Molecular ordering of organic molten salts triggered by single-walled carbon nanotubes

Crystal-confined freestanding ionic liquids for reconfigurable and repairable electronics

Liquid sensors composed of ionic liquids are rising as alternatives to solid semiconductors for flexible and self-healing electronics. However, the fluidic nature may give rise to leakage problems in cases of accidental damages. Here, we proposed a liquid sensor based on a binary ionic liquid system, in which a flowing ionic liquid [OMIm]PF₆ is confined by another azobenzene-containing ionic liquid crystalline [OMIm]AzoO. Those crystal components provide sufficient pinning capillary force to immobilize fluidic components, leading to a freestanding liquid-like product without the possibility of leakage. In addition to owning ultra-high temperature sensitivity, crystal-confined ionic liquids also combine the performances of both liquid and solid so that it can be stretched, bent, self-healed, and remolded. With respect to the reconfigurable property, this particular class of ionic liquids is exploited as dynamic circuits which can be spatially reorganized or automatically repaired.

Growth of ZIF-8 on molecularly ordered 2-methylimidazole/single-walled carbon nanotubes to form highly porous, electrically conductive composites

The combination of porosity and electrical conductivity in a single nanomaterial is important for a variety of applications. In this work, we demonstrate the growth of ZIF-8 on the surface of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The growth mechanism was investigated and a molecularly ordered imidazole solvation layer was found to disperse SWCNTs and promote crystal growth on the sidewalls. The resultant ZIF-8/SWCNT composite demonstrates high microporosity and electrical conductivity. The ZIF-8/SWCNT composite displayed semiconducting electrical behavior and an increase in sensor sensitivity toward ethanol vapors versus pristine SWCNTs.

Materials and structural designs of stretchable conductors

Stretchable conductors are essential building blocks for stretchable electronic devices used in next-generation wearables and soft robotics. Over 10 years of research in stretchable electronics has produced stretchable sensors, circuits, displays, and energy harvesters, mostly enabled by unique stretchable conductors. This review covers recent advances in stretchable conductors, which have been achieved by engineering their structures, materials, or both. Advantages, mechanisms, and limitations of the different classes of stretchable conductors are discussed to provide insight into which class of stretchable conductor is suitable for fabrication of various stretchable electronic devices. The significantly improved electronic performance and wide variety of stretchable conductors are creating a new paradigm in stretchable electronics.

High-performance cellulose nanofibers, single-walled carbon nanotubes and ionic liquid actuators with a poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)/ionic liquid gel electrolyte layer

This study describes new actuators with cellulose nanofibers, single-walled carbon nanotubes and ionic liquids (CNFs/SWCNTs/ILs) and examines the electrochemical and electromechanical properties of the CNF/SWCNT/IL gel hybrid actuators.

Polypyrrole nanoparticles-based soft actuator for artificial muscle applications

Currently, a straightforward fabrication technique for the development of soft actuators to explore their potential in robotic applications using environmentally compatible raw materials represents an important challenge.

Thermodynamic behavior and polymorphism of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate composites with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Based on room-temperature densities measured in this research for ionic nanofluids (INFs) with four ionic liquids (ILs), we conclude that evacuation is a necessary step to maximize the IL penetration into multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). An improved procedure for reproducible preparation of INFs is proposed. Thermal behavior of five (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate + MWCNT) samples was studied by adiabatic calorimetry over the temperature range (78 to 370) K. The samples contained from 0.11 to 0.92 mass fraction of the nanophase. Their appearance changed from the fluid to the powder with increasing the MWCNT content. For the fluid samples, the specific heat capacity was found be an additive quantity of the specific heat capacities of the components for the crystal and liquid phases, and the temperatures of phase transitions did not change relative to the bulk values. For the powder-like sample with the highest IL content, a sigmoidal heat capacity curve was observed. Thus, the internal diameter of the studied MWCNT was small enough to switch from the isothermal melting process to the gradual transition from the crystal-like structures to the liquid-like ones.

