Potential-aided recovery of iodide using 2-D nanosheet CuxO coating polymer/graphene/carbon fibers composite

2-D nanosheet Cu_2O doped CuO coating poly m-phenylenediamine and melamine/graphene/carbon fibers composite(Cu_xO/MPM/GFs) was firstly fabricated by compound electrochemical method. Cu_xO/MPM/GFs was successfully used to the recovery of iodide(I~-) from salt water by lower potential-aided sorption and desorption processes. The potential-aided recovery of I~- at CuxO/MPM/GFs was characterized by FE-SEM, XRD, IR, Raman,XPS, UV–vis and electrochemical techniques in detail. The maximal adsorption capacity of 86.82 mg·g~(-1) could be obtained with a pseudo-second-order model at 0.8 V for 210 min in pH 5.0, 0.1 mol·L~(-1) NaCl, and the process accompanied the generation of CuI, CuO and I~(5-). The I-could be quickly desorbed from the electrode with a transfer of CuI to Cu_2O by cycle voltammetry from -1.0 to 0.5 V for 90 cycles in pH 9.0, 0.1 mol·L~(-1) KNO_3.Thus, CuxO/MPM/GFs was renewable in the continuous electrochemical-adsorption–desorption processes.     

Silicon carbide nano-fibers in-situ grown on carbon fibers for enhanced microwave absorption properties

Silicon carbide nano-fibers (SiCNFs) were in-situ grown on the surface of carbon fibers by catalysis chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) with Ni nano-particles as catalyst at 1000 °C. The phase composition, microstructures, oxidation resistance and microwave absorption properties of the SiCNFs coated carbon fibers were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Thermal gravity analysis (TGA) and Vector network analyzer, respectively. The results show that the as-grown nano-fibers which are mainly composed of β-SiC, present a withe-like morphology with diameter of 20–50 nm and aspect ratio of 100–150. Additionally, the TGA curves indicate that the oxidation resistance of the SiCNFs coated carbon fibers is significantly improved in comparison to the pure carbon fibers. Moreover, the investigation reveals that the microwave absorption properties of the SiCNFs coated carbon fibers are effectively enhanced. The reflectivity of the SiCNFs coated carbon fibers is less than −10 dB within the frequency ranging from 9.2 to 11.7 GHz and the lowest value of reflectivity can approach −19.9 dB when the thickness of specimen is 2 mm. While the reflection loss of the pure carbon fibers is higher than −2.1 dB within the whole band ranging from 2 and 18 GHz. The superior microwave absorbing performance of the SiCNFs coated carbon fibers is mainly attributed to the improved impedance matching as well as dissipation resulted from hopping migration. In conclusion, this study provides an effective modification approach to improve the microwave absorption properties of carbon fibers. Finally, the SiCNFs coated carbon fibers could be considered as a promising candidate in light-weight microwave absorbing materials.     

A duplex coating composed of electrophoretic deposited graphene oxide inner-layer and electrodeposited graphene oxide/Mg substituted hydroxyapatite outer-layer on carbon/carbon composites for biomedical application

A duplex coating composed of electrophoretic deposited graphene oxide (GO) inner-layer and electrodeposited GO/Mg substituted hydroxyapatite (MH) outer-layer was prepared on carbon/carbon composites (CC). The morphology and microstructure of GO-GO/MH coating were researched by Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The bonding strength between GO-GO/MH coating and CC substrate was investigated by shear test. The in-vitro bioactivity of GO-GO/MH coating was analyzed by simulated body fluid (SBF) immersion test. The results demonstrated that electrophoretic deposited GO inner-layer was successfully introduced on CC and could serve as an interlayer between CC and following electrodeposited GO/MH outer-layer. GO/MH outer-layer presented a flake morphology with 150–250?nm in thickness and 1.5–2.5?µm in width, exhibiting porous three-dimensional networks structure uniformly. The shear test showed that the bonding strength between the duplex coating and CC reached 7.4?MPa, which was 80.49% higher than that of single-layered MH coating without GO. The duplex coating could induce the formation of flocculent and chapped apatite after SBF immersion, which demonstrated the in-vitro bioactivity of the duplex coating. These results suggested that GO-GO/MH coating might be a promising candidate in the field of biomaterials, especially for implant coatings.     

