Continuous Synthesis of Structurally Uniform Graphene Oxide Materials in a Model Taylor–Couette Flow Reactor

Thermoresponsive Conductivity of Graphene-Based Fibers

Smart materials are versatile material systems which exhibit a measurable response to external stimuli. Recently, smart material systems have been developed which incorporate graphene in order to share on its various advantageous properties, such as mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity as well as to achieve unique stimuli-dependent responses. Here, a graphene fiber-based smart material that exhibits reversible electrical conductivity switching at a relatively low temperature (60 °C), is reported. Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and density functional theory-based non-equilibrium Green's function (DFT-NEGF) approach, it is revealed that this thermo-response behavior is due to the change in configuration of amphiphilic triblock dispersant molecules occurring in the graphene fiber during heating or cooling. These conformational changes alter the total number of graphene-graphene contacts within the composite material system, and thus the electrical conductivity as well. Additionally, this graphene fiber fabrication approach uses a scalable, facile, water-based method, that makes it easy to modify material composition ratios. In all, this work represents an important step forward to enable complete functional tuning of graphene-based smart materials at the nanoscale while increasing commercialization viability.

Synthesis of Micro-/Nanohydroxyapatite Assisted by the Taylor-Couette Flow Reactor

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) has received increasing attention as an essential chemical product with good biocompatibility and adsorption properties. Generally, amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) was generated first in the reactor and transformed into HAP after a period of crystallization. In this work, a series of Taylor-Couette flow reactors with different inner diameters were designed to assist in synthesizing HAP micro-/nanocrystals. ACP was obtained in a Taylor-Couette flow reactor at Re = 247 and successfully transformed into needle-like HAP crystals with a length of about 200 nm and a uniform particle size distribution after crystallization transformation. The yield of a single reactor can reach 2.16 kg per day. The finite element analysis results and time-space diagram of flow pattern variation showed that the Taylor-Couette flow reactor could improve the mixing behavior and the flow field distribution. The Taylor-Couette flow reactor provides a valuable reference for synthesizing inorganic micro-/nanomaterials.

Microfluidic Oxidation of Graphite in Two Minutes with Capability of Real-Time Monitoring

Graphite oxide and its exfoliated counterpart, graphene oxide, are important precursors for the large-scale production of graphene-based materials and many relevant applications. The current batch-style preparation of graphite oxide suffers from safety concern, long reaction time, and nonuniform product quality, due to the large volume of reactors and slow energy exchange. Reaction in microchannels can largely enhance the oxidization efficiency of graphite due to the enhanced mass transfer and extremely quick energy exchange, by which the controllable oxidization of graphite is achieved in ≈2 min. Comprehensive characterizations show that the graphene oxide obtained through the microfluidic strategy has features like those prepared in laboratory beakers and industrial reactors, yet with the higher oxidization degree and more epoxy groups. More importantly, the microfluidic preparation allows for on-line monitoring of the oxidization by Raman spectroscopy, ready for the dynamical control of reaction condition and product quality. The capability of continuous preparation is also demonstrated by showing the assembly of fibers and reduction of graphene oxide in microfluidic channels, and the applicability of graphene oxide prepared from the microfluidic strategy for thermally and electrically conductive films.

Simulations of Graphene Oxide Dispersions as Discotic Nematic Liquid Crystals in Couette Flow Using Ericksen-Leslie (EL) Theory

The objective of this study was to simulate the flow of graphene oxide (GO) dispersions, a discotic nematic liquid crystal (DNLC), using the Ericksen-Leslie (EL) theory. GO aqueous suspension, as a lubricant, effectively reduces the friction between solid surfaces. The geometry considered in this study was two cylinders with a small gap size, which is the preliminary geometry for journal bearings. The Leslie viscosity coefficients calculated in our previous study were used to calculate the stress tensor in the EL theory. The behavior of GO dispersions in the concentration range of 15 mg/mL to 30 mg/mL, shown in our recent experiments to be in the nematic phase, was investigated to obtain the orientation and the viscosity profile. The viscosities of GO dispersions obtained from numerical simulations were compared with those from our recent experimental study, and we observed that the values are within the range of experimental uncertainty. In addition, the alignment angles of GO dispersions at different concentrations were calculated numerically using EL theory and compared with the respective theoretical values, which were within 1% error. The anchoring angles corresponding to viscosity values closest to the experimental results were between 114 and 118 degrees. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the effects of different ratios of the elasticity coefficients in EL theory. Using this procedure, the same study could be extended for other DNLCs in different geometries.