Multifunctional Self-Healing Ionogels from Supramolecular Assembly: Smart Conductive and Remarkable Lubricating Materials

Self-healing ionogel is a promising smart material because of its high conductivity and reliable stimuli responsiveness upon mechanical damage. However, self-healing ionogels possessing rapid, complete recovery properties and multifunctionality are still limited. Herein, we designed a new d-gluconic acetal-based gelator (PB8) bearing a urea group in the alkyl side chain. Interestingly, the balance between hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the molecule is achieved. Thus, PB8 could form transparent ionogels because of its excellent affinity to ionic liquids (ILs), which exhibited appropriate mechanical strength, high viscoelasticity, and efficient self-healing properties. The presence of synergistic effects from hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, and interactions between the urea-containing side chains was responsible for the self-assembly of gelators in ILs and the self-healing property mainly related to the side chains of PB8. Interestingly, the transparent PB8-IL4 ionogel possessed high conductivity and mechanical strength, moldable and injectable properties, and rapid and complete self-healing characteristics (complete recovery within 14 min), which showed excellent performance as a smart ionic conductor. Furthermore, the self-healing PB8-based ionogels with anticorrosion properties are a remarkable lubricating material in the steel-steel contact and exhibited excellent lubricating performances. Overall, an efficient PB8-based ionogel with self-healing properties has been developed for potential use both as a smart electrical conductor and as a high-performance lubricating material. The unique structure of PB8 bearing a urea group in the side chain is found to be responsible for the multifunctional ionogel formation.

Modulating Chirality-Selective Photoluminescence of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Ionic Liquids

The chirality-selective near-infrared emission of surfactant-stabilized single-wall carbon nanotubes could be controlled by simply varying the anion of the commonly used 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids. This result advances the notion of the designer solvent ability of ionic liquids and provides opportunities for modulating the properties of nanomaterials.

Ionic Liquid-Carbon Nanotube Sensor Arrays for Human Breath Related Volatile Organic Compounds

High sensitivity, selectivity, and stability are key requirements for carbon nanotube (CNT)-based sensors to realize their full potential in applications ranging from chemical warfare agent detection to disease diagnostics. Herein we demonstrate the sensing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) relevant to human diseases using an array of chemiresistive carbon nanotube (CNT)-based sensors functionalized with ionic liquids (ILs). The ILs are fluid at ambient temperature and were selected to produce a discriminating sensor array capable of the gas-phase detection of human disease-related VOCs. We find that sensor arrays consisting of imidazolium-based ILs with different substituents and counterions provide selective responses for known biomarkers of infectious diseases of the lungs. Specifically, the sensors discriminate the various volatile biomarkers for tuberculosis based on their polarity, solubility, and chemical affinities. In addition to selectivity, the sensors also show a high level of reversibility and promising long-term stability, which renders them to be suitable candidates for practical applications in breath analysis.

Green Synthesis of Carbon Nanotubes-Reinforced Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Composites for Drug Delivery of Fenbufen

The facile fabrication of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)-doping molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) nanocomposite-based binary green porogen system, room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) was developed for drug delivery system. With fenbufen (FB) as template molecule, 4-vinylpyridine (4-VP) was used as functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linking monomer, and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazoliumtetrafluoroborate and choline chloride/ethylene glycol as binary green solvent, in the presence of SWCNTs. The imprinting effect of the SWCNT-MIP composites was optimized by regulation of the amount of SWCNTs, ratio of RTILs and DES, and the composition of DES. Blue shifts of UV bands strongly suggested that interaction between 4-VP and FB can be enhanced due to SWCNT doping in the process of self-assembly. The reinforced imprinted effect of CNT-doping MIP can provide superior controlled release characteristics. Compared with the control MIP prepared without SWCNTs, the imprinting factor of the SWCNT-MIP composites exhibited a twofold increase. In the analysis for the FB release kinetics from all samples, the SWCNT-reinforced MIP produced the lowest value of drug diffusivity. The relative bioavailability of the SWCNT-MIP composites (F %) displayed the highest value of 143.3% compared with the commercial FB tablet, whereas the control MIP and SWCNT-non-MIP composites was only 48.3% and 44.4%, respectively. The results indicated that the SWCNT-MIP nanocomposites developed here have potentials as the controlled-release device.

