Unidirectional arrays of vertically standing graphenes in reactive plasmas

The possibility for the switch-over of the growth mode from a continuous network to unidirectional arrays of well-separated, self-organized, vertically oriented graphene nanosheets has been demonstrated using a unique, yet simple plasma-based approach. The process enables highly reproducible, catalyst-free synthesis of arrays of graphene nanosheets with reactive open graphitic edges facing upwards. Effective control over the nanosheet length, number density, and the degree of alignment along the electric field direction is achieved by a simple variation of the substrate bias. These results are of interest for environment-friendly fabrication of next-generation nanodevices based on three-dimensional, ordered self-organized nanoarrays of active nanostructures with very large surface areas and aspect ratios, highly reactive edges, and controlled density on the substrate. Our simple and versatile plasma-based approach paves the way for direct integration of such nanoarrays directly into the Si-based nanodevice platform.     

Langmuir-Blodgett patterning: a bottom-up way to build mesostructures over large areas

This Account describes a new paradigm, Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) patterning, for large-area patterning with mesostructured features based on the well-established LB technique. This strategy uses a simple fabrication technique to control the alignment, size, shape, and periodicity of self-organized phospholipid monolayer patterns with feature sizes down to 100 nm over surface areas of square centimeters. Because of the anisotropic wetting behavior of the patterns, they can be used as templates to direct the self-assembly of functional molecules and nanocrystals. Furthermore, the chemical patterns can be converted into topographical structures, which can be used to direct cell growth and organize nanocrystals. The mesoscopic structured surfaces described here may serve as a platform in engineering the biological/material interface and constructing biofunctionalized structures and "programmed" systems.     

超快激光在玻璃内部直写纳米晶及其应用

超快激光直写技术由于其灵活性、高效性和良好的方向性,可以三维选择性地在材料内部进行加工,被广泛应用于玻璃的微晶化及其器件的制备中,在光储存、波导激光器、光子电路和集成光子芯片等领域有着广泛的应用前景。本文简要概述了超快激光在玻璃内部诱导析晶的原理,晶态/非晶态自组织周期性结构的形成机制,以及超快激光在玻璃三维空间中诱导析晶的最新研究进展,总结了通过控制激光参数和玻璃成分等实现对结晶形态、结构及光学性质调控的相关研究,并对所直写的微纳结构在非线性器件、光储存、激光器等领域的应用和发展方向进行了概述与展望。     

Synthesis of nickel nanosheet/graphene composites for biosensor applications

The growth of graphene-based nanostructures using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a promising approach for novel applications. CVD processes typically use high-quality metal films as catalyst substrates, and require accurate control over the experimental conditions. Here, we report the direct synthesis of Ni nanosheet/graphene composites using a DC arc plasma jet CVD method, using Ni(NO₃)₂ as a catalyst precursor. The composites consisted of graphene nanosheets, graphene nanoribbons, and core–shell Ni/graphene nanosheets. In this process, no catalyst substrate was required, and the very high-quality graphene grew at the {1 1 1} plane of the Ni. It was demonstrated that the Ni nanosheet/graphene composites could be used as sensitive films for l-alanine sensing. The strong electrocatalytic properties resulted from the synergetic effects of the graphene, which enhanced the electron transfer, and the high catalytic activity of the Ni.     

三维分级结构二氧化钛纳米材料的可控合成与应用研究进展

由低维度纳米尺寸单元构建组成的三维分级结构纳米材料具有优异的物理和化学特性。三维分级结构对TiO₂纳米材料的光、电、化学等性质有着显著的优化作用,TiO₂作为一种重要的宽禁带半导体材料在光催化、电化学等领域得到了广泛的研究。本文综述了各种不同维度基本组成单元构建而成的三维分级TiO₂纳米材料的合成方法,不同的合成方法得到了由纳米线、纳米片、纳米棒以及二维结构组装而成的各种不同形貌的三维分级结构TiO₂纳米材料。同时还介绍了三维分级结构TiO₂纳米材料在染料敏化太阳能电池、锂离子电池和光催化等应用领域中的最新研究进展,并对其可控合成进行了展望。     

Facile synthesis 3D flexible core-shell graphene/glass fiber via chemical vapor deposition

Direct deposition of graphene layers on the flexible glass fiber surface to form the three-dimensional (3D) core-shell structures is offered using a two-heating reactor chemical vapor deposition system. The two-heating reactor is utilized to offer sufficient, well-proportioned floating C atoms and provide a facile way for low-temperature deposition. Graphene layers, which are controlled by changing the growth time, can be grown on the surface of wire-type glass fiber with the diameter from 30 nm to 120 um. The core-shell graphene/glass fiber deposition mechanism is proposed, suggesting that the 3D graphene films can be deposited on any proper wire-type substrates. These results open a facile way for direct and high-efficiency deposition of the transfer-free graphene layers on the low-temperature dielectric wire-type substrates.

