Fabrication of graphene with CuO islands by chemical vapor deposition

Fragmented graphene synthesized on a dielectric substrate for THz applications

Fragmented multi-layered graphene films were directly synthesized via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on dielectric substrates with a pre-deposited copper catalyst. We demonstrate that the thickness of the sacrificial copper film, process temperature, and growth time essentially influence the integrity, quality, and disorder of the synthesized graphene. Atomic force microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements revealed the presence of nano-agglomerates and charge puddles. The potential gradients measured over the sample surface confirmed that the deposited graphene film possessed a multilayered structure, which was modelled as an ensemble of randomly oriented conductive prolate ellipsoids. THz time domain spectroscopy measurements gave theacconductivity of the graphene flakes and homogenized graphitic films as being around 1200 S cm^-1and 1000 S cm^-1, respectively. Our approach offers a scalable fabrication of graphene structures composed of graphene flakes, which have effective conductivity sufficient for a wide variety of THz applications.

Photoelectrochemical Water-Splitting Using CuO-Based Electrodes for Hydrogen Production: A Review

The cost-effective, robust, and efficient electrocatalysts for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting has been extensively studied over the past decade to address a solution for the energy crisis. The interesting physicochemical properties of CuO have introduced this promising photocathodic material among the few photocatalysts with a narrow bandgap. This photocatalyst has a high activity for the PEC hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) under simulated sunlight irradiation. Here, the recent advancements of CuO-based photoelectrodes, including undoped CuO, doped CuO, and CuO composites, in the PEC water-splitting field, are comprehensively studied. Moreover, the synthesis methods, characterization, and fundamental factors of each classification are discussed in detail. Apart from the exclusive characteristics of CuO-based photoelectrodes, the PEC properties of CuO/2D materials, as groups of the growing nanocomposites in photocurrent-generating devices, are discussed in separate sections. Regarding the particular attention paid to the CuO heterostructure photocathodes, the PEC water splitting application is reviewed and the properties of each group such as electronic structures, defects, bandgap, and hierarchical structures are critically assessed.

Sintering- and oxidation-resistant ultrasmall Cu(I)/(II) oxides supported on defect-rich mesoporous alumina microspheres boosting catalytic ozonation

Supported copper oxides with well-dispersed metal species, small size, tunable valence and high stability are highly desirable in catalysis. Herein, novel copper oxide (CuO_x) catalysts supported on defect-rich mesoporous alumina microspheres are developed using a spray-drying-assisted evaporation induced self-assembly method. The catalysts possess a special structure composed of a mesoporous outer layer, a mesoporous-nanosphere-stacked under layer and a hollow cavity. Because of this special structure and the defective nature of the alumina support, the CuO_x catalysts are ultrasmall in size (1 ~ 3 nm), bivalent with a very high Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ ratio (0.7), and highly stable against sintering and oxidation at high temperatures (up to 800 °C), while the wet impregnation method results in CuO_x catalysts with much larger sizes (~15 nm) and lower the Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ ratios (~0.29). The catalyst formation mechanism through the spray drying method is proposed and discussed. The catalysts show remarkable performance in catalytic ozonation of phenol wastewaters. With high-concentration phenol (250 ppm) as the model organic pollutant, the optimized catalyst delivers promising catalytic performance with 100% phenol removal and 53% TOC removal in 60 min, and a high cyclic stability. Superoxide anion free radicals (⋅O₂^-), singlet oxygen (¹O₂) and hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH) are the predominant reactive species. A detailed structure-performance study reveals the surface hydroxyl groups and Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ redox couples play cooperatively to accelerate O₃ decomposition generating reactive radicals. The plausible catalytic O₃ decomposition mechanism is proposed and discussed with supportive evidences.