Self-standing cellulose nanofiber/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate)/ionic liquid actuators with superior performance

This paper describes new actuators with cellulose nanofiber/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate)/ionic liquid (CNF/PEDOT:PSS/IL) structures. Devices containing these structures exhibit higher strain and maximum generated stress than those based on only PEDOT:PSS/IL. The new actuator system contains an electrode, which is an electrochemical capacitor, and which consists of both a faradaic capacitor (FC) and a small electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC), i.e., PEDOT:PSS. This combined capacitor plays the role of an FC and a base polymer, and the CNF skeleton is used in the place of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). This device therefore functions differently from traditional CNT/PVdF-HFP/IL actuators, which are only used as EDLC units and from PEDOT:PSS/vapor-grown carbon nanofibers (VGCF)/IL actuators, which are used as hybrid (FC and EDLC) units. The developed films are novel, robust, and flexible, and demonstrate potential as actuator materials for wearable energy-conversion devices. A double-layer charging kinetic model, which is similar to that previously proposed for PEDOT:PSS/CNT/IL actuators, is developed to explain the oxidation and reduction of PEDOT:PSS. This model successfully simulates the frequency-dependent displacement response of actuators.

Development, Characterization and Electromechanical Actuation Behavior of Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Actuator based on Sulfonated Poly(1,4-phenylene ether-ether-sulfone)/Carbon Nanotubes

This paper presents the development of new cost-effective hybrid-type sulfonated poly(1,4-phenylene ether-ether-sulfone) (SPEES) and functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) based actuators produced by the film-casting method followed by chemical reduction of Pt ions as electrodes. The preparation of SPEES was investigated in details and sulfonation of polymer was characterized by ion exchange capacity (IEC), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and degree of sulfonation measurements. SPEES having degree of sulfonation of 126% was blended with SWNT and used to fabricate IPMC actuator. The chemical composition and detailed structure of SPEES-SWNT ionic polymer membranes were confirmed by FTIR, EDX and transmittance electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs revealed the homogeneously distributed layers of Pt electrodes on the surfaces of IPMC membrane. The electrochemical and electromechanical properties of SPEES-SWNT-Pt-based IPMC actuator shows a better actuation performance than conventional IPMC actuators in terms of higher IEC, Proton conductivity, higher current density, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and large bending deflection. The robust, flexible and mechanically strong membranes prepared by the synergistic combination of SPEES and SWNT may have considerable potential as actuator materials for robotic and biomimetic applications.

Palladium Supported on an Amphiphilic Triazine-Urea-Functionalized Porous Organic Polymer as a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for Electrochemical Sensing of Rutin in Human Plasma

Metal nanoparticle-containing porous organic polymers have gained great interest in chemical and pharmaceutical applications owing to their high reactivity and good recyclability. In the present work, a palladium nanoparticle-decorated triazine-urea-based porous organic polymer (Pd@TU-POP) was designed and synthesized using 1,3-bis(4-aminophenyl)urea with cyanuric chloride and palladium acetate. The porous structure and physicochemical properties of the electrode material Pd@TU-POP were observed using a range of standard techniques. The Pd@TU-POP material on the electrode surface showed superior sensing ability for rutin (RT) because the Pd dispersion facilitated the electrocatalytic performance of TU-POP by reducing the overpotential of RT oxidation dramatically and improving the stability significantly. Furthermore, TU-POP provides excellent structural features for loading Pd nanoparticles, and the resulting Pd@TU-POP exhibited enhanced electron transfer and outstanding sensing capability in a linear range between 2 and 200 pM having a low detection value of 5.92 × 10^-12 M (S/N = 3). The abundant porous structure of Pd@TU-POP not only provides electron transport channels for RT diffusion but also offers a facile route for quantification sensing of RT with satisfactory recoveries in aqueous electrolyte containing human plasma and red wine. These data reveal that the synthetic Pd@TU-POP is an excellent potential platform for the detection of RT in biological samples.

