High-quality Graphenes via a facile quenching method for field-effect transistors

Self-Assembly of Wheel-Shaped Nanographdiynes and Self-Template Growth of Graphdiyne

Graphdiyne (GDY) multilayers show stacking-style-dependent physical properties; thus, controlling the stacking style of nanostructures is crucial for utilizing their electrical, optical, and transport properties in electro-optical devices. Herein, we report the assemblies of nanographdiynes decorated with substituents with different steric hindrances to adjust the stacking style. We show that the π-stacked aggregates were influenced by peripheral substituents and the substrate. Steric hexaterphenyl-substituted nanoGDY scaffolds led to dimer structures stacked in the AB-3 configuration with a twist angle of 26.01° or the AB-1 configuration with an in-plane shift along one diyne link. With the interval replacement of steric substituents with long C12 alkyl chains, nanoGDYs were stacked in the AB-2 configuration to decrease the steric congestion, eventually leading to one-dimensional (1D) nanofibrous aggregates. Self-assembly in the presence of substrates can result in ABC-stacked nanoGDYs, which endowed us with the possibility of using nanoGDY as the template for GDY growth in a homogeneous reaction. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and near-infrared-ultraviolet-visible (NIR-UV-vis) absorption spectroscopy indicate that the crystalline GDY prepared in this way is a 1.18 eV bandgap semiconductor.

Reducing Carbonaceous Salts for Facile Fabrication of Monolayer Graphene

Novel methods and mechanisms for graphene fabrication are of great importance in the development of materials science. Herein, a facile method to directly convert carbonaceous salts into high-quality freestanding graphene via a simple one-step redox reaction, is reported. The redox couple can be a combination of sodium borohydride (reductant) and sodium carbonate (oxidant), which can readily react with each other when evenly mixed/calcined and yield gram-scale, high-quality, contamination-free, micron-sized, freestanding graphene. More importantly, this method is applicable to a variety of input reductants and oxidants that are low cost and easily accessible. An in-depth investigation reveals that the carbonaceous oxidants can not only provide reduced carbon mass for graphene formation but also act as a self-template to guide the polymerization of carbon atoms following the pattern of the monolayer, six-carbon rings. In addition, the direct formation of graphene exhibits theoretically lower energy barriers than that of other allotropes such as fullerene and carbon nanotube. This facile, low-cost, scalable, and applicable method for mass production of high-quality graphene is expected to revolutionize graphene fabrication technology and boost its practical application to the industry level.

Introduction of Graphene/h-BN Metamaterial as Neutron Radiation Shielding by Implementing Monte Carlo Simulation

In this paper, graphene/h-BN metamaterial was investigated as a new neutron radiation shielding (NRS) material by Monte Carlo N-Particle X version (MCNPX) Transport Code. The graphene/h-BN metamaterial are capable of both thermal and fast neutron moderator and neutron absorber process. The constituent phases in graphene/h-BN metamaterial are chosen to be hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and graphene. The introduced target was irradiated by an Am-Be neutron source with an energy spectrum of 100 keV to 15 MeV in a Monte Carlo simulation input file. The resulting current transmission rate (CTR) was investigated by the MCNPX code. Due to concrete's widespread use as a radiation shielding material, the results of this design were also compared with concrete targets. The results show a significant increase in NRS compared to concrete. Therefore, metamaterial with constituent phase's graphene/h-BN can be a suitable alternative to concrete for NRS.

Quantum Hall Effect across Graphene Grain Boundary

Charge carrier scattering at grain boundaries (GBs) in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene reduces the carrier mobility and degrades the performance of the graphene device, which is expected to affect the quantum Hall effect (QHE). This study investigated the influence of individual GBs on the QH state at different stitching angles of the GB in a monolayer CVD graphene. The measured voltage probes of the equipotential line in the QH state showed that the longitudinal resistance (R_xx) was affected by the scattering of the GB only in the low carrier concentration region, and the standard QHE of a monolayer graphene was observed regardless of the stitching angle of the GB. In addition, a controlled device with an added metal bar placed in the middle of the Hall bar configuration was introduced. Despite the fact that the equipotential lines in the controlled device were broken by the additional metal bar, only the R_xx was affected by nonzero resistance, whereas the Hall resistance (R_xy) revealed the well-quantized plateaus in the QH state. Thus, our study clarifies the effect of individual GBs on the QH states of graphenes.

