Role of Defects on Regioselectivity of Nano Pristine Graphene

Stone-Wales Defect in Graphene

2D graphene the most investigated structures from nanocarbon family studied in the last three decades. It is projected as an excellent material useful for quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and next generation advanced technologies. Graphene exists in several forms and its extraordinary thermal, mechanical, and electronic properties, principally depend on the kind of perfection of the hexagonal atomic lattice. Defects are always considered as undesired components but certain defects in graphene could be an asset for electrochemistry and quantum electronics due to the engineered electronclouds and quantum tunnelling. The authors carefully discuss the Stone-Wales imperfections in graphene and its derivatives comprehensively. A specific emphasis is focused on the experimental and theoretical aspects of the Stone-Wales defects in graphene with respect to structure-property relationships. The corroboration of extrinsic defects like external atomic doping, functionalization, edge distortion in the graphene consisting of Stone-Wales imperfections, which are very significant in designing graphene-based electronic devices, are summarized.

Semiempirical Approach to the Fukui Function Analysis of Uric Acid under Different pH Conditions

Analytic Fukui functions calculated at a first-principles level are combined with experimental pKa values and the calculation of tautomerization energies to obtain the effective regioselectivity of uric acid toward electron-transfer reactions under different pH conditions. Second-order electron binding energies are also computed to determine which of the tautomers is more likely to participate in the electron transfer. A comparison of vertical and adiabatic proton detachment energies allows us to conclude that tautomerization is not mediating deprotonation and that two monoanionic species are of comparable relevance. The main difference between these monoanionic species is the ring that has been deprotonated. Both monoanionic species are produced from a single neutral tautomer and mainly produce a single dianionic tautomer. As a method for the analysis of systems affected by pH such as uric acid, we propose to plot condensed Fukui functions versus pH, allowing us to draw the effect of pH on the regioselectivity of electron transfer in a single image.

From nanohole to ultralong straight nanochannel fabrication in graphene oxide with swift heavy ions

Porous architectures based on graphene oxide with precisely tailored nm-sized pores are attractive for biofluidic applications such as molecular sieving, DNA sequencing, and recognition-based sensing. However, the existing pore fabrication methods are complex, suffer from insufficient control over the pore density and uniformity, or are not scalable to large areas. Notably, creating vertical pores in multilayer films appears to be particularly difficult. Here, we show that uniform 6-7 nm-sized holes and straight, vertical nanochannels can be formed by simply irradiating graphene oxide (GO) films with high-energy heavy ions. Long penetration depths of energetic ions in combination with localized energy deposition and effective self-etching processes enable the creation of through pores even in 10 µm-thick GO films. This fully scalable fabrication provides a promising possibility for obtaining innovative GO track membranes.

Electrochemical Detection of Dihydroxybenzene Isomers at a Pencil Graphite Based Electrode

In this work, an HB pencil electrode (HBPE) was electrochemically modified by amino acids (AAs) glycine (GLY) and aspartic acid (ASA) and designated as GLY-HB and ASA-HB electrodes. They were used in the detection of dihydroxybenzene isomers (DHBIs) such as hydroquinone (HQ), catechol (CC), and resorcinol (RS), by cyclic voltammetry (CV), and by differential pulse voltammetry. HBPE was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. These three electrodes showed a linear relationship of current with concentration of DHBIs, and the electrochemical processes were diffusion controlled in all cases. In simultaneous detection, the limit of detection, based on signal-to-noise ratio (S/N = 3), for HQ, CC, and RS was 12.473, 16.132, and 25.25 μM, respectively, at bare HBPE; 5.498, 7.119, and 14.794 μM, respectively, at GLY-HB; and 22.459, 25.478, and 38.303 μM, respectively, at ASA-HB. The sensitivity for HQ, CC, and RS was 470.481, 363.781, and 232.416 μA/mM/cm², respectively, at bare HBPE; 364.785, 282.712, and 135.560 μA/mM/cm², respectively, at GLY-HB; and 374.483, 330.108, and 219.574, respectively, at ASA-HB. The interference studies clarified the suitability and reliability of the electrodes for the detection of HQ, CC, and RS in an environmental system. Real sample analysis was done using tap water, and the proposed electrodes expressed recovery with high reproducibility. Meanwhile, these three electrodes have excellent sensitivity and selectivity, which can be used as a promising technique for the detection of DHBIs simultaneously.

Electrochemical Synthesis of Reduced Graphene Oxide/Gold Nanoparticles in a Single Step for Carbaryl Detection in Water

In this study, an in situ synthesis approach based on electrochemical reduction and ion exchange was employed to detect carbaryl species using a disposable, screen-printed carbon electrode fabricated with nanocomposite materials. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was used to create a larger electrode surface and more active sites. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs,) were incorporated to accelerate electron transfer and enhance sensitivity. A cation exchange Nafion polymer was used to enable the adhesion of rGO and AuNPs to the electrode surface and speed up ion exchange. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to study the electrochemical and physical properties of the modified sensor. In the presence of differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), an rGO/AuNP/Nafion-modified electrode was effectively used to measure the carbaryl concentration in river and tap water samples. The developed sensor exhibited superior electrochemical performance in terms of reproducibility, stability, efficiency and selectivity for carbaryl detection with a detection limit of 0.2 µM and a concentration range between 0.5µM and 250 µM. The proposed approach was compared to capillary electrophoresis with ultraviolet detection (CE-UV).