Ionic Liquids Incorporating Polyamide 6: Miscibility and Physical Properties

The effects of 1-vinyl-3-butyl imidazole chloride (VBIM) on the structure and properties of Polyamide 6 (PA6) were investigated systematically. It was found that PA6/VBIM blends were homogeneous without phase separation. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of PA6 increased with small VBIM loadings followed by the decreasing in Tg with further increasing the amount of VBIM. The crystallization temperature decreased with the addition of VBIM because of the strong interactions between VBIM and the PA6 matrix, as well as the dilution effect when large amounts of VBIM was introduced to the matrix. According to rheological testing, small amounts of VBIM enhanced the storage modulus and melt viscosity of PA6. Tensile tests also show an increase in strength and modulus at relatively low loadings of VBIM. The strength of PA6 with only 1 wt % VBIM improved by 108% compared to that of neat PA6. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) investigations revealed that the ions of VBIM preferred to form hydrogen bonds with amide groups in PA6. Therefore, VBIM acts as physical connection point for the neighboring PA6 molecular chains. The specific interactions between VBIM and PA6 account not only for the enhanced melt viscosity of PA6, but also for the improved mechanical properties. Moreover, outstanding antistatic property was also observed. The surface resistivity of the sample with 1 wt % VBIM was 1.50 × 1010 Ω/sq, which means good electric dissipation property.

Additive-free carbon nanotube dispersions, pastes, gels, and doughs in cresols

Cresols are a group of naturally occurring and massively produced methylphenols with broad use in the chemical industry. Here, we report that m-cresol and its liquid mixtures with other isomers are surprisingly good solvents for processing carbon nanotubes. They can disperse carbon nanotubes of various types at unprecedentedly high concentrations of tens of weight percent, without the need for any dispersing agent or additive. Cresols interact with carbon nanotubes by charge transfer through the phenolic hydroxyl proton and can be removed after processing by evaporation or washing, without altering the surface of carbon nanotubes. Cresol solvents render carbon nanotubes polymer-like rheological and viscoelastic properties and processability. As the concentration of nanotubes increases, a continuous transition of four states can be observed, including dilute dispersion, thick paste, free-standing gel, and eventually a kneadable, playdough-like material. As demonstrated with a few proofs of concept, cresols make powders of agglomerated carbon nanotubes immediately usable by a broad array of material-processing techniques to create desirable structures and form factors and make their polymer composites.

Performance enhancement of PEDOT:poly(4-styrenesulfonate) actuators by using ethylene glycol

This paper describes the effect of ethylene glycol on the performance of actuators with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate)/vapor-grown carbon fiber/ionic liquid/ethylene glycol (PEDOT:PSS/VGCF/IL/EG) structures. These devices exhibit superior strain performances compared to devices using PEDOT:PSS/VGCF/IL. EG is assumed to assist in the formation of three-dimensional conducting networks between small PEDOT:PSS domains. This is because it helps to remove insulating PSS from the surface of the PEDOT/PSS grains and facilitates the crystallization of PEDOT. Therefore, EG helps to increase the specific capacitance, strain, and maximum generated stress compared to the values obtained using a PEDOT:PSS/VGCF/IL actuator. Therefore, these new, flexible, and robust films may have significant potential for their use as actuator materials in wearable energy conversion devices. A double-layer charging kinetic model was developed to account for the oxidation and reduction reactions of PEDOT:PSS, and this model is similar to that proposed for PEDOT:PSS/VGCF/IL/EG actuators. This model was successfully applied to simulate the frequency-dependent displacement responses of the actuators.

Beyond Covalent Crosslinks: Applications of Supramolecular Gels

Traditionally, gels have been defined by their covalently cross-linked polymer networks. Supramolecular gels challenge this framework by relying on non-covalent interactions for self-organization into hierarchical structures. This class of materials offers a variety of novel and exciting potential applications. This review draws together recent advances in supramolecular gels with an emphasis on their proposed uses as optoelectronic, energy, biomedical, and biological materials. Additional special topics reviewed include environmental remediation, participation in synthesis procedures, and other industrial uses. The examples presented here demonstrate unique benefits of supramolecular gels, including tunability, processability, and self-healing capability, enabling a new approach to solve engineering challenges.

Cobalt-Bridged Ionic Liquid Polymer on a Carbon Nanotube for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction Activity

By taking inspiration from the catalytic properties of single-site catalysts and the enhancement of performance through ionic liquids on metal catalysts, we exploited a scalable way to place single cobalt ions on a carbon-nanotube surface bridged by polymerized ionic liquid. Single dispersed cobalt ions coordinated by ionic liquid are used as heterogeneous catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Performance data reveals high activity and stable operation without chemical instability.