Montmorillonite-Based Two-Dimensional Nanocomposites: Preparation and Applications

Montmorillonite (Mt) is a kind of 2:1 type layered phyllosilicate mineral with nanoscale structure, large surface area, high cation exchange capacity and excellent adsorption capacity. By virtue of such unique properties, many scholars have paid much attention to the further modification of Mt-based two-dimensional (2D) functional composite materials, such as Mt-metal hydroxides and Mt-carbon composites. In this review, we focus on two typical Mt-2D nanocomposite: Mt@layered double hydroxide (Mt@LDH) and Mt@graphene (Mt@GR) and their fabrication strategies, as well as their important applications in pollution adsorption, medical antibacterial, film thermal conduction and flame-retardant. In principle, the prospective trend of the composite preparation of Mt-2D nancomposites and promising fields are well addressed.

Directly Exfoliated Ultrathin Silicon Nanosheets for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Here we present direct exfoliation of ultrathin silicon nanosheets from commercial silicon powders through an improved liquid phase exfoliation procedure. The feasibility of exfoliation was ascribed to the intrinsic anisotropic lattice structure, which allowed the oriented propagations of cryo-mediation-induced quenching cracks with the assistance of sonication. It was also revealed that the solid-solvent interface played a critical role in determining the morphology of exfoliated pieces as well as the exfoliation efficiency. Moreover, due to its superior morphology, enlarged surface area, and improved photon absorption, the resulting ultrathin silicon nanosheets presented enhanced and visible light responsive photocatalytic hydrogen generation performance, even without applying any co-catalyst.

Fabrication of Ultrathin MoS2 Nanosheets and Application on Adsorption of Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metals

Owing to their peculiar structural characteristics and potential applications in various fields, the ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets, a typical two-dimensional material, have attracted numerous attentions. In this paper, a hybrid strategy with combination of quenching process and liquid-based exfoliation was employed to fabricate the ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets (MoS2 NS). The obtained MoS2 NS still maintained hexagonal phase (2H-MoS2) and exhibited evident thin layer-structure (1–2 layers) with inconspicuous wrinkle. Besides, the MoS2 NS dispersion showed excellent stability (over 60 days) and high concentration (0.65 ± 0.04 mg mL−1). The MoS2 NS dispersion also displayed evident optical properties, with two characteristic peaks at 615 and 670 nm, and could be quantitatively analyzed with the absorbance at 615 nm in the range of 0.01–0.5 mg mL−1. The adsorption experiments showed that the as-prepared MoS2 NS also exhibited remarkable adsorption performance on the dyes (344.8 and 123.5 mg g−1 of qm for methylene blue and methyl orange, respectively) and heavy metals (185.2, 169.5, and 70.4 mg g−1 of qm for Cd2+, Cu2+, and Ag+). During the adsorption, the main adsorption mechanisms involved the synergism of physical hole-filling effects and electrostatic interactions. This work provided an effective way for the large-scale fabrication of the two-dimensional nanosheets of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) by liquid exfoliation.

Boron-doped few-layer graphene nanosheet gas sensor for enhanced ammonia sensing at room temperature

Heteroatom doping in graphene is now a practiced way to alter its electronic and chemical properties to design a highly-efficient gas sensor for practical applications. In this series, here we propose boron-doped few-layer graphene for enhanced ammonia gas sensing, which could be a potential candidate for designing a sensing device. A facile approach has been used for synthesizing boron-doped few-layer graphene (BFLGr) by using a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method. Further, Raman spectroscopy has been performed to confirm the formation of graphene and XPS and FESEM characterization were carried out to validate the boron doping in the graphene lattice. To fabricate the gas sensing device, an Si/SiO₂ substrate with gold patterned electrodes was used. More remarkably, the BFLGr-based sensor exhibits an extremely quick response for ammonia gas sensing with fast recovery at ambient conditions. Hence, the obtained results for the BFLGr-based gas sensor provide a new platform to design next-generation lightweight and fast gas sensing devices.