An eco-friendly synthesized mesoporous-silica particle combined with WSe2-graphene-TiO2 by self-assembled method for photocatalytic dye decomposition and hydrogen production

To address the limitations of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and expand the applicability of the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂,WSe₂ and silica, an eco-friendly, self-assembled method for combining a silica precursor with a WSe₂-graphene-TiO₂ composite with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as surface active agents is proposed. Firstly, for the main target, the photocatalytic degradation of organic dye solutions with different initial pH levels and catalyst dosages under visible light irradiation was surveyed. The as-synthesized sample exhibited highly efficient photocatalytic effects for the treatment of the SO dye solution in the optimal conditions of this study, which included a solution with a pH level of 11 and 0.05-gram dosage of the catalyst. Secondly, previous photocatalytic hydrogen production studies reported markedly better outcomes with SiO₂/WSe₂-graphene-TiO₂ than with the binary WSe₂-graphene and ternary WSe₂-graphene-TiO₂ composites under ambient conditions with and without 20% methanol sacrificing reagents. The SiO₂/WSe₂-graphene-TiO₂ composite is promising to become a potential candidate for photocatalytic performance that performs excellently as well as offer an efficient heterosystem for hydrogen production.

Synthesis of mesoporous SiO2/Cu2O–graphene nanocomposites and their highly efficient photocatalytic performance for dye pollutants

A mesoporous SiO₂/Cu₂O–graphene composite, a novel material, was successfully synthesized using a self-assembly method with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS).

One-pot synthesis of active copper-containing carbon dots with laccase-like activities

Herein, an effective strategy for designing a new type of nanozyme, blue fluorescent laccase mimics, is reported. Active copper-containing carbon dots (Cu-CDs) were synthesized through a simple, nontoxic and one-pot hydrothermal method, which showed favorable photoluminescence properties and good photostability under high-salt conditions or in a broad pH range (3.0-13.5). The Cu-CDs possessed intrinsic laccase-like activities and could catalyze the oxidation of the laccase substrate p-phenylenediamine (PPD) to produce a typical color change from colorless to brown. Poly(methacrylic acid sodium salt) (PMAA) not only was used as the carbon source and reducing agent, but also provided carboxyl groups to assist flocculation between Cu-CDs and polyacrylamide, which facilitated the removal of PPD. Importantly, the intrinsic fluorescence of the as-prepared Cu-CDs could indicate the presence of hydroquinone, one of the substrates of laccases, based on laccase mimics and fluorescence quenching.

Insights into the effects of metal nanostructuring and oxidation on the work function and charge transfer of metal/graphene hybrids

Graphene/metal heterojunctions are ubiquitous in graphene-based devices and, therefore, have attracted increasing interest of researchers. Indeed, the literature on the field reports apparently contradictory results about the effect of a metal on graphene doping. Here, we elucidate the effect of metal nanostructuring and oxidation on the metal work function (WF) and, consequently, on the charge transfer and doping of graphene/metal hybrids. We show that nanostructuring and oxidation of metals provide a valid support to frame WF and doping variation in metal/graphene hybrids. Chemical vapour-deposited monolayer graphene has been transferred onto a variety of metal surfaces, including d-metals, such as Ag, Au, and Cu, and sp-metals, such as Al and Ga, configured as thin films or nanoparticle (NP) ensembles of various average sizes. The metal-induced charge transfer and the doping of graphene have been investigated using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), and corroborated by Raman spectroscopy and plasmonic ellipsometric spectroscopy. We show that when the appropriate WF of the metal is considered, without any assumption, taking into account WF variations by nanostructure and/or oxidation, a linear relationship between the metal WF and the doping of graphene is found. Specifically, for all metals, nanostructuring lowers the metal WF. In addition, using gold as an example, a critical metal nanoparticle size is found at which the direction of charge transfer, and consequently graphene doping, is inverted.