Gas phase mineralized graphene as core/shell nanosheet supports for single-site olefin polymerization catalysts and in-situ formation of graphene/polyolefin nanocomposites

A versatile gas phase mineralization process affords nanosheets containing a functionalized graphene (FG) core and a thin silica shell. The number of cycles, exposing FG to sequenced tetrachlorosilane and water vapors, controls the silica content and the silica shell thickness. The resulting high surface area core/shell nanosheets, containing 22 to 34 wt.-% silica, are used to immobilize single-site catalysts. During polymerization, the FG/silica nanosheets are uniformly dispersed in ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene. This catalytic polymerization filling process, exploiting the encapsulation of graphene in a silica shell, is of interest to prepare electrically insulating carbon/polyolefin composite materials with high thermal conductivity useful in lightweight engineering.     

Microstructure and tribological properties of in-situ TiC-C/Cu nanocomposites synthesized using different carbon sources (graphite,carbon nanotube and graphene) in the Cu-Ti-C system

For the first time, TiC-C/Cu nanocomposites were fabricated from a mixture of Cu, Ti and C powders by the use of different carbon sources (graphite, carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene) through two-step high energy mechanical milling and in-situ synthesis by annealing, to study the effect of carbon source on phases formation and tribological properties. The results showed the presence of Cu as the matrix, TiC and unreacted carbon phases in the microstructure of sintered samples, and relatively uniform distribution of the reinforcement phase in the copper matrix was obtained. With the decrease of carbon source size, the density of sintered nanocomposites was reduced. It was revealed that using the CNT and graphene as carbon sources results in finer TiC nanoparticles, which considerably improves the tribological properties of the nanocomposite. Using CNT and graphene as carbon sources led to 15% and 49% reduction in wear volume loss and 16% and 6% decrease in friction coefficient respectively, in compassion to using graphite.     

Synthesis and characterization of graphene and carbon nanotubes: A review on the past and recent developments

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene have built broad interest in most areas of science and engineering because of their extraordinary physical, mechanical, thermal and optical properties. Graphene is a two-dimensional one-atom-thick planar sheet of sp²-bonded carbon atoms while CNTs are a cylindrical nanostructure which composed entirely of sp²-bonded carbon atoms as well. This review presents and discusses the past and current advancement of synthesis and characterization of graphene and CNTs. The review also concludes with a brief summary and an outlook on the challenges and future prospects in the growth of graphene and CNTs.     

Facile synthesis of NiMn2O4 nanosheet arrays grown on nickel foam as novel electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors

Nanostructured spinel NiMn₂O₄ arrays have been fabricated by a facile hydrothermal approach and further investigated as binder-free electrode for high-performance supercapacitors. Compared with Mn₃O₄, NiMn₂O₄ exhibited higher specific capacitances (662.5 F g⁻¹ and 370.5 F g⁻¹ in different electrolytes at the current density of 1 A g⁻¹) and excellent cycling stability (~96% capacitance retention after 1000 cycles) in a three-electrode system. Such a novel microstructure grown directly on the conductive substrate provided sufficient active sites for redox reaction resulting in their enhanced electrochemical behaviors. Their improved performances suggested that ultrathin sheet-like NiMn₂O₄ arrays on Ni foam substrate were a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.     

A calcium phosphate coating improving corrosion resistance of the biodegradable magnesium alloy with graphene oxide modifying the deposition

Biodegradable magnesium alloy is an ideal material for medical implant applications, but its application is limited by its rapid degradation. Therefore, it becomes the main goal to improve corrosion resistance. In this study, a calcium phosphate dihydrate/graphene oxide composite coating was designed on the AZ60 alloy for medical applications. A calcium phosphate dihydrate coating was first prepared by biomimetic deposition on the alkali pretreated magnesium alloy, and graphene oxide was dispersed in the solution to modify the deposition. The results showed that graphene oxide could not only alter the loose striped calcium phosphate coating to the compact flaked composite coating, but also enhance the corrosion resistance with a reduced corrosion current density by 2 orders of magnitude, an increased impedance by 3 orders of magnitude and a corrosion rate down to 7/20. The in vitro biocompatibility of the composite coating was also demonstrated by a series cell experiments, with a cell viability of 120%. The composite coating provides a feasible method to enhance the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of magnesium alloys.     