A boron-doped few-layer LPCVD graphene sensor is successfully designed and demonstrated for enhanced NH₃ gas sensing applications.

Metal doped armchair graphene nanoribbons: electronic structure, carrier mobility and device properties

Functionalizing graphene to develop on-demand nanodevices is highly desirable, but still remains challenging. Here, we theoretically propose the functionalization of armchair graphene nanoribbons by low-concentration metal (M) atom (M = Ti, Ni, Sn, or Hg) doping and investigate the structural stability and electronic behaviors of these doped systems in depth. The calculated binding energy and formation energy as well as the molecular dynamics simulation show that the geometries of these hybridized ribbons are rather stable. With metal doping, the ribbons present rich and flexibly tunable bandgaps, depending on the metal atom and doping position, which can be attributed to newly emerged hybridized subbands near the Fermi level and the entire energy band structure shifting upward due to the increased electron number in the ribbon donated from the dopant. These bandgaps can also be further tuned substantially by the stress. And the carrier mobility is calculated based on the deformation potential theory, which shows that the different metal doping can effectively control the carrier mobility, and a large carrier polarity can also be clearly observed. Furthermore, the metal doping can significantly enhance the device properties of the ribbon as compared with those of the pristine ribbon, such as creating a large negative differential resistance phenomenon. These studies demonstrate that these doping systems might hold promising applications in nano-electronics.

Cryo-mediated exfoliation and fracturing of layered materials into 2D quantum dots

Atomically thin quantum dots from layered materials promise new science and applications, but their scalable synthesis and separation have been challenging. We demonstrate a universal approach for the preparation of quantum dots from a series of materials, such as graphite, MoS₂, WS₂, h-BN, TiS₂, NbS₂, Bi₂Se₃, MoTe₂, Sb₂Te₃, etc., using a cryo-mediated liquid-phase exfoliation and fracturing process. The method relies on liquid nitrogen pretreatment of bulk layered materials before exfoliation and breakdown into atomically thin two-dimensional quantum dots of few-nanometer lateral dimensions, exhibiting size-confined optical properties. This process is efficient for a variety of common solvents with a wide range of surface tension parameters and eliminates the use of surfactants, resulting in pristine quantum dots without surfactant covering or chemical modification.

Graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, and their heterostructures: properties and applications

In recent years, two-dimensional atomic-level thickness crystal materials have attracted widespread interest such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), silicene, germanium, black phosphorus (BP), transition metal sulfides and so on.

Design of boron vacancy enhanced spin filtering graphene/BN zigzag nanoribbon heterojunctions

The spin-polarized electronic transport properties of zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs) and boron nitride nanoribbons (ZBNNRs) heterojunctions with a boron vacancy are investigated under an external electric field.

Effect of Plasma Power on Growth of Multilayer Graphene on Copper Using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition

Large-area multilayer graphene was synthesised on Cu foil by DC plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (DC PECVD) at a relatively low temperature. We discuss the growth mechanism of graphene in the plasma environment by the PECVD method based on the results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Raman scattering. Also, the I–V characteristics of graphene synthesised at different plasma powers was studied with a Keithley 2361 system. Due to the advantages of plasma growth, graphene synthesised under DC plasma exhibits better crystallinity, higher growth rate and large grain size at relatively low temperatures. At a plasma power of 100 W, the grain size of graphene (~5 μm) can be increased by a factor of 5. Raman spectroscopy showed D, G and 2D bound in our graphene samples while we find that the intensity of the D peak decreases by increasing the plasma power in growth conditions, which means that the defect density is reduced by the use of the plasma. The XPS results from the sample with maximum plasma power confirm the existence of sp2 carbon atoms (C=C), which indicates the successful formation of graphene onto Cu foil by PECVD. In addition the increase of plasma power is attributed to larger grain sizes, thus leading to the increase of mobility and current change. This investigation shows that DC PECVD is a simple and effective technique to synthesise large-area multilayer graphene, which has potential for application as electronic devices.

