Graphene--nanotube--iron hierarchical nanostructure as lithium ion battery anode

Alkali to alkaline earth metals: a DFT study of monolayer TiSi2N4 for metal ion batteries

A significant problem in the area of rechargeable alkali ion battery technologies is the exploration of anode materials with overall high specific capacities and superior physical properties. By using first-principles calculations, we have determined that monolayer TiSi2N4 is precisely such a potential anode candidate. Its demonstrated dynamic, thermal, mechanical, and energetic stabilities make it feasible for experimental realization. An important benefit of the electrode conductivity is that the electronic structure reveals that the pristine system experiences a change from a semiconductor to a metal throughout the entire alkali adsorption process. What's more interesting is that monolayer TiSi2N4 can support up to double-sided 3-layer ad-atoms, resulting in extremely high theoretical capacities for Li, Na, Mg, and K of 1004, 854, 492 and 531 mA h g-1 and low average open-circuit voltages of 0.55, 0.25, 0.55, and -1.3 V, respectively. Alkali diffusion on the surface has been demonstrated to occur extremely quickly, with migration energy barriers for Li, Na, Mg, and K as low as 0.25, 0.14, 0.10, and 0.07 eV, respectively. The results reveal that the migration barrier energy is the lowest for Li and Mg from path-2 and Na and K from path-1. Overall, these findings suggest that monolayer TiSi2N4 is a suitable anode candidate for use in high-performance and low-cost metal-ion batteries.

Density Functional Theory Study of Bilayer Borophene-Based Anode Material for Rechargeable Lithium Ion Batteries

The bilayer borophene has been successfully fabricated in experiments recently and possesses superior antioxidation and robust metallic properties, which holds great promise for the future anode materials of Li-ion batteries. Herein, using first-principles calculations, two bilayer borophenes including P6/mmm or P6̅m2 symmetry groups with or without vacancy defects are comprehensively explored and acted as electrode materials with high performance in Li-ion batteries. The charge density difference, adsorption energies, and Bader charge analysis are calculated and discussed for single lithium adsorbed on bilayer borophene. The results shown that with the increase of lithium concentration, the adsorption energies are rapidly decreased due to the repulsion of boron atoms except for the P6̅m2 systems with double side adsorption and corresponding energies remain the narrow range. Meanwhile, the partial density of states shows metallic character after lithium adsorption and indicates good conductivity for the charge-discharge process. Furthermore, small diffusion barriers, low average open-circuit voltage, can be achieved, and large storage capacity is up to 930.2 mA h/g at the lower lithium content of 0.375. These results propose that bilayer borophene might be a good choice for anode material applications in future Li-ion batteries with fast ion diffusion and high power density.

Application of nickel-doped graphene nanotubes to modified GCE as a sensitive electrochemical sensor for the antipsychotic drug clozapine in spiked human blood serum samples

Clozapine (CLZ) is one of the most vital medications for managing schizophrenia, and the timely measurement of CLZ levels has been recognized as an obstacle to the wider use of CLZ. Herein, for the first time, nickel-doped graphene nanotubes (Ni@GRNT) were used to construct an electrochemical CLZ sensor by drop coating Ni@GRNT suspension on a glassy carbon electrode. The Ni@GRNT was synthesized and characterized using X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The electrochemical behavior and influence of different physicochemical factors of sensing electrodes were investigated by using cyclic voltammetry, EIS technique, and differential pulse voltammetry techniques. Also, the catalytic rate constant (kcat) and the transfer coefficient (α) were calculated. The modified electrode illustrated satisfactory linear range, detection limit (LOD), reusability, and reproducibility results. At optimal experimental conditions, measurements can be performed at a broad linear dynamic range of 0.3 nmol L−1–60.0 μmol L−1 CLZ and with a LOD of 0.1 nmol L−1. The sensitivity value was estimated to be 3.06 μA µmol L−1 cm−2. Ultimately, this platform was successfully used for CLZ sensing in spiked human blood serum and tablet samples with an accuracy of > 93%.