Anchorage of carbon nanotubes grown on carbon fibres

A novel reinforcing material based on the concept of an uniform 3-dimensional distribution of carbon nanotubes directly grown on yarns of carbon fibres has been developed. This material shows a potential for applications in polymeric matrix composites, combining the properties of carbon nanotubes with those of a traditional reinforcement.In view of the dipping process of the CNT coated fibres into a polymeric matrix, a good anchorage of CNT to the fibre surface is mandatory. Carbon fibres coated with metallic clusters and CNT were immersed into different liquids (deionised water, ethanol, n-butanol, acetone) and processed with different treatments (immersion, magnetic stirring, centrifugation and ultrasonic bath) in order to test their behaviour in different stressing environments. The morphological features of the samples were characterised by SEM both before and after the tests, demonstrating a good adhesion of the three-component material, which was not destroyed even after the most aggressive test.     

Comparative study of methylene blue dye adsorption onto activated carbon,graphene oxide,and carbon nanotubes

Three different carbonaceous materials, activated carbon, graphene oxide, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, were modified by nitric acid and used as adsorbents for the removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous solution. The adsorbents were characterized by N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms, infrared spectroscopy, particle size, and zeta potential measurements. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to study the effect of solution pH and contact time on dye adsorption properties. The kinetic studies showed that the adsorption data followed a pseudo second-order kinetic model. The isotherm analysis indicated that the adsorption data can be represented by Langmuir isotherm model. The remarkably strong adsorption capacity normalized by the BET surface area of graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes can be attributed to π–π electron donor acceptor interaction and electrostatic attraction.     

聚丙烯腈基炭纤维组织结构表征与性能分析

采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、激光拉曼光谱(Raman)及化学分析法等测试技术对4种PAN基3K炭纤维(2种国产炭纤维、1种国外原丝国内炭化纤维、一种日本炭纤维)的表面形貌、组织结构及化学组成等方面进行了表征,并分析了材料的微观结构组织与宏观性能的关系。结果表明:相比日本炭纤维,国产炭纤维表面缺陷多、微观结构不完整、R值大、杂质含量多等因素决定了其具有较低的拉伸强度。     

Anisotropy of functional properties of SiC composites with GNPs,GO and in-situ formed graphene

This paper reports on anisotropy of functional properties of different silicon carbide-graphene composites due to preferential orientation of graphene layers during sintering. Dense silicon carbide/graphene nanoplatelets (SiC/GNPs) and silicon carbide/graphene oxide (SiC/GO) composites were sintered in the presence of yttria (Y₂O₃) and alumina (Al₂O₃) sintering additives at 1800 °C in vacuum by the rapid hot pressing (RHP) technique. It is found that electrical conductivity of SiC/GNPs and SiC/GO composites increases significantly in the perpendicular direction to the RHP pressing axis, reached up to 1775 S/m in the case of SiC/GO (for 3.15 wt.% of rGO). Also, thermal diffusivity was found to increase slightly by the addition of GNPs in the SiC/GNPs composites in the perpendicular direction to the RHP pressing axis. But, in the parallel direction, the addition of GNPs showed a negative effect. The formation of graphene domains was observed in reference sample SiC-Y₂O₃-Al₂O₃ sintered by RHP, without any addition of graphene. Their presence was confirmed indirectly by increasing electrical conductivity about three orders of magnitude in comparison to the reference sample sintered by conventional hot press (HP). Raman, SEM and TEM analysis were used for direct evidence of presence of graphene domains in RHP reference sample.     