Solvothermal-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite in a mixed solvent of toluene and oleylamine

We report an effective method for producing graphene sheets using solvothermal-assisted exfoliation of graphite in a mixed solvent of toluene and oleylamine. The mixed solvent of toluene and oleylamine produces higher yield of graphene than its constituents, oleylamine and toluene. The oleylamine molecules with its long chain enwrap the graphene sheets efficiently, while toluene helps the oleylamine molecules become more flexible and easily intercalate into the edge of graphite. The prepared graphene sheets have a high quality, and the concentration of graphene in the dispersion is as high as 0.128 mg mL(-1). The high-quality graphene sheets obtained in this work make them suitable for application in many fields such as energy-storage materials and polymer composites.

Hollow mesoporous carbon cubes with high activity towards the electrocatalytic reduction of oxygen

Hollow-structured mesoporous carbon cubes (HMCCs) have been successfully synthesized from carbon dioxide by a facile approach based on thermal reduction of magnesium. The approach is economical and applicable to large-scale synthesis. Notably, pyrrole-type nitrogen species are doped into the HMCCs during the synthesis in situ, that is, without introducing a nitrogen-containing precursor. A formation mechanism of the HMCCs is proposed, and formation of the structure is attributed to MgO templates generated in situ. Furthermore, the HMCCs are demonstrated to be a promising alternative to commercial Pt/C fuel-cell catalysts for the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction.

Removal of para-nitrochlorobenzene from aqueous solution on surfactant-modified nanoscale zero-valent iron/graphene nanocomposites

This study demonstrated a remarkably simple and efficient method for the synthesis of nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI)/graphene (GN) nanocomposites. In order to prevent the agglomeration and restack of nanocomposites, chemical functionalization of nanocomposites with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide was proposed. The adsorption performance of surfactant-modified NZVI/GN nanocomposites was evaluated for the removal of para-nitrochlorobenzene (p-NCB) from aqueous solutions. The characteristics of nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, BET surface area, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The effect factors including initial solution pH, contact time, reaction temperature, dosage, initial concentration of humic acid (HA) on the adsorption property of p-NCB onto surfactant-modified nanocomposites were investigated. The adsorption kinetics fitted well with pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption capacity of p-NCB on surfactant-modified nanocomposites inferred from the Langmuir model was 105.15 mg/g at 293 K. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption of p-NCB onto surfactant-modified nanocomposites was an exothermic and spontaneous process. HA had a strong suppression effect on p-NCB uptake in the adsorption experiment.

A promising gene delivery system developed from PEGylated MoS2 nanosheets for gene therapy

A new class of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterial, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) such as MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2 which have fantastic physical and chemical properties, has drawn tremendous attention in different fields recently. Herein, we for the first time take advantage of the great potential of MoS2 with well-engineered surface as a novel type of 2D nanocarriers for gene delivery and therapy of cancer. In our system, positively charged MoS2-PEG-PEI is synthesized with lipoic acid-modified polyethylene glycol (LA-PEG) and branched polyethylenimine (PEI). The amino end of positively charged nanomaterials can bind to the negatively charged small interfering RNA (siRNA). After detection of physical and chemical characteristics of the nanomaterial, cell toxicity was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) was investigated as a well-known oncogene, which was a critical regulator of cell cycle transmission at multiple levels. Through knockdown of PLK1 with siRNA carried by novel nanovector, qPCR and Western blot were used to measure the interfering efficiency; apoptosis assay was used to detect the transfection effect of PLK1. All results showed that the novel nanocarrier revealed good biocompatibility, reduced cytotoxicity, as well as high gene-carrying ability without serum interference, thus would have great potential for gene delivery and therapy.