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A Review of Cobalt-Containing Nanomaterials, Carbon Nanomaterials and Their Composites in Preparation Methods and Application

With the increasing demand for sustainable and green energy, electric energy storage technologies have received enough attention and extensive research. Among them, Li-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used because of their excellent performance, but in practical applications, the electrochemical performance of electrode materials is not satisfactory. Carbon-based materials with high chemical stability, strong conductivity, high specific surface area, and good capacity retention are traditional anode materials in electrochemical energy storage devices, while cobalt-based nano-materials have been widely used in LIBs anodes because of their high theoretical specific capacity. This paper gives a systematic summary of the state of research of cobalt-containing nanomaterials, carbon nanomaterials, and their composites in LIBs anodes. Moreover, the preparation methods of electrode materials and measures to improve electrochemical performance are also summarized. The electrochemical performance of anode materials can be significantly improved by compounding carbon nanomaterials with cobalt nanomaterials. Composite materials have better electrical conductivity, as well as higher cycle ability and reversibility than single materials, and the synergistic effect between them can explain this phenomenon. In addition, the electrochemical performance of materials can be significantly improved by adjusting the microstructure of materials (especially preparing them into porous structures). Among the different microscopic morphologies of materials, porous structure can provide more positions for chimerism of lithium ions, shorten the diffusion distance between electrons and ions, and thus promote the transfer of lithium ions and the diffusion of electrolytes.

Microwave as a Tool for Synthesis of Carbon-Based Electrodes for Energy Storage

This Spotlight on Applications highlights the significant impact of microwave-assisted methods for synthesis and modification of carbon materials with enhanced properties for electrodes in energy storage applications (supercapacitors and batteries). For the past few years, microwave irradiation has been increasingly used for the synthesis of carbon materials with different morphologies using various precursors. Microwave processing exhibits numerous advantages, such as short processing times, high yield, expanded reaction conditions, high reproducibility, and high purity of products. On this frontier research area, we have discussed microwave-assisted synthesis, defect creation, simultaneous reduction and exfoliation, and heteroatom doping in carbon materials. By careful manipulation of microwave irradiation parameters, the method becomes a powerful and efficient tool to generate different morphologies in carbon-based materials. Other important outcomes are the flexible control over the degree of reduction and exfoliation of graphene derivatives, the generation of defects in graphene-based materials by metals, the intercalation of metal oxides into graphene derivatives, and heteroatom doping of graphene materials. The Spotlight on Applications aims to provide a condensed overview of the current progress in carbon-based electrodes synthesized by microwave, pointing out outstanding challenges and offering a few suggestions to trigger more research endeavors in this important field.

Iron oxides/graphene hybrid structures - Preparation, modification, and application as fillers of polymer composites

The current status of knowledge regarding magnetic hybrid structures based on graphene or carbon nanotubes with various forms of iron oxides is reviewed. The paper starts with a summary of the preparation and properties of iron oxide nanoparticles, both untreated and coated with silica or polymer layers. In the next section, organic-inorganic hybrid materials obtained as a result of a combination of graphene or carbon nanotubes and iron chemical compounds are characterized and discussed. These hybrids constitute an increasing percentage of all consumable high performance biomedical, electronic, and energy materials due to their valuable properties and low production costs. The potential of their application as components of materials used in corrosion protection, catalysis, spintronics, biomedicine, photoelectrochemical water splitting and groundwater remediation, as well as magnetic nanoparticles in polymer matrices, are also presented. The last part of this review article is focused on reporting the most recent developments in design and the understanding of the properties of polymer composites reinforced with nanometer-sized iron oxide/graphene and iron oxide/carbon nanotubes hybrid fillers. The discussion presents comparative analysis of the magnetic, electromagnetic shielding, electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of polymer composites with various iron oxide/graphene structures. It is shown that the introduction of hybrid filler nanoparticles into polymer matrices enhances both the macro- and microproperties of final composites as a result of synergistic effects of individual components and the simultaneous formation of an oriented filler network in the polymer. The reinforcing effect is related to the structure and geometry of hybrid nanoparticles applied as a filler, the interactions between the filler particles, their concentration in a composite, and the method of composite processing.