Stabilization and carbonization of gel spun polyacrylonitrile/single wall carbon nanotube composite fibers

Gel spun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and PAN/single wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) composite fibers have been stabilized in air and subsequently carbonized in argon at 1100 °C. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and infrared spectroscopy suggests that the presence of single wall carbon nanotube affects PAN stabilization. Carbonized PAN/SWNT fibers exhibited 10-30 nm diameter fibrils embedded in brittle carbon matrix, while the control PAN carbonized under the same conditions exhibited brittle fracture with no fibrils. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy suggest the existence of well developed graphitic regions in carbonized PAN/SWNT and mostly disordered carbon in carbonized PAN. Tensile modulus and strength of the carbonized fibers were as high as 250 N/tex and 1.8 N/tex for the composite fibers and 168 N/tex and 1.1 N/tex for the control PAN based carbon fibers, respectively. The addition of 1 wt% carbon nanotubes enhanced the carbon fiber modulus by 49% and strength by 64%.     

Multifunction properties of SiOC reinforced with carbon fiber and in-situ SiC nanowires

Herein, the SiC nanowires were successfully fabricated via chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) into carbon fiber felts (CFs) and then the SiOC/SiCnws/CFs composites were synthesized by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) processes. Results indicated that the lightweight composites possessed enhanced mechanical performance, low thermal conductivity, and excellent electromagnetic wave absorption properties. Detailedly, the compressive strength reached to 22.0 MPa and 9.6 MPa after two PIP processes cycles in z and x/y directions, respectively. Meanwhile, the composites exhibited tailored electromagnetic wave absorption performance with the effective absorption bandwidth of 3.06 GHz, and the minimum reflection loss (RL_min) was -48.2 dB with a thickness of 3.6 mm. The present work has a guidance to prepare and design multifunction properties for application in harsh environment.     

A preparation approach of exploring cluster ion implantation: from ultra-thin carbon film to graphene

Based on the extensive application of 2 × 1.7MV Tandetron accelerator, a low-energy cluster chamber has been built to explore for synthesizing graphene. Raman spectrum and atomic force microscopy (AFM) show that an amorphous carbon film in nanometer was deposited on the silicon by C₄ cluster implantation. And we replaced the substrate with Ni/SiO₂/Si and measured the thickness of Ni film by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). Combined with suitable anneal conditions, these samples implanted by various small carbon clusters were made to grow graphene. Results from Raman spectrum reveal that few-layer graphene were obtained and discuss whether I_G/I_2D can contribute to explain the relationship between the number of graphene layers and cluster implantation dosage.     

Electrodeposition of graphene oxide-hydroxyapatite composite coating on titanium substrate

In this work, graphene oxide (GO)/hydroxyapatite (HA) composite coatings were successfully prepared on titanium substrate by electrophoretic deposition technology. Subsequently, microstructure, phase composition, adhesion strength, hydrophilicity, corrosion resistance, bioactivity, antibacterial activity and biocompatibility of the coating were evaluated. The adhesion strength of coating increased by 76% from 6.46 MPa to 17.81 MPa with 0 wt% GO to 12 wt% GO and the corrosion rate of coating with 8 wt% GO was achieved at the minima of (1.493 × 10^-3mm/a). Biomineralization experiment indicated the excellent bioactivity of GO/HA composite coatings. The water contact angle of the composite coatings increased from 20.6°(0 wt% GO) to 38.1°(12 wt%GO). The antibacterial rates of coating with 5 wt% GO was 96.7%, while declined to 25% after thermal treatment. In-vitro L929 cell culture experiments indicated the composite coatings with 5 wt% GO exhibited good biocompatibility.     