PACS

81.05.U-; 81.07.-b; 81.15.Gh     

Growth of nano-textured graphene coatings across highly porous stainless steel supports towards corrosion resistant coatings

In this paper, we demonstrated for the first time the growth of 3D networks of graphene nano-flakes across porous stainless steel substrates of micron sized metal fibres, and its anti-corrosion properties. The controlled formation of graphene-grade coatings in the form of single sheets to complex and homogeneously distributed 2–4 μm long nano-pillars is demonstrated by Scanning Electron Microscopy. The morphology and stability of these structures are shown to be particularly related to the temperature and feed gas flow rate during the growth. The number of layers across the graphene materials was calculated from the Raman spectra and is shown to range between 3 and more than 15 depending on the growth conditions and to be particularly related to the time and flow rate of the experiment. The presence of the graphene was shown to massively enhance the specific surface area of the material and to contribute to the increased corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity of the material without compromising the properties or structure of the native stainless steel materials. This new approach opens up a new route to the facile fabrication of advanced surface coatings with potential applications in developing new thermal exchangers, separation and bio-compatible materials.     

石墨烯纳米片/CoS2复合材料的制备及其在超级电容器中的应用

采用一步水热法制备石墨烯纳米片（GNS）/CoS₂复合材料,利用XRD和SEM对所制备复合材料的微观结构进行表征,采用循环伏安法和交流阻抗法对复合材料的电化学性能进行研究。研究结果表明,在水热过程中,氧化石墨（GO）逐渐被还原成石墨烯纳米片（GNS）,能够为CoS₂晶核的形成提供更多的接触点,有利于CoS₂颗粒均匀地生长在GNS表面。这种结构的复合材料既能够显著增加CoS₂和电解液之间的有效接触面积,提高CoS₂的电化学利用率,同时又能够改善材料的导电性,有利于提高材料的比电容。     

Electromechanical properties of armchair graphene nanoribbons under local torsion

While graphene nanoribbons are prone to twist intrinsically, the effect of local twist on the electromechanical properties remains unexplored. By using the density functional theory in combination with the nonequilibrium Green’s function method, we investigate the responses of structural evolution and electrical transport of armchair graphene nanoribbons to local torsion. We show that local twist can alter their transport properties significantly. The current at a given bias can switch on/off or change many times with twist angle, which is related with twist-induced changes in electronic structures of graphene nanoribbons. Our results can provide a valuable guideline for design and implementation of graphene nanoribbons in nanoelectromechanical systems and devices.     

Electrochemical properties of graphene nanosheet/carbon black composites as electrodes for supercapacitors

Graphene nanosheet/carbon black composites were prepared by the ultrasonication and in situ reduction methods. Microstructure measurements show that most carbon black particles deposit on the edge surfaces of nanosheets by the ultrasonication method, and on the basal surfaces of nanosheets by in situ reduction method. The electrochemical performances of hybrid materials are superior to pure graphene material, demonstrating that carbon black particles as spacers ensured the high electrochemical utilization of graphene layers as well as the open nano-channels provided by three-dimensional graphene nanosheet/carbon black hybrid material. Therefore, the resulting composite is a promising carbon material for supercapacitors.     

Carbon nanofibers replacing graphene oxide in ceramic composites as a reinforcing-phase: Is it feasible?

In recent years, the interest of graphene and graphene-oxide has increased extraordinarily due to the outstanding properties concurring in this material. In ceramic science, the possibility of combining excellent electrical conductivities together with an enhancement of mechanical properties has motivated the research in fabrication of graphene oxide-reinforced ceramic composites despite the intrinsic difficulties for sintering. In this work a comparison is made between graphene oxide-reinforced alumina composites and carbon nanofiber-reinforced alumina ones. It will be concluded that the improvement of mechanical properties is scarce, if any. Since carbon nanofibers have also a good electrical conductivity their importance for future applications as a replacement of more sophisticated but expensive graphene-based ceramic composites will be stressed.     