A prospect of cost-effective handling and transportation of graphene oxides: folding and redispersion of graphene oxide microsheets

Controlling the assembly of 2D materials such as graphene oxides (GO) has a significant impact on their properties and performance. One of the critical issues on the processing and handling of GO is that they need to be in dilution solution (0.5 to 2.5 wt%) to maintain their high degree of exfoliation and dispersion. As a result, the shipment of GO in large quantity involves a huge volume of solvent (water) and thus the transportation costs for large sales volume would become extremely high. Through cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy and polarized optical microscopy together with x-ray diffraction and small-angle x-ray scattering studies, we demonstrated that the assembly and structure of GO microsheets can be preserved without restacking, when assembled GO via water-based wet spinning are re-dispersed into solution. A couple of alkyl ammonium bromides, CTAB and TBAB, as well as NaOH, were examined as coagulants and the resulting fibers were redispersed in an aqueous solution. The redispersed solution of fibers that were wet-spun into the commonly used CTAB and TBAB coagulation baths, maintained their physico-chemical properties (similar to the original GO dispersion) however, did not reveal preservation of liquid crystallinity. Meanwhile, the redispersed fibers that were initially spun into NaOH coagulation bath were able to maintain their liquid crystallinity if the lateral size of the GO sheets was large. Based on these findings, a cost-effective solid handling approach is devised which involves (i) processing GO microsheets in solution into folded layers in solid-state, (ii) transporting assembled GO to the customers, and (iii) redispersion of folded GO into a solution for their use. The proposed solid handling of GO followed by redispersion into solution can greatly reduce the transportation costs of graphene oxide materials by reducing the transportation volume by more than 90%.

Facile Production of Graphenic Microsheets and Their Assembly via Water-Based, Surfactant-Aided Mechanical Deformations

Expandable graphite (EG) and few-layer graphene (FLG) have proven to be instrumental materials for various applications. The production of EG and FLG has been limited to batch processes using numerous intercalating agents, especially organic acids. In this study, a Taylor-Couette reactor (TCR) setup is used to expand and exfoliate natural graphite and produce a mixture of EG and FLG in aqueous solutions using an amphiphilic dispersant and a semiflexible stabilizer. Laminar Couette flow structure and high shear rates are achieved via the rotation of the outer cylinder while the inner cylinder is still, which circumvents vortex formation because of the suppression of centrifugal forces. Our results reveal that the level of expansion and exfoliation using an aqueous solution and a TCR is comparable to that using commercial EG (CEG) synthesized by intercalating sulfuric acid. More importantly, the resultant EG and FLG flakes are more structurally homogeneous than CEG, the ratio of FLG to EG increases with increasing shearing time, and the produced FLG sheets exhibit large lateral dimensions (>10 μm). The aqueous solutions of EG and FLG are wet-spun to produce ultralight fibers with a bulk density of 0.35 g/cm³. These graphene fibers exhibit a mechanical strength of 0.5 GPa without any modification or thermal treatment, which offers great potential in light-weight composite applications.

Review of Experimental Setups for Plasmonic Photocatalytic Reactions

Plasmonic photocatalytic reactions have been substantially developed. However, the mechanism underlying the enhancement of such reactions is confusing in relevant studies. The plasmonic enhancements of photocatalytic reactions are hard to identify by processing chemically or physically. This review discusses the noteworthy experimental setups or designs for reactors that process various energy transformation paths for enhancing plasmonic photocatalytic reactions. Specially designed experimental setups can help characterize near-field optical responses in inducing plasmons and transformation of light energy. Electrochemical measurements, dark-field imaging, spectral measurements, and matched coupling of wavevectors lead to further understanding of the mechanism underlying plasmonic enhancement. The discussions herein can provide valuable ideas for advanced future studies.