Determination of Pyrethroids in Tea Brew by GC-MS Combined with SPME with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Coated Fiber

A new method has been developed to simultaneously determine 7 pyrethroid residues in tea brew using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined with solid phase microextraction (SPME) with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) coated fiber. The MWCNTs coated fiber of SPME was homemade by using stainless steel wire as coating carrier and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) solution as adhesive glue. Under the optimized conditions, a good linearity was shown for bifenthrin, fenpropathrin, permethrin, and cyfluthrin in 1–50 ng mL⁻¹ and for cypermethrin, fenvalerate, and deltamethrin in 5–50 ng mL⁻¹. The correlation coefficients were in the range of 0.9948–0.9999. The average recoveries of 7 pyrethroids were 94.2%–107.3% and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 15%. The detection limit of the method ranged from 0.12 to 1.65 ng mL⁻¹. The tea brew samples made from some commercial tea samples were analyzed. Among them, bifenthrin, fenpropathrin, and permethrin were found. The results show that the method is rapid and sensitive and requires low organic reagent consumption, which can be well used for the detection of the pyrethroids in tea brew.

Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanodots-Ionogels: Preparation, Characterization, and Radical Scavenging Activity

Hybrid diimidazolium-based ionogels were obtained by dispersing nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (NCNDs) in ionic liquid (IL) solutions and by using dicationic organic salts as gelators. The properties of the NCND-ionogels were studied in terms of thermal stability, mechanical strength, morphology, rheological, and microscopic analyses. Insights into the formation of the hybrid soft material were attained from kinetics of sol-gel phase transition and from estimating the size of the aggregates, obtained from opacity and resonance light-scattering measurements. We demonstrate that, on one hand, NCNDs were able to favor the gel formation both in the presence of gelating and nongelating ILs. On the other hand, the gelatinous matrix retains and, in some cases, improves the properties of NCNDs. The NCND-ionogels showed the typical fluorescence emission of the carbon dots and a notable antiradical activity, with higher efficiency as compared to the single components. The presented hybrid materials hold great promise for topical applications in antioxidant fields.

Graphene based room temperature flexible nanocomposites from permanently cross-linked networks

Graphene based room temperature flexible nanocomposites were prepared using epoxy thermosets for the first time. Flexible behavior was induced into the epoxy thermosets by introducing charge transfer complexes between functional groups within cross linked epoxy and room temperature ionic liquid ions. The graphene nanoplatelets were found to be highly dispersed in the epoxy matrix due to ionic liquid cation–π interactions. It was observed that incorporation of small amounts of graphene into the epoxy matrix significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of the epoxy. In particular, a 0.6 wt% addition increased the tensile strength and Young’s modulus by 125% and 21% respectively. The electrical resistance of nanocomposites was found to be increased with graphene loading indicating the level of self-organization between the ILs and the graphene sheets in the matrix of the composite. The graphene nanocomposites were flexible and behave like ductile thermoplastics at room temperature. This study demonstrates the use of ionic liquid as a compatible agent to induce flexibility in inherently brittle thermoset materials and improve the dispersion of graphene to create high performance nanocomposite materials.

Flexural behavior of 3D para-aramid/phenolic/nano (MWCNT) composites

In this work, the flexure properties of nanostitched and nanoprepreg three dimensional (3D) para-aramid/phenolic composites were studied. Four types of composite were developed. They were called stitched/nano, stitched, base/nano and base. The flexure strength and modulus of the stitched/nano composites were slightly improved compared to those of the base composites due to the addition of the stitching yarn and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The flexure failure of the base and base/nano structures was matrix peeling and large delaminated areas, whereas the stitched and stitched/nano composites had warp deformation and no visible matrix/fiber damage. In addition, the delaminated areas were severely restricted. The results showed that introducing the stitching fiber and multiwall carbon nanotubes in the base structure improved its out-of-plane failure properties as a form of restricted delamination and they acted as delamination barriers around the regions. Therefore, stitched/nano p-aramid/phenolic composites could be considered as damage tolerant materials.