Progress on the morphological control of conductive network in conductive polymer composites and the use as electroactive multifunctional materials

Since the emergence of large aspect ratio and multifunctional conductive fillers, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene nanoplates, etc., conductive polymer composites (CPCs) have attracted increasing attention. Although the morphological control of conductive networks in CPCs has been extensively investigated as an important issue for the preparation of high performance CPCs, recent extensive progress has not been systematically addressed in any review. It has been observed that the morphological control of conductive networks during the preparation of CPCs has crucial influence on the electrical properties of these composites. Several methods have been shown to be able to control the network structure, and thus, tune the electrical properties of CPCs, including the use of shear, polymer blends, thermal annealing, mixed filler, latex particle etc. Moreover, many novel and exciting applications have been extensively investigated for CPCs, such as stretchable conductor, electroactive sensors, shape memory materials and thermoelectric materials, etc. Therefore, the morphological control of conductive network in CPCs is reviewed here. Issues regarding morphology characterization methods, morphological control methods, resulted network morphology and electrical properties are discussed. Furthermore, the use of CPCs as electroactive multifunctional materials is also reviewed.     

Fabrication and characterization of three-dimensional macroscopic all-carbon scaffolds

We report a simple method to fabricate macroscopic, 3-D, free standing, all-carbon scaffolds (porous structures) using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as the initial materials. The scaffolds prepared by radical initiated thermal crosslinking, and annealing of MWCNTs possess macroscale interconnected pores, robust structural integrity, stability, and electrical conductivity. The porosity of the three-dimensional structure can be controlled by varying the amount of radical initiator, thereby allowing the design of porous scaffolds tailored towards specific potential applications. This method also allows the fabrication of 3-D scaffolds using other carbon nanomaterials such as single-walled carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and graphene indicating that it could be used as a versatile method for 3-D assembly of carbon nanostructures with pi bond networks.     

Perspectives of Polystyrene Composite with Fullerene,Carbon Black,Graphene, and Carbon Nanotube: A Review

The use of polystyrene-based materials has become very important due to a wide range of industrial applications. Different types of nanofillers such as fullerene, carbon black, graphite, graphene, and carbon nanotube have been used with polystyrene to attain high-performance materials. Fabrication and unique properties of composites are considered here. Use of fullerene to improve thermal stability of polystyrene/fullerene composite has been explored. Polystyrene /carbon black composite have found to improve thermal, electrical, and rheological properties. Polystyrene/graphite nanosheet composite have been used in different applications due to mechanical and electrical properties. Polystyrene/carbon nanotube composite have been studied for enhanced tribological properties.     

Properties and applications of quantum dot heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy

One of the main directions of contemporary semiconductor physics is the production and study of structures with a dimension less than two: quantum wires and quantum dots, in order to realize novel devices that make use of low-dimensional confinement effects. One of the promising fabrication methods is to use self-organized three-dimensional (3D) structures, such as 3D coherent islands, which are often formed during the initial stage of heteroepitaxial growth in lattice-mismatched systems. This article is intended to convey the flavour of the subject by focussing on the structural, optical and electronic properties and device applications of self-assembled quantum dots and to give an elementary introduction to some of the essential characteristics.     

Directed-assembly of carbon structures in a nonpolar dielectric liquid under the influence of DC-generated electric fields

Externally applied direct current (DC) electric fields have been examined as a means of controllable organization of carbon structures (one-dimensional multi-walled carbon nanotubes of three sizes, quasi two-dimensional exfoliated graphene platelets, and three-dimensional bulk graphite) suspended in a high dielectric strength (i.e., highly resistive) solvent (perfluorocarbon FC-40). The net particle charge of the carbon structures in FC-40 was negligible. This eliminates non-dielectrophoretic (DEP) kinetic motions and allows for examination of isolated DEP forces on the assembly process. At a sufficiently high DC field strength and carbon structure concentration, DEP directed assembly and subsequent formation of electrically conductive networks were observed. The influences of particle size, aspect ratio, concentration, and structure on the assembly and electrical conduction in this system were investigated. Threshold voltage, an operationally defined measure of the applied voltage where current flow first occurred, was used as a characteristic measure of the assembly process. Consistent with charge percolation theory, the threshold voltage was found to be inversely related to the particle concentration and directly proportional to particle size as measured by light scattering. Accordingly, we developed an agglomeration model that accounts for the influence of particle size on the threshold voltage.     