Adsorption of water on C sites vacancy defected graphene/h-BN: First-principles study

Heterostructures (HS), vacancy defects in HS, and molecular adsorption on defected HS of 2D materials are fervently inspected for a profusion of applications because of their aptness to form stacked layers that confer approach to an amalgamation of favorable electronic and magnetic properties. In this context, graphene (Gr), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), HS of graphene/h-BN (Gr/h-BN), and molecular adsorption on Gr/h-BN offer promising prospects for electronic, spintonic, and optoelectronic devices. In this study, we investigated the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of C sites vacancy defects in Gr/h-BN HS and adsorption of water molecule on defected Gr/h-BN HS materials by using first-principles calculations based on spin-polarized density functional theory method within van der Waals (vdW) corrections DFT-D2 approach. We found that these considered materials are stable 2D vdW HS. Based on band structure calculations, they are semimetallic, and on density of states and partial density of states analysis, they are magnetic materials. The magnetic moment developed in these defected systems is due to the unpaired up-spin and down-spin states in the orbitals of atoms present in the materials created by the vacancy defects.

Design of a Sensitive and Selective Voltammetric Sensor Based on a Cationic Surfactant-Modified Carbon Paste Electrode for the Determination of Alloxan

Alloxan (AL) is a toxic glucose analogue that acts as a potent diabetogenic inducer by selectively destroying the insulin-producing β-cells of the pancreas. Hence, a sensitive and selective cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-immobilized carbon paste electrode was utilized for the analysis of AL in the existence of anthrone. The CTAB-modified carbon paste electrode in contrast with the bare carbon paste electrode showed a magnificent behavior for the electrocatalytic oxidation of AL by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) methods. CV studies reveal a quasi-reversible diffusion-controlled process in the potential window of -0.5 to 0.4 V at an optimum pH of 6.5 in 0.2 M phosphate buffer solution. The electrode materials were characterized by CV, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Under optimized experimental conditions, low detection limits of 1.09 and 3.64 μM were obtained in a linear dynamic range of 5-80 μM and from 8 to 90 μM by DPV and CV methods, respectively. The performance of the modified electrode is impressive in terms of least charge transfer resistance (R ct), surface concentration (Γ), and heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (k 0). A 50-fold excess concentration of other potential interferants such as food additives and other organic species present in the human body does not significantly alter the peak potential and peak current of AL. The analytical application of the modified sensor was appraised by determining AL in the spiked refined flour sample. The modified sensor with a swift fabrication procedure exhibited enduring stability, adequate reproducibility, and acceptable repeatability.

Cyclic Voltammetric and Quantum Chemical Studies of a Poly(methionine) Modified Carbon Paste Electrode for Simultaneous Detection of Dopamine and Uric Acid

Fabrication of biocompatible electrodes for the investigation of catecholamines is a known challenge. In this work, methionine was chosen as a modifier for fabrication of a biocompatible carbon paste electrode by electropolymerization, through cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical behavior of the poly(methionine) modified carbon paste electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry for simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) in a phosphate-buffered solution at pH 7.0. In the absence of an amino acid methionine layer, the bare carbon paste electrode exhibits rather poor voltammetric signals in DA and UA in the binary mixture, with oxidation potentials of DA and UA overlapping with each other. The poly(methionine) modified carbon paste electrode exhibits good catalytic activity with noticeably different oxidation potentials of DA and UA. The experimental results closely agree with the theoretical prediction based on a Fukui function complementary to the simulated electrostatic potential maps.

Dynamic Hierarchical Self-Assemble Small Molecule Structure Hexabenzocoronene for the High-Performance Anodes Lithium Ion Storage

This study examined the characteristics of small molecular structure nano-graphene in a dynamic hierarchical self-assembly and found that graphene is rearranged under its own pressure during dynamic aggregation and water ripples are formed by the d-spacing. The composition and structure were studied using a range of material characterization techniques. No covalent bonds were observed between molecules, and the self-assembled driving force was the only intermolecular interaction: Van der Waals' force in the intra-layer and π-π interactions between layers. The arranged-rearranged structures provided a range of lithium ion shuttle channels, including the space between layers and diffusing through the nanosheets, which decrease the diffusion distance of lithium ions remarkably and reduce the irreversible capacity of the battery.

Quantum chemical and electrochemical studies of lysine modified carbon paste electrode surfaces for sensing dopamine

We have improved the sensitivity of a carbon paste electrode from lysine for the sensitive detection of dopamine.

Regioselectivity in hexagonal boron nitride co-doped graphene

The active electron transfer (ET) sites on the graphene surface can be controlled by hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) doping.