Flame Synthesis of Superhydrophilic Carbon Nanotubes/Ni Foam Decorated with Fe2O3 Nanoparticles for Water Purification via Solar Steam Generation

Solar-driven water evaporation has been proposed as a renewable and sustainable strategy for the generation of clean water from seawater or wastewater. To enable such technologies, development of photothermal materials that enable efficient solar steam generation is essential. The current challenge is to manufacture such photothermal materials cost-effectively and at scale. Furthermore, the photothermal materials should be strongly hydrophilic and environmentally stable. Herein, we demonstrate facile and scalable fabrication of carbon nanotube (CNT)-based photothermal nanocomposite foam by igniting an ethanol solution of ferric acetylacetonate [Fe(acac)₃] absorbed within nickel (Ni) foam under ambient conditions. The Fe(acac)₃ precursor provides carbon and the zero-valent iron catalyst for growing CNTs on the Ni foam, while ethanol facilitates the dispersion of Fe(acac)₃ on the Ni foam and supplies heat energy for the growth of CNTs by its burning. A forest of dense and uniform CNTs decorated with Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles is generated within seconds. The resultant Fe₂O₃/CNT/Ni nanocomposite foam exhibits "superhydrophilicity" and high light absorption capacity, ensuring rapid transport and fast evaporation of water within the entire foam. Efficient light-to-heat conversion causes the surface temperature of the foam to reach ∼83.1 °C under 1 sun irradiation. The average water evaporation rates of such foam are as high as ∼1.48 and ∼4.27 kg m^-2 h^-1 with light-to-heat conversion efficiencies of ∼81.3 and ∼93.8% under 1 sun and 3 sun irradiation, respectively. Moreover, the versatile and scalable combustion synthesis strategy presented here can be realized on various substrates, exhibiting high adaptability for different applications.

AACVD Synthesis and Characterization of Iron and Copper Oxides Modified ZnO Structured Films

Non-modified (ZnO) and modified (Fe2O3@ZnO and CuO@ZnO) structured films are deposited via aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition. The surface modification of ZnO with iron or copper oxides is achieved in a second aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition step and the characterization of morphology, structure, and surface of these new structured films is discussed. X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and X-ray diffraction corroborate the formation of ZnO, Fe2O3, and CuO and the electron microscopy images show the morphological and crystalline characteristics of these structured films. Static water contact angle measurements for these structured films indicate hydrophobic behavior with the modified structures showing higher contact angles compared to the non-modified films. Overall, results show that the modification of ZnO with iron or copper oxides enhances the hydrophobic behavior of the surface, increasing the contact angle of the water drops at the non-modified ZnO structures from 122 to 135 and 145 for Fe2O3@ZnO and CuO@ZnO, respectively. This is attributed to the different surface properties of the films including the morphology and chemical composition.

Electron-Phonon Scattering Is Much Weaker in Carbon Nanotubes than in Graphene Nanoribbons

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are lower-dimensional derivatives of graphene. Similar to graphene, they exhibit high charge mobilities; however, in contrast to graphene, they are semiconducting and thus are suitable for electronics, optics, solar energy devices, and other applications. Charge carrier mobilities, energies, and lifetimes are governed by scattering with phonons, and we demonstrate, using ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics, that charge-phonon scattering is much stronger in GNRs. Focusing on a GNR and a CNT of similar size and electronic properties, we show that the difference arises because of the significantly higher stiffness of the CNT. The GNR undergoes large-scale undulating motions at ambient conditions. Such thermal geometry distortions localize wave functions, accelerate both elastic and inelastic charge-phonon scattering, and increase the rates of energy and carrier losses. Even though, formally, both CNTs and GNRs are quantum confined derivatives of graphene, charge-phonon scattering differs significantly between them. Showing good agreement with time-resolved photoconductivity and photoluminescence measurements, the study demonstrates that GNRs are quite similar to molecules, such as conjugated polymers, while CNTs exhibit extended features attributed to bulk materials. The state-of-the-art simulations alter the traditional view of graphene nanostructures and demonstrate that the performance can be tuned not only by size and composition but also by stiffness and response to thermal excitation.

