An approach to produce single and double layer graphene from re-exfoliation of expanded graphite

We report the production of high quality single and double layer graphene from sonication and centrifugation of re-exfoliated expanded graphite (EG) in an organic solvent. The prepared graphene-sheets are identified by Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy and characterized using different techniques. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy observations show that the graphene-sheets have an area of ∼(12 × 10) μm². The selected area electron diffraction analysis and Raman spectroscopy have confirmed the presence of single layer graphene-sheet. The I(2D)/I(G) ratio from the Raman spectrum of graphene is found to be ∼1.7 which suggests the presence of single and double layer graphene. Scanning probe microscopy studies reveals that on re-exfoliation of EG, thickness of graphene layer decreases from 6–7 nm to 0.75–1.075 nm. This suggests that re-exfoliation overcomes the problem of insufficient oxidation or inadequate pressure that builds-up during first thermal exfoliation of graphite intercalated compound. The photoluminescence spectrum of graphene shows the emission of blue light at ∼390 nm which indicates the presence of some functional groups. These graphene-sheets should facilitate the manipulation and processing of graphene based material for various applications.     

Superlattice thermoelectric materials: A source of power-generation

ABSTRACT

Superlattice thermoelectric materials are important for power-generation devices that are designed to convert waste heat into electrical energy. Thermoelectric technology has only occupied niche areas, such as the radioisotope thermoelectric generators for NASA'S spacecrafts, where the energy-conversion efficiency are outweighed by the application requirements. Superlattice thermoelectric materials advances and an increasing awareness of energy and environmental conservation issues have rekindled prospects for automotive and other applications of thermoelectric materials. This article reviews thermoelectric energy-conversion technology for radioisotope space power systems and several proposed applications of thermoelectric waste-heat recovery devices in the automotive industry.     

Charge transport and ammonia sensing properties of flexible polypyrrole nanosheets grown at air–liquid interface

Flexible polypyrrole nanosheets (thickness ∼150 nm) grown at the air–liquid interface have been investigated for charge transport and NH₃ sensing application. Polypyrrole nanosheets films exhibited a uniform and dense morphology. Temperature dependent charge transport measurements revealed that the PPy films obey Mott's 3-D variable range hopping mechanism. The mobility values calculated using temperature dependent current voltage characteristics indicated them to obey Arrhenius behaviour. These films exhibited a reversible response towards NH₃ at room temperature. The sensor exhibited a sensitivity of ∼12% with a typical response and recovery times of 240 s and 50 min, respectively towards 50 ppm of NH₃. Raman studies indicated that there is an increase in the antisymmetrical C–N stretching upon exposure to higher concentration of NH₃ (500 ppm) and could be assigned to the interaction of NH₃ with the carbon backbone of PPy film. Our results clearly emphasize that these flexible PPy films could be used to realize flexible sensors.     

Robust non-parametric regression via incoherent subspace projections

Machine Learning - This paper establishes the algorithmic principle of alternating projections onto incoherent low-rank subspaces (APIS) as a unifying principle for designing robust regression...     

Analyzing the fractal feature of nickel thin films surfaces modified by low energy nitrogen ion

Fractal concepts are used to explore how different energies (10, 20 and 50 keV) and fluence of 5 × 10¹⁷ N⁺ cm^?2 affect the morphology of nickel thin film. The nickel thin film with thickness of 100 nm is prepared by electron beam evaporation technique at room temperature on stainless steel (AISI 316) substrates. The nanoscale three‐dimensional (3‐D) surface micro‐morphologies are investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Interface width is used to describe the surface height fluctuations. The autocorrelation function with height‐height correlation function give the quantitative data about the morphology of surface. The value of roughness exponent and fractal dimension is computed by height‐height correlation function. Fractal measure is an important analysis which provides fundamental insights into the texture characteristics and a direct way of testing their functional role.     

A nucleation mechanism leading to stacking of lamellar crystals in polymer thin films

Systematic studies based on well‐controllable model systems aim at understanding how crystallization from a melt or solution of randomly coiled polymers leads to the formation of mono‐lamellar crystals. However, besides mono‐lamellar crystals also various other morphologically simple but yet not well understood structures are found. In particular, stacks of correlated lamellar crystals have been observed since the early days of the study of polymer crystallization. Here, we demonstrate that a recently proposed mechanism of self‐induced nucleation within lamellar crystals provides a possibility to explain how in such stacks lamellar crystals can be correlated. Examining various polymer systems, we show that the probability for generating self‐induced nuclei depends on the morphology of an initiating dendritic basal lamellar crystal. In addition, we provide evidence that this self‐induced nucleation mechanism, together with a high rate of transport of molten polymer to the fold surface, may allow the formation of polymer crystals with similar size in all three dimensions, containing a large number of superposed correlated lamellae. © 2019 The Authors. Polymer International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

A DE-ANN Inspired Skin Cancer Detection Approach Using Fuzzy C-Means Clustering

Mobile Networks and Applications - As per recent developments in medical science, the skin cancer is considered as one of the common type disease in human body. Although the presence of melanoma is...     

Structural and Spectroscopic Characterizations of ZnO Quantum Dots Annealed at Different Temperatures

Here, we report the synthesis and characterizations of sol-gel derived zinc oxide （ZnO） quantum dots （QDs） using zinc acetate dihydrate （Zn（CH3COO）2.2H20） and lithium hydroxide monohydrate （LiOH.H20） as raw material. The as-prepared ZnO QDs was annealed at different temperature （400, 700, and 900 ℃） and the structural, optical properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, high resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）, UV-Vis and photoluminescence （PL） spectroscopy. The powder XRD patterns of the obtained samples showed the formation of single-phase wurtzite structure and the morphological changes have been observed with increasing annealing temperature. In the absorption spectra, the optical band gap of nanocrystalline ZnO QDs decreased from 3.18 to 3.11 eV and the particle size increased with increasing temperature. In the PL spectra, a broad green emission peak related to defect levels in the visible range of the spectra have been recorded.