Molecular interactions and thermal transport in ionic liquids with carbon nanomaterials

We used molecular dynamics simulation to study the effect of suspended carbon nanomaterials, nanotubes and graphene sheets, on the thermal conductivity of ionic liquids, an issue related to understanding the properties of nanofluids. One important aspect that we developed is an atomistic model of the interactions between the organic ions and carbon nanomaterials, so we did not rely on existing force fields for small organic molecules or assume simple combining rules to describe the interactions at the liquid/material interface. Instead, we used quantum calculations with a density functional suitable for non-covalent interactions to parameterize an interaction model, including van der Waals terms and also atomic partial charges on the materials. We fitted a n-m interaction potential function with n values of 9 or 10 and m values between 5 and 8, so a 12-6 Lennard-Jones function would not fit the quantum calculations. For the atoms of ionic liquids and carbon nanomaterials interacting among themselves, we adopted existing models from the literature. We studied the imidazolium ionic liquids [C₄C₁im][SCN], [C₄C₁im][N(CN)₂], [C₄C₁im][C(CN)₃] and [C₄C₁im][(CF₃SO₂)₂N]. Attraction is stronger for cations (than for anions) above and below the π-system of the nanomaterials, whereas anions show stronger attraction for the hydrogenated edges. The ordering of ions around and inside (7,7) and (10,10) single-walled nanotubes, and near a stack of graphene sheets, was analysed in terms of density distribution functions. We verified that anions are found, as well as cations, in the first interfacial layer interacting with the materials, which is surprising given the interaction potential surfaces. The thermal conductivity of the ionic liquids and of composite systems containing one nanotube or one graphene stack in suspension was calculated using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics. Thermal conductivity was calculated along the axis of the nanotube and across the planes of graphene, in order to see the anisotropy. In the composite systems containing the nanotube, there is an enhancement of the overall thermal conductivity, with calculated values comparing well with experiments on nanotube suspensions, namely in terms of the order of the different ionic liquids. In the systems containing the graphene stack, the interfacial region of the ionic liquid near the surface of the material has an enhanced thermal conductivity with respect to the bulk liquid, but no significant discontinuity in the temperature profiles were observed. This is important information for models of thermal conduction in nanofluids.

Voltammetric sensing based on the use of advanced carbonaceous nanomaterials: a review

This review (with 210 references) summarizes recent developments in the design of voltammetric chemical sensors and biosensors based on the use of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs). It is divided into subsections starting with an introduction into the field and a description of its current state. This is followed by a large section on various types of voltammetric sensors and biosensors using CNMs with subsections on sensors based on the use of carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxides, graphene nanoribbons, fullerenes, ionic liquid composites with CNMs, carbon nanohorns, diamond nanoparticles, carbon dots, carbon nanofibers and mesoporous carbon. The third section gives conclusion and an outlook. Tables are presented on the application of such sensors to voltammetric detection of neurotransmitters, metabolites, dietary minerals, proteins, heavy metals, gaseous molecules, pharmaceuticals, environmental pollutants, food, beverages, cosmetics, commercial goods and drugs of abuse. The authors also describe advanced approaches for the fabrication of robust functional carbon nano(bio)sensors for voltammetric quantification of multiple targets. Graphical Abstract Featuring execellent electrical, catalytic and surface properies, CNMs have gained enormous attention for designing voltammetric sensors and biosensors. Functionalized CNM-modified electrode interfaces have demonstrated their prominent role in biological, environmental, pharmaceutical, chemical, food and industrial analysis.

Heterogeneous catalysis based on supramolecular association

Non-covalent assembly of individual components can develop a material with activity to promote the transformation of substrates into products.

Ionic liquids and derived materials for lithium and sodium batteries

A comprehensive review of various applications of ionic liquids and derived materials in lithium and sodium batteries with an emphasis on recent advances.

Recent advances in three-dimensional graphene based materials for catalysis applications

This review presents recent theoretical and experimental progress in the construction, properties, and catalytic applications of 3D graphene-based materials.

Transition metal dichalcogenide quantum dots: synthesis, photoluminescence and biological applications

We introduce the synthesis strategy, photoluminescence features and biological applications of TMD QDs.