"Butterfly effect" in CuO/graphene composite nanosheets: a small interfacial adjustment triggers big changes in electronic structure and Li-ion storage performance

Generally speaking, excellent electrochemical performance of metal oxide/graphene nanosheets (GNSs) composite is attributed to the interfacial interaction (or "synergistic effect") between constituents. However, there are no any direct observations on how the electronic structure is changed and how the properties of Li-ion storage are affected by adjusting the interfacial interaction, despite of limited investigations on the possible nature of binding between GNSs and metal oxide. In this paper, CuO nanosheets/GNSs composites with a little Cu2O (ca. 4 wt %) were utilized as an interesting model to illustrate directly the changes of interfacial nature as well as its deep influence on the electronic structure and Li-ion storage performance of composite. The interfacial adjustment was successfully fulfilled by removal of Cu2O in the composite by NH3·H2O. Formation of Cu-O-C bonds on interfaces both between CuO and GNSs, and Cu2O and GNSs in the original CuO/GNSs composites was detected. The small interfacial alteration by removal of the little Cu2O results in the obvious changes in electronic structure, such as weakening of covalent Cu-O-C interfacial interaction and recovery of π bonds in graphene, and simultaneously leads to variations in electrochemical performance of composites, including a 21% increase of reversible capacity, degradation of cyclic stability and rate-performance, and obvious increase of charge-transfer resistance, which can be called a "butterfly effect" in graphene-based metal oxide composites. These interesting phenomena could be helpful to design not only the high-performance graphene/metal oxide anode materials but also various advanced graphene-based composites used in the other fields such as sensors, catalysis, fuel cells, solar cells, etc.

Titania-hydroxypropyl cellulose thin films for the detection of peroxide vapors

Titania nanoparticles in a hydroxypropyl cellulose matrix produced using a sol-gel method were utilized to prepare films on polycarbonate slides and coatings on cellulose papers. The exposure of these materials to hydrogen peroxide gas leads to the development of an intense yellow color. By using an inexpensive web camera and a tungsten lamp to measure the reflected light, first-order behavior in the color change was observed when exposed to peroxide vapor of less than 50 ppm. For 50 mass percent titania nanoparticles in hydroxypropyl cellulose films on polycarbonate, the detection limit was estimated to be 90 ppm after a 1 min measurement and 1.5 ppm after a 1 h integration. The coatings on the filter paper had a 3-fold higher sensitivity compared to the films, with a detection limit of 5.4 ppm peroxide for a 1 min measurement and 0.09 ppm peroxide for a 1 h integration. The high sensitivity and rapid response of these films make them a promising material for use as a sensitive peroxide detector.

Enhanced room-temperature corrosion of copper in the presence of graphene

This paper reports the enhancement of long-term oxidation of copper at room temperature by a graphene coating. Previous studies showed that graphene is an effective anticorrosion barrier against short-term thermal and electrochemical oxidation of metals. Here, we show that a graphene coating can, on the contrary, accelerate long-term oxidation of an underlying copper substrate in ambient atmosphere at room temperature. After 6 months of exposure in air, both Raman spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy indicated that graphene-coated copper foil had a higher degree of oxidation than uncoated foil, although X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the surface concentration of Cu(2+) was higher for the uncoated sample. In addition, we observed that the oxidation of graphene-coated copper foil was not homogeneous and occurred within micrometer-sized domains. The corrosion enhancement effect of graphene was attributed to its ability to promote electrochemical corrosion of copper.

Large-area high-throughput synthesis of monolayer graphene sheet by Hot Filament Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition

We report hot filament thermal CVD (HFTCVD) as a new hybrid of hot filament and thermal CVD and demonstrate its feasibility by producing high quality large area strictly monolayer graphene films on Cu substrates. Gradient in gas composition and flow rate that arises due to smart placement of the substrate inside the Ta filament wound alumina tube accompanied by radical formation on Ta due to precracking coupled with substrate mediated physicochemical processes like diffusion, polymerization etc., led to graphene growth. We further confirmed our mechanistic hypothesis by depositing graphene on Ni and SiO₂/Si substrates. HFTCVD can be further extended to dope graphene with various heteroatoms (H, N, and B, etc.,), combine with functional materials (diamond, carbon nanotubes etc.,) and can be extended to all other materials (Si, SiO₂, SiC etc.,) and processes (initiator polymerization, TFT processing) possible by HFCVD and thermal CVD.