Large-Scale Synthesis of Three-Dimensional Reduced Graphene Oxide/Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube Heteronanostructures as Highly Efficient Electromagnetic Wave Absorbing Materials

Herein, we use reduced graphene oxide as a substrate and NiFe as a catalyst to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (NCNT)/reduced graphene oxide heteronanostructures (3D NiFe/N-GCTs). The 3D NiFe/N-GCTs are composed of two-dimensional (2D) reduced graphene oxide-supported one-dimensional (1D) NiFe nanoparticle-encapsulated NCNT arrays. The NCNTs exhibit bamboo-like shapes with the length and diameter of 3-10 μm and 15-45 nm, respectively. Besides integration of advantages of 1D and 2D nanomaterials, the 3D NiFe/N-GCT heteronanostructure possesses interconnected network structures, sufficient interfaces, numerous defects, hundreds of void spaces enclosed by bamboo joints and the walls of the NCNT in an individual carbon nanotube, and large surface areas, which can improve their dielectric losses toward electromagnetic wave. Thus, the 3D NiFe/N-GCTs show satisfied property toward electromagnetic wave absorption. Typically, the optimized 3D NiFe/N-GCT displays excellent minimal reflection loss (-40.3 dB) and outstanding efficient absorption bandwidth (4.5 GHz), outperforming most of the reported absorbers. Remarkably, the synthesis of 3D NiFe/N-GCTs only involves vacuum freeze-drying and subsequent thermal treatment process at a high temperature, and thus, the large-scale production of 3D NiFe/N-GCTs can be achieved in each batch, affording the possibility of the practical applications of the 3D NiFe/N-GCTs.

Thermal Transport Behavior of Carbon Nanotube–Graphene Junction under Deformation

We employ molecular dynamics simulations to explore the effect of tensile strain on the thermal conductivity of carbon nanotube (CNT)–graphene junction structures. Two types of CNT–graphene junctions are simulated; a seamless junction between CNT and graphene with pure [Formula: see text] covalent bonds, and a junction with mixed [Formula: see text] covalent bonds are studied. The most interesting observation is that the thermal conductivity of a CNT–graphene junction structure increases with an increase in mechanical strain. For the case of a (6,6) CNT–graphene junction structure with an inter-pillar distance (the length of graphene floor between two CNT–graphene junctions) of 15[Formula: see text]nm, the thermal conductivity is improved by 22.4% with 0.1 tensile strain. The thermal conductivity improvement by mechanical strain is enhanced when a larger graphene floor is placed between junctions since a larger graphene floor allows larger deformation (larger tensile strain) without breaking bonds in the junction structure. However, the thermal conductivity is found to more strongly depend on the C–C bond hybridization at the intramolecular junctions with pure [Formula: see text] hybridization showing a higher thermal conductivity when compared to mixed [Formula: see text] bonding regardless of the amount of tensile strain. The obtained results will contribute to the development of flexible electronics by providing a theoretical background on the thermal transport of three-dimensional carbon nanostructures under deformation.

Cobalt Sulfide Confined in N-Doped Porous Branched Carbon Nanotubes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are considered new generation of large-scale energy-storage devices. However, LIBs suffer from a lack of desirable anode materials with excellent specific capacity and cycling stability. In this work, we design a novel hierarchical structure constructed by encapsulating cobalt sulfide nanowires within nitrogen-doped porous branched carbon nanotubes (NBNTs) for LIBs. The unique hierarchical Co₉S₈@NBNT electrode displayed a reversible specific capacity of 1310 mAh g^-1 at a current density of 0.1 A g^-1, and was able to maintain a stable reversible discharge capacity of 1109 mAh g^-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g^-1 with coulombic efficiency reaching almost 100% for 200 cycles. The excellent rate and cycling capabilities can be ascribed to the hierarchical porosity of the one-dimensional Co₉S₈@NBNT internetworks, the incorporation of nitrogen doping, and the carbon nanotube confinement of the active cobalt sulfide nanowires offering a proximate electron pathway for the isolated nanoparticles and shielding of the cobalt sulfide nanowires from pulverization over long cycling periods.

Removal of Antibiotics From Water with an All-Carbon 3D Nanofiltration Membrane

Recent industrial developments and increased energy demand have resulted in significantly increased levels of environmental pollutants, which have become a serious global problem. Herein, we propose a novel all-carbon nanofiltration (NF) membrane that consists of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) interposed between graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets to form a three-dimensional (3D) structure. The as-prepared membrane has abundant two-dimensional (2D) nanochannels that can physically sieve antibiotic molecules through electrostatic interaction. As a result, the prepared membrane, with a thickness of 4.26 μm, shows both a high adsorption of 99.23% for tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) and a high water permeation of 16.12 L m^- 2 h^- 1 bar^- 1. In addition, the cationic dye methylene blue (MB) was also removed to an extent of 83.88%, indicating broad applications of the prepared membrane.