Fabrication and electrochemical capacitance of hierarchical graphene/polyaniline/carbon nanotube ternary composite film

A film composed of graphene (GN) sheets, polyaniline (PANI) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been fabricated by reducing a graphite oxide (GO)/PANI/CNT precursor prepared by flow-directed assembly from a complex dispersion of GO and PANI/CNT, followed by reoxidation and redoping of the reduced PANI in the composite to restore the conducting PANI structure. Scanning electron microscope images indicate that the ternary composite film is a layered structure with coaxial PANI/CNT nanocables uniformly sandwiched between the GN sheets. Such novel hierarchical structure with high electrical conductivity perfectly facilitates contact between electrolyte ions and PANI for faradaic energy storage and efficiently utilizes the double-layer capacitance at the electrode–electrolyte interfaces. The specific capacitance of the GN/PANI/CNT estimated by galvanostatic charge/discharge measurement is 569 F g⁻¹ (or 188 F cm⁻³ for volumetric capacitance) at a current density of 0.1 A g⁻¹. In addition, the GN/PANI/CNT exhibits good rate capability (60% capacity retention at 10 A g⁻¹) and superior cycling stability (4% fade after 5000 continuous charge/discharge cycles).     

Melt crystallization of poly(ethylene terephthalate): Comparing addition of graphene vs. carbon nanotubes

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)-based nanocomposites with graphene or multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were prepared by melt mixing. Aspect ratio, A_f, and interparticle distance, λ, of graphene in the nanocomposites were obtained from melt rheology and transmission electron microscopy respectively. λ of PET/graphene nanocomposites was much smaller than λ in PET/MWCNT. For PET/graphene with highest A_f, λ became <1 μm at more than 0.5 wt% graphene. Non-isothermal crystallization behavior from the melt was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. The crystallization temperatures suggest that the nucleation effect of graphene was stronger than that of MWCNT. The half crystallization time of PET/graphene became longer than PET/MWCNT with increasing graphene loading, suggesting that confinement by graphene suppressed the crystal growth rate. XRD analysis indicated that smaller crystals formed in PET/graphene than in PET/MWCNT. From Raman spectroscopy, the π–π interaction between PET and graphene was stronger than that between PET and MWCNT. This stronger interaction in PET/graphene appears to result in formation of crystals with higher perfection.     

超临界二氧化碳辅助石墨烯沉积锡氧化物制备纳米复合材料

本文以高温膨胀还原石墨烯（EG）为原料,利用超临界二氧化碳和乙醇混合流体,通过混合流体的穿透能力强和溶解性能高的特性,将锡氧化物沉积在石墨烯表面.通过FT-IR,XRD,TEM,XPS等测试手段对锡氧化物/EG复合材料进行了表征.TEM结果表明此种方法制备的纳米复合材料中的锡氧化物均匀地分散在石墨烯的表面,其平均粒径为3.6nm,尺寸范围是0.4～7.6nm.XRD表明锡氧化物的晶体结构主要对应于SnO2的（110）,（101）与（211）晶面.XPS证实锡氧化物主要是由SnO2和SnO组成.     

Fabrication and mechanical properties of carbon fibers/lithium aluminosilicate ceramic matrix composites reinforced by in-situ growth SiC nanowires

To improve the mechanical properties of carbon fibers/lithium aluminosilicate (C_f/LAS) composites, C_f/LAS with in-situ grown SiC nanowires (SiC_nw-C_f/LAS) were prepared by chemical vapor phase reaction, precursor impregnation, and hot press sintering, consecutively. The effect of multi-scaled reinforcements (micro-scaled C_f and nano-scaled SiC_nw) on the mechanical properties was investigated. The phase composition, microstructure and fracture surface of the composites were characterized by XRD, Raman Spectrum, SEM, and TEM. The morphology of SiC_nw has a close relation with the content of Si. Microstructure analysis suggests that the growth of SiC nanowires depends on the VLS mechanism. The multi-scale reinforcement formed by C_f and SiC_nw can significantly improve the mechanical properties of C_f/LAS. The bending strength of SiC_nw-C_f/LAS reaches to 597 MPa, achieving an increase of 19% to C_f/LAS. Moreover, the samples show a maximum fracture toughness of 11.01 MPa m^1/2, achieving an increase of 46.4% to C_f/LAS. Through analysis of the fracture surface, the improved mechanical properties could be attributed to the multi-scaled reinforcements by the pull-out and debonding of C_f and SiC_nw from the composites.