studied. In addition, a double hexagonal graphene ring was successfully synthesized for the first time by repeating the growth-etching process, which not only confirms the validity and repeatability of the method developed here but may also be further extended to grow unique graphene nanostructures with three, four, or even tens of graphene rings. Finally, a schematic model was drawn to illustrate how the double hexagonal graphene ring is generated and propagated. The results shown here may provide valuable guidance for the design and growth of unique nanostructures of graphene and other two-dimensional materials.

Sequence-defined oligo(ortho-arylene) foldamers derived from the benzannulation of ortho(arylene ethynylene)s

A Cu-catalyzed benzannulation reaction transforms ortho(arylene ethynylene) oligomers into ortho-arylenes.

A Cu-catalyzed benzannulation reaction transforms ortho(arylene ethynylene) oligomers into ortho-arylenes. This approach circumvents iterative Suzuki cross-coupling reactions previously used to assemble hindered ortho-arylene backbones. These derivatives form helical folded structures in the solid-state and in solution, as demonstrated by X-ray crystallography and solution-state NMR analysis. DFT calculations of misfolded conformations are correlated with variable-temperature ¹H and EXSY NMR to reveal that folding is cooperative and more favorable in halide-substituted naphthalenes. Helical ortho-arylene foldamers with specific aromatic sequences organize functional π-electron systems into arrangements ideal for ambipolar charge transport and show preliminary promise for the surface-mediated synthesis of structurally defined graphene nanoribbons.

Electronic properties and nonlinear optical responses of boron/nitrogen-doped zigzag graphene nanoribbons

The electronic properties and second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) responses of B/N-doped zigzag graphene nanoribbon (ZGNR) have been investigated using quantum chemistry methods. The electron-deficient B atoms prefer to form π-conjugation with the C atoms nearby along the B-doped zigzag edge. On the other hand, the electron-rich N atoms with radical characteristics weaken the conjugated bonding effects in the N-doped ZGNR. The NLO response of the ZGNR is enhanced by doping only one zigzag edge with B or N atoms. The conjugated B-doped zigzag edge takes the role of electron donor, while the N-doped zigzag edge serves as electron acceptor, giving rise to the discordant impact on the second-order NLO response of the BN-doped ZGNR.