Direct exfoliation of graphite to graphene by a facile chemical approach

Facile exfoliation of graphite: High-quality graphene sheets are produced directly from graphite by a facile chemical approach. The new strategy for non-oxidized chemical exfoliation of graphite is based on a pre-intercalated process with oleum and a further strong reaction with sodium in the graphite layers under grinding conditions. This method is facile, low cost, and high throughput.

Graphene-analogue carbon nitride: novel exfoliation synthesis and its application in photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical selective detection of trace amount of Cu²⁺

Graphene-analogue nanostructures defined as a new kind of promising materials with unique electronic, surface and optical properties have received much attention in the fields of catalysis, energy storage, sensing and electronic devices. Due to the distinctive structure characteristics of the graphene-analogue materials, they brought novel and amazing properties. Herein, graphene-analogue carbon nitride (GA-C₃N₄) was synthesized by high-yield, large-scale thermal exfoliation from the graphitic C₃N₄-based intercalation compound. Graphene-analogue carbon nitride exhibited 2D thin-layer structure with 6-9 atomic thickness, a high specific surface area of 30.1 m(2) g(-1), increased photocurrent responses and improved electron transport ability, which could give rise to enhancing the photocatalytic activity and stability. The graphene-analogue carbon nitride had a new features that could make it suitable as a sensor for Cu(2+) determination. So GA-C₃N₄ is a new but promising candidate for heavy metal ions (Cu(2+)) determination in water environment. The photocatalytic mechanism and photoelectrochemical selective sensing of Cu(2+) were also discussed.

Production of few-layer MoS2nanosheets through exfoliation of liquid N2–quenched bulk MoS2

An efficient method for the production of few-layer MoS₂nanosheets through exfoliation of bulk MoS₂compounds that were subject to quenching in liquid N₂and subsequent ultrasonication.

Graphene-based materials: fabrication, characterization and application for the decontamination of wastewater and wastegas and hydrogen storage/generation

Graphene, as an ideal two-dimensional material and single-atom layer of graphite, has attracted exploding interests in multidisciplinary research because of its unique structure and exceptional physicochemical properties. Especially, graphene-based materials offer a wide range of potentialities for environmental remediation and energy applications. This review shows an extensive overview of the main principles and the recent synthetic technologies about designing and fabricating various innovative graphene-based materials. Furthermore, an extensive list of graphene-based sorbents and catalysts from vast literature has been compiled. The adsorptive and catalytic properties of graphene-based materials for the removal of various pollutants and hydrogen storage/production as available in the literature are presented. Tremendous adsorption capacity, excellent catalytic performance and abundant availability are the significant factors making these materials suitable alternatives for environmental pollutant control and energy-related system, especially in terms of the removal of pollutants in water, gas cleanup and purification, and hydrogen generation and storage. Meanwhile, a brief discussion is also included on the influence of graphene materials on the environment, and its toxicological effects. Lastly, some unsolved subjects together with major challenges in this germinating area of research are highlighted and discussed. Conclusively, the expanding of graphene-based materials in the field of adsorption and catalysis science represents a viable and powerful tool, resulting in the superior improvement of environmental pollution control and energy development.

Large-scale production of nanographene sheets with a controlled mesoporous architecture as high-performance electrochemical electrode materials

Graphene is considered as a rising-star material because of its unique properties and it is a promising material for applications in many fields. In recent years, experiments on graphene fabricated by using versatile methods have shed light on the crucial problem of aggregation and restacking, which is induced by strong π-π stacking and van der Waals forces, but preparation methods for real-world applications are still a great challenge. Here we report a facile, rapid, and environmentally friendly process, the burn-quench method, that allows large-scale and controlled synthesis of ordered mesoporous nanographene with 1-5 layers, which has a high surface area and electric conductivity. Electrodes composed of nanographene with a mesoporous architecture used both in electrochemical capacitors and lithium-ion batteries have a high specific capacitance, rate capability, energy density, and cyclic stability. Our results represent an important step toward large-scale graphene synthesis based on this new burn-quench method for applications in high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices.

Encapsulating magnetic nanoparticles in sandwich-like coupled graphene sheets and beyond

The first syntheses of a series of novel graphene-based materials, nanoparticle-encapsulated sandwich-like coupled graphene sheets and pure sandwich-like coupled graphene sheets, are reported.