The reduction of graphene oxide

Graphene has attracted great interest for its excellent mechanical, electrical, thermal and optical properties. It can be produced by micro-mechanical exfoliation of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite, epitaxial growth, chemical vapor deposition, and the reduction of graphene oxide (GO). The first three methods can produce graphene with a relatively perfect structure and excellent properties, while in comparison, GO has two important characteristics: (1) it can be produced using inexpensive graphite as raw material by cost-effective chemical methods with a high yield, and (2) it is highly hydrophilic and can form stable aqueous colloids to facilitate the assembly of macroscopic structures by simple and cheap solution processes, both of which are important to the large-scale uses of graphene. A key topic in the research and applications of GO is the reduction, which partly restores the structure and properties of graphene. Different reduction processes result in different properties of reduced GO (rGO), which in turn affect the final performance of materials or devices composed of rGO. In this contribution, we review the state-of-art status of the reduction of GO on both techniques and mechanisms. The development in this field will speed the applications of graphene.     

Electromagnetic wave absorption properties of graphene modified with carbon nanotube/poly(dimethyl siloxane) composites

By using a catalytic growth procedure, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are in situ formed on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheet at 600 °C. CNTs growing on RGO planes through covalent C–C bond possess lower interfacial contact electrical resistance. As a hybrid structure, the CNTs/graphene (CNT/G) are well dispersed into poly (dimethyl siloxane). The hybrid combining electrically lossy CNTs and RGO, which disperses in electrically insulating matrix, constructs an electromagnetic wave (EM) absorbing material with ternary hierarchical architecture. The interfacial polarization in heterogeneous interface plays an important role in absorbing EM power. When the filler loading is 5 wt.% and thickness of absorber is 2.75 mm, the minimum value of reflection coefficient and the corresponding frequency are −55 dB and 10.1 GHz, and the effective absorption bandwidth reaches 3.5 GHz. Therefore, combining the CNTs and graphene sheet into three-dimensional structures produces CNT/G hybrids that can be considered as an effective route to design light weight and high-performance EM absorbing material, while the effective EM absorption frequency can be designed.     

Physicochemical characteristics of bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane/graphene nanocomposite for piezoresistive strain sensor

Herein, we report the physicochemical characteristics and piezoresistive strain sensing performance of flexible thin film comprising graphene and bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) prepared by solution cast method. A detailed analysis was carried to study the influence of graphene nanoplatelets on the morphological, thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of TPU nanocomposite. Upon increasing the graphene nanoplatelets loading, the thermal stability and tensile properties improved remarkably, while glass transition temperature decreased slightly. Owing to better dispersion of graphene, the electrical conductivity was significantly increased, which broaden the utilization of the nanocomposite for various applications. The piezoresistive sensor was able to respond to various stress modes such as tapping, bending, and finger touch. The piezoresistive sensor was sensitive and achieved a gauge factor of 11. Sensor attached to finger, showed distinctive response upon bending at different angles and showed high stability and reproducibility even after >10,000 cycles under repetitive constant load. Also, the nanocomposite was able to detect any breakage or fracture in the form of change in electrical resistance. A combination of bio-based TPU and graphene offered improved physical properties and high sensing performance, which could be a potential material in flexible electronics and structural health monitoring systems.     

Fabrication and properties of monolayer graphene reinforced Al2O3/TiN ceramic tool material

Al₂O₃/TiN/graphene ceramic tool materials were prepared by spark plasma sintering technology and the strengthening and toughening mechanisms were studied. The influence of monolayer graphene content on the mechanical properties and microstructure of the composite material were analyzed and the strengthening and toughening mechanisms were researched. The results showed that with an addition of .5 vol.% graphene the mechanical properties of the material reached the best. The bending strength, hardness, and fracture toughness were 624 MPa, 23.24 GPa, and 6.53 MPa·m^1/2, respectively. Graphene existed in the forms of few-layer and multilayer. The toughening mechanism of few-layer graphene was mainly graphene breaking, and that of multilayer graphene included graphene breaking and pulling-out. Graphene could contribute to the uniform growth of grains due to the excellent electrical conductivity and the high thermal conductivity. The addition of nano-TiN introduced many endocrystalline structures and graphene promoted this phenomenon. Micro-TiN grains made the crack extension show a combination of transgranular fracture, intergranular fracture, crack bridging, and crack deflection, while graphene introduced weak grain interfaces and made the crack appear more branches. The layered graphene made the material fracture change from two-dimension to three-dimension.