Stable and Reversible Lithium Storage with High Pseudocapacitance in GaN Nanowires

In this work, gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires (NWs) were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. The hybrid electrode showed the capacity up to 486 mAh g^-1 after 400 cycles at 0.1 A g^-1. Even at 10 A g^-1, the reversible capacity can stabilize at 75 mAh g^-1 (after 1000 cycles). Pseudocapacitive capacity was defined by kinetics analysis. The dynamics analysis and electrochemical reaction mechanism of GaN with Li⁺ was also analyzed by ex situ XRD, HRTEM, and XPS results. These results not only cast new light on pseudocapacitance enhanced high-rate energy storage devices by self-assembled nanoengineering but also extend the application range of traditional binary III/V semiconductors.

Graphene-Oxide-Assisted Synthesis of GaN Nanosheets as a New Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Battery

As the most-studied III-nitride, theoretical researches have predicted the presence of gallium nitride (GaN) nanosheets (NSs). Herein, a facile synthesis approach is reported to prepare GaN NSs using graphene oxide (GO) as sacrificial template. As a new anode material of Li-ion battery (LIBs), GaN NSs anodes deliver the reversible discharge capacity above 600 mA h g^-1 at 1.0 A g^-1 after 1000 cycles, and excellent rate performance at current rates from 0.1 to 10 A g^-1. These results not only extend the family of 2D materials but also facilitate their use in energy storage and other applications.

Soft but Powerful Artificial Muscles Based on 3D Graphene-CNT-Ni Heteronanostructures

Bioinspired soft ionic actuators, which exhibit large strain and high durability under low input voltages, are regarded as prospective candidates for future soft electronics. However, due to the intrinsic drawback of weak blocking force, the feasible applications of soft ionic actuators are limited until now. An electroactive artificial muscle electro-chemomechanically reinforced with 3D graphene-carbon nanotube-nickel heteronanostructures (G-CNT-Ni) to improve blocking force and bending deformation of the ionic actuators is demonstrated. The G-CNT-Ni heteronanostructure, which provides an electrically conductive 3D network and sufficient contact area with mobile ions in the polymer electrolyte, is embedded as a nanofiller in both ionic polymer and conductive electrodes of the ionic actuators. An ionic exchangeable composite membrane consisting of Nafion, G-CNT-Ni and ionic liquid (IL) shows improved tensile modulus and strength of up to 166% and 98%, respectively, and increased ionic conductivity of 0.254 S m^-1 . The ionic actuator exhibits enhanced actuation performances including three times larger bending deformation, 2.37 times higher blocking force, and 4 h durability. The electroactive artificial muscle electro-chemomechanically reinforced with 3D G-CNT-Ni heteronanostructures offers improvements over current soft ionic actuator technologies and can advance the practical engineering applications.

Hierarchical architecture for flexible energy storage

The introduction of hierarchy and chirality into structure is of great interest, and can result in new optical and electronic properties due to the synergistic effect of helical and anisotropic structures. Herein, we demonstrate a simple and straightforward route toward the fabrication of hierarchical chiral materials based on the assembly of two-dimensional graphene oxide nanosheets (GO) and one-dimensional cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). The unique layered structure of CNC/GO could be preserved in the solid state, allowing electrode active SnO₂ to be loaded for potential applications in energy storage. The resultant SnO₂/CNC/reduced GO (SnO₂/CNC/rGO) composite could be processed into film, fiber, and textile with an extremely high tensile strength of 100 MPa. The free-standing SnO₂/CNC/rGO electrodes exhibit highly improved energy storage performance, with a reversible capacity of ∼500 mA h g^-1 maintained for 1500 cycles in the film and ∼800 mA h g^-1 maintained for 150 cycles in the textile at a current density of 500 mA g^-1. This is attributed to the prepared hierarchical chiral structures. The presented technique provides an effective approach to producing hierarchical functional materials from nanoparticles as building blocks, which might open an avenue for the creation of new flexible energy storage devices.