Field effect transistors and photodetectors based on nanocrystalline graphene derived from electron beam induced carbonaceous patterns

We describe a transfer-free method for the fabrication of nanocrystalline graphene (nc-graphene) on SiO(2) substrates directly from patterned carbonaceous deposits. The deposits were produced from the residual hydrocarbons present in the vacuum chamber without any external source by using an electron beam induced carbonaceous deposition (EBICD) process. Thermal treatment under vacuum conditions in the presence of Ni catalyst transformed the EBIC deposit into nc-graphene patterns, confirmed using Raman and TEM analysis. The nc-graphene patterns have been employed as an active p-type channel material in a field effect transistor (FET) which showed a hole mobility of ~90 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). The nc-graphene also proved to be suitable material for IR detection.

Tunable band gaps and p-type transport properties of boron-doped graphenes by controllable ion doping using reactive microwave plasma

We report tunable band gaps and transport properties of B-doped graphenes that were achieved via controllable doping through reaction with the ion atmosphere of trimethylboron decomposed by microwave plasma. Both electron energy loss spectroscopy and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy analyses of the graphene reacted with ion atmosphere showed that B atoms are substitutionally incorporated into graphenes without segregation of B domains. The B content was adjusted over a range of 0-13.85 atom % by controlling the ion reaction time, from which the doping effects on transport properties were quantitatively evaluated. Electrical measurements from graphene field-effect transistors show that the B-doped graphenes have a distinct p-type conductivity with a current on/off ratio higher than 10(2). Especially, the band gap of graphenes is tuned from 0 to ~0.54 eV with increasing B content, leading to a series of modulated transport properties. We believe the controllable doping for graphenes with predictable transport properties may pave a way for the development of graphene-based devices.

Origin of the relatively low transport mobility of graphene grown through chemical vapor deposition

The reasons for the relatively low transport mobility of graphene grown through chemical vapor deposition (CVD-G), which include point defect, surface contamination, and line defect, were analyzed in the current study. A series of control experiments demonstrated that the determinant factor for the low transport mobility of CVD-G did not arise from point defects or surface contaminations, but stemmed from line defects induced by grain boundaries. Electron microscopies characterized the presence of grain boundaries and indicated the polycrystalline nature of the CVD-G. Field-effect transistors based on CVD-G without the grain boundary obtained a transport mobility comparative to that of Kish graphene, which directly indicated the detrimental effect of grain boundaries. The effect of grain boundary on transport mobility was qualitatively explained using a potential barrier model. Furthermore, the conduction mechanism of CVD-G was also investigated using the temperature dependence measurements. This study can help understand the intrinsic transport features of CVD-G.

Adsorption of fluoride from aqueous solution by graphene

A batch adsorption system was applied to investigate the adsorption of fluoride from aqueous solution by graphene. The adsorption capacities and rates of fluoride onto graphene at different initial pH, contact time, and temperature were evaluated. The experimental results showed that graphene is an excellent fluoride adsorbent with an adsorption capacity of up to 17.65 mg/g at initial fluoride concentration of 25 mg/L and temperature of 298 K. The isotherm analysis indicated that the adsorption data can be well described by Langmuir isotherm model. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption reaction was a spontaneous and endothermic process.

Tunable p-type conductivity and transport properties of AlN nanowires via Mg doping