Hierarchical Cobalt Hydroxide and B/N Co-Doped Graphene Nanohybrids Derived from Metal-Organic Frameworks for High Energy Density Asymmetric Supercapacitors

To cater for the demands of electrochemical energy storage system, the development of cost effective, durable and highly efficient electrode materials is desired. Here, a novel electrode material based on redox active β-Co(OH)₂ and B, N co-doped graphene nanohybrid is presented for electrochemical supercapacitor by employing a facile metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) route through pyrolysis and hydrothermal treatment. The Co(OH)₂ could be firmly stabilized by dual protection of N-doped carbon polyhedron (CP) and B/N co-doped graphene (BCN) nanosheets. Interestingly, the porous carbon and BCN nanosheets greatly improve the charge storage, wettability, and redox activity of electrodes. Thus the hybrid delivers specific capacitance of 1263 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 1A g⁻¹ with 90% capacitance retention over 5000 cycles. Furthermore, the new aqueous asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) was also designed by using Co(OH)₂@CP@BCN nanohybrid and BCN nanosheets as positive and negative electrodes respectively, which leads to high energy density of 20.25 Whkg⁻¹. This device also exhibits excellent rate capability with energy density of 15.55 Whkg⁻¹ at power density of 9331 Wkg⁻¹ coupled long termed stability up to 6000 cycles.

Synergistically Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Hierarchical MoS2/TiNb2O7 Hetero-nanostructures as Anode Materials for Li-Ion Batteries

As potential high-performance anodes for Li-ion batteries (LIBs), hierarchical heteronanostructures consisting of TiNb₂O₇ nanofibers and ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets (TNO@MS HRs) were synthesized by simple electrospinning/hydrothermal processes. With their growth mechanism revealed, the TNO@MS HRs exhibited an entangled structure both for their ionic and electronic conducting pathways, which enabled the synergetic combination of one- and two-dimensional structures to be realized. In the potential range of 0.001-3 V vs Li/Li⁺, the TNO@MS HR-based LIBs exhibited high capacities of 872 and 740 mAh g^-1 after 42 and 200 cycles at a current density of 1 A g^-1, respectively, and excellent rate performance of 611 mAh g^-1 at 4 A g^-1. We believe that the fabrication route of TNO@MS HRs will find visibility for the use of anode electrodes for high capacity LIBs at low cost.

High Pseudocapacitance in FeOOH/rGO Composites with Superior Performance for High Rate Anode in Li-Ion Battery

Capacitive storage has been considered as one type of Li-ion storage with fast faradaic surface redox reactions to offer high power density for electrochemical applications. However, it is often limited by low extent of energy contribution during the charge/discharge process, providing insufficient influences to total capacity of Li-ion storage in electrodes. In this work, we demonstrate a pseudocapacitance predominated storage (contributes 82% of the total capacity) from an in-situ pulverization process of FeOOH rods on rGO (reduced graphene oxide) sheets for the first time. Such high extent of pseudocapacitive storage in the FeOOH/rGO electrode achieves high energy density with superior cycling performance over 200 cycles at different current densities (1135 mAh/g at 1 A/g and 783 mAh/g at 5 A/g). It is further revealed that the in-situ pulverization process is essential for the high pseudocapacitance in this electrode, because it not only produces a porous structure for high exposure of tiny FeOOH crystallites to electrolyte but also maintains stable electrochemical contact during ultrahigh rate charge transfer with high energy density in the battery. The utilization of in-situ pulverization in an Fe-based anode to realize high surface pseudocapacitance with superior performance may inspire future design of electrode structures in Li-ion batteries.

Graphene-coated meshes for electroactive flow control devices utilizing two antagonistic functions of repellency and permeability

The wettability of graphene on various substrates has been intensively investigated for practical applications including surgical and medical tools, textiles, water harvesting, self-cleaning, oil spill removal and microfluidic devices. However, most previous studies have been limited to investigating the intrinsic and passive wettability of graphene and graphene hybrid composites. Here, we report the electrowetting of graphene-coated metal meshes for use as electroactive flow control devices, utilizing two antagonistic functions, hydrophobic repellency versus liquid permeability. Graphene coating was able to prevent the thermal oxidation and corrosion problems that plague unprotected metal meshes, while also maintaining its hydrophobicity. The shapes of liquid droplets and the degree of water penetration through the graphene-coated meshes were controlled by electrical stimuli based on the functional control of hydrophobic repellency and liquid permeability. Furthermore, using the graphene-coated metal meshes, we developed two active flow devices demonstrating the dynamic locomotion of water droplets and electroactive flow switching.