Arrays of well-aligned AlN nanowires (NWs) with tunable p-type conductivity were synthesized on Si(111) substrates using bis(cyclopentadienyl)magnesium (Cp(2)Mg) vapor as a doping source by chemical vapor deposition. The Mg-doped AlN NWs are single-crystalline and grow along the [001] direction. Gate-voltage-dependent transport measurements on field-effect transistors constructed from individual NWs revealed the transition from n-type conductivity in the undoped AlN NWs to p-type conductivity in the Mg-doped NWs. By adjusting the doping gas flow rate (0-10 sccm), the conductivity of AlN NWs can be tuned over 7 orders of magnitude from (3.8-8.5) × 10(-6) Ω(-1) cm(-1) for the undoped sample to 15.6-24.4 Ω(-1) cm(-1) for the Mg-doped AlN NWs. Hole concentration as high as 4.7 × 10(19) cm(-3) was achieved for the heaviest doping. In addition, the maximum hole mobility (∼6.4 cm(2)/V s) in p-type AlN NWs is much higher than that of Mg-doped AlN films (∼1.0 cm(2)/V s). (2) The realization of p-type AlN NWs with tunable electrical transport properties may open great potential in developing practical nanodevices such as deep-UV light-emitting diodes and photodetectors.

The adsorption properties of Pb(II) and Cd(II) on functionalized graphene prepared by electrolysis method

The functionalized graphene (GNS(PF6)) was fabricated by simple and fast method of electrolysis with potassium hexafluorophosphate solution as electrolyte under the static potential of 15 V. The characterization results of transmission electron microscopy, atom force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis indicate that graphite rod was completely exfoliated to graphene layer containing 30 wt.% PF(6)- with the average thickness ca. 1.0 nm. Our sample of GNS(PF6) was developed for the removal of Pb(II) or Cd(II) ions from water, and the determined adsorption capacities are 406.6 mg/g (pH=5.1) for Pb(II) and 73.42 mg/g (pH=6.2) for Cd(II), which is much higher than that by our previous sample of GNS(C8P) and carbon nanotube. The adsorption processes reach equilibrium in just 40 min and the adsorption isotherms are described well by Langmuir and Freundlich classical isotherms models.

High purity graphenes prepared by a chemical intercalation method

A simple method of fabricating pristine few-layer and single-layer graphene which could be used for production on a gram scale is described.

High quality graphene with large flakes exfoliated by oleyl amine

Large-flake graphene membranes up to 300 microm(2) can be exfoliated from graphite by oleyl amine based on solvothermal conditions. The exfoliated graphene sheets are of high quality and have few defects. The graphene dispersion, predominantly composed of monolayer graphene, had a high concentration of 0.15 mg ml(-1), and can be stabilized against re-aggregation.

Incorporation of graphenes in nanostructured TiO(2) films via molecular grafting for dye-sensitized solar cell application

This paper presents a systematic investigation on the incorporation of chemical exfoliation graphene sheets (GS) in TiO(2) nanoparticle films via a molecular grafting method for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). By controlling the oxidation time in the chemical exfoliation process, both high conductivity of reduced GS and good attachment of TiO(2) nanoparticles on the GS were achieved. Uniform GS/TiO(2) composite films with large areas on conductive glass were prepared by electrophoretic deposition, and the incorporation of GS significantly improved the conductivity of the TiO(2) nanoparticle film by more than 2 orders of magnitude. Moreover, the power conversion efficiency for DSSC based on GS/TiO(2) composite films is more than 5 times higher than that based on TiO(2) alone, indicating that the incorporation of GS is an efficient means for enhancing the photovoltaic (PV) performance. The better PV performance of GS/TiO(2) DSSC is also attributed to the better dye loading of GS/TiO(2) film than that of TiO(2) film. The effect of GS content on the PV performances was also investigated. It was found that the power conversion efficiency increased first and then decreased with the increasing of GS concentration due to the decrease in the transmittance at high GS content. Further improvements can be expected by fully optimizing fabrication conditions and device configuration, such as increasing dye loading via thicker films. The present synthetic strategy is expected to lead to a family of composites with designed properties.

Emerging Methods for Producing Monodisperse Graphene Dispersions

With the recent burst of activity surrounding solution phase production of graphene, comparatively little progress has been made towards the generation of graphene dispersions with tailored thickness, lateral area, and shape. The polydispersity of graphene dispersions, however, can lead to unpredictable or non-ideal behavior once they are incorporated into devices, since the properties of graphene vary as a function of its structural parameters. In this brief perspective, we overview the problem of graphene polydispersity, the production of graphene dispersions, and the methods under development to produce dispersions of monodisperse graphene.