The wettability properties of graphene hold promise for the realisation of flow control devices. Here, the authors demonstrate that the degree of water penetration through a nickel mesh coated with graphene can be controlled electrically, enabling dynamic locomotion of water droplets.

Hierarchically Structured Fullerene C70 Cube for Sensing Volatile Aromatic Solvent Vapors

We report the preparation of hierarchically structured fullerene C70 cubes (HFC) composed of mesoporous C70 nanorods with crystalline pore walls. Highly crystalline cubic shape C70 crystals (FC) were grown at a liquid-liquid interface formed between tert-butyl alcohol and C70 solution in mesitylene. HFCs were then prepared by washing with isopropanol of the FC at 25 °C. The growth directions and diameters of C70 nanorods could be controlled by varying washing conditions. HFCs perform as an excellent sensing system for vapor-phase aromatic solvents due to their easy diffusion through the mesoporous architecture and strong π-π interactions with the sp(2) carbon-rich pore walls. Moreover, HFCs offer an enhanced electrochemically active surface area resulting in an energy storage capacity 1 order of magnitude greater than pristine C70 and fullerene C70 cubes not containing mesoporous nanorods.

Polyethylenimine-Mediated Electrostatic Assembly of MnO2 Nanorods on Graphene Oxides for Use as Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries

In recent years, the development of electrochemically active materials with excellent lithium storage capacity has attracted tremendous attention for application in high-performance lithium-ion batteries. MnO2-based composite materials have been recognized as one of promising candidates owing to their high theoretical capacity and cost-effectiveness. In this study, a previously unrecognized chemical method is proposed to induce intra-stacked assembly from MnO2 nanorods and graphene oxide (GO), which is incorporated as an electrically conductive medium and a structural template, through polyethylenimine (PEI)-derived electrostatic modulation between both constituent materials. It is revealed that PEI, a cationic polyelectrolyte, is capable of effectively forming hierarchical, two-dimensional MnO2-RGO composites, enabling highly reversible capacities of 880, 770, 630, and 460 mA·h/g at current densities of 0.1, 1, 3, and 5 A/g, respectively. The role of PEI in electrostatically assembled composite materials is clarified through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy-based comparative analysis.

Ultrafast growth of carbon nanotubes on graphene for capacitive energy storage

We have demonstrated a novel three-dimensional (3D) architecture of a graphene/carbon nanotube (G-CNT) hybrid synthesized at large scale within just 5 s via a simple microwave-heating method without the usage of any other conducting or expanding agent for the first time. The carbon composites obtained consist of evenly grown CNTs with an average diameter of about 15 nm on the surface of graphene nanosheets. The G-CNT hybrid exhibits enhanced electrochemical performance for both aqueous and organic supercapacitor devices. Particularly, the G-CNT electrodes demonstrate an enhanced specific capacitance of 361 F g(-1) at a current density of 1.1 A g(-1) in an aqueous electrolyte and a volumetric capacitance of 254 F cm(-3) in an organic electrolyte. They also display excellent cycle stability with nearly 91.2% of the initial capacitance retained after 10 000 charging-discharging cycles at a current density of 15 A g(-1). This demonstrates that the developed composites have potential applications in supercapacitors and other energy storage devices.

Defect engineering route to boron nitride quantum dots and edge-hydroxylated functionalization for bio-imaging

A defect engineering method was developed using physical energy sources to synthesize boron nitride quantum dots (BNQDs) for bioimaging applications.

Self-assembly of porous copper oxide hierarchical nanostructures for selective determinations of glucose and ascorbic acid

CuO with flower and hallow sphere-like morphology were fabricated via one pot hydrothermal method. The effect of copper ions source upon the CuO nanostructures assembly, selectivity and sensitivity in the electrochemical processes is explored.

Graphene oxide/carbon nanotubes–Fe3O4 supported Pd nanoparticles for hydrogenation of nitroarenes and C–H activation

The GO/CNT–Fe₃O₄ support Pd nanoparticles are synthesized by the gas–liquid interfacial plasma method. The catalysts exhibit remarkable catalytic activity during the hydrogenation of nitroarenes and C–H functionalization.