Films fabricated from partially fluorinated graphene suspension: structural, electronic properties and negative differential resistance

Copper-Based Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Frameworks for Fenton-like Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue under UV and Sunlight Irradiation

To efficiently degrade organic pollutants, photocatalysts must be effective under both ultraviolet (UV) radiation and sunlight. We synthesized a series of new metal-organic frameworks by using mild hydrothermal conditions. These frameworks incorporate three distinct bipyridyl ligands: pyrazine (pyr), 4,4'-bipyridine (bpy), and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpe). The resulting compounds are denoted as [Cu(pyz)(H2O)2MF6], [Cu(bpy)2(H2O)2]·MF6, and [Cu(bpe)2(H2O)2]·MF6·H2O [M = Zr (1, 3, and 5) and Hf (2, 4, and 6)]. All six compounds exhibited a two-dimensional crystal structure comprising infinitely nonintersecting linear chains. Compound 3 achieved 100% degradation of methylene blue (MB) after 8 min under UV irradiation and 100 min under natural sunlight in the presence of H2O2 as the electron acceptor. For compound 5, 100% MB degradation was achieved after 120 min under sunlight and 10 min under UV light. Moreover, reactive radical tests revealed that the dominant species involved in photocatalytic degradation are hydroxyl (•OH), superoxide radicals (•O2-), and photogenerated holes (h+). The photodegradation process followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, with photodegradation rate constants of 0.362 min-1 (0.039 min-1) for 3 and 0.316 min-1 (0.033 min-1) for 5 under UV (sunlight) irradiation. The developed photocatalysts with excellent activity and good recyclability are promising green catalysts for degrading organic pollutants during environmental decontamination.

Nano-fluoro dispersion functionalized superhydrophobic degummed & waste silk fabric for sustained recovery of petroleum oils & organic solvents from wastewater

Superwettable and chemically stable waste silk fabric and degummed silk were used in this study for treatment of oily wastewater and oil/solvent recovery. Silk functionalized with a nano-fluoro dispersion showed a superhydrophobic and oleophilic nature. The functionalized silk demonstrated superoleophilicity towards petroleum oils and organic solvents, and exhibited filtration efficiencies of more than 95%, and up to 70% till 25 re-usable cycles. Furthermore, the functionalized silk materials demonstrated high permeation flux of 584 L.m^-2.h^-1 (for Diesel) for continuous oil-water separation operation. The pH based study in highly acidic and alkaline mediums (pH from 1 to 13) showed excellent stability of nano-fluoro coated silk. Thermogravimetric analysis showed thermal stability up to 250 °C, and 400 °C, for functionalized waste silk, and degummed silk, respectively. FE-SEM analysis revealed randomly oriented spindle shaped nano particles anchored on the silk surface exhibiting hierarchical patterns, as required for the superhydrophobic Cassie-Baxter state. The rate absorption study showed close curve fitting for pseudo second order kinetics (R² = 0.999), which indicated physical absorption process. BET analysis confirmed the porous nature, while the elemental XPS and EDX analysis confirmed strong bonding and uniform coating of fluoro nanoparticles on silk surface. The results demonstrated that nano-fluoro dispersion functionalized silk can be successfully employed for effective oil/solvent-water filtration, oil/solvent-spill cleanups, and treatment of oily wastewater for protection of water resources.

Memristive FG–PVA Structures Fabricated with the Use of High Energy Xe Ion Irradiation

A new approach based on the irradiation by heavy high energy ions (Xe ions with 26 and 167 MeV) was used for the creation of graphene quantum dots in the fluorinated matrix and the formation of the memristors in double-layer structures consisting of fluorinated graphene (FG) on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). As a result, memristive switchings with an ON/OFF current relation ~2–4 orders of magnitude were observed in 2D printed crossbar structures with the active layer consisting of dielectric FG films on PVA after ion irradiation. All used ion energies and fluences (3 × 10¹⁰ and 3 × 10¹¹ cm⁻²) led to the appearance of memristive switchings. Pockets with 10³ pulses through each sample were passed for testing, and any changes in the ON/OFF current ratio were not observed. Pulse measurements allowed us to determine the time of crossbar structures opening of about 30–40 ns for the opening voltage of 2.5 V. Thus, the graphene quantum dots created in the fluorinated matrix by the high energy ions are a perspective approach for the development of flexible memristors and signal processing.

Mechanisms of negative differential resistance in glutamine-functionalized WS2quantum dots

Understanding the mechanism of the negative differential resistance (NDR) in transition metal dichalcogenides is essential for fundamental science and the development of electronic devices. Here, the NDR of the current-voltage characteristics was observed based on the glutamine-functionalized WS₂quantum dots (QDs). The NDR effect can be adjusted by varying the applied voltage range, air pressure, surrounding gases, and relative humidity. A peak-to-valley current ratio as high as 6.3 has been achieved at room temperature. Carrier trapping induced by water molecules was suggested to be responsible for the mechanism of the NDR in the glutamine-functionalized WS₂QDs. Investigating the NDR of WS₂QDs may promote the development of memory applications and emerging devices.

Aggregation-induced negative differential resistance in graphene oxide quantum dots

Negative differential resistance (NDR) devices have attracted considerable interest due to their potential applications in switches, memory devices, and analog-to-digital converters. Modulation of the NDR is an essential issue for the development of NDR-based devices. In this study, we successfully synthesized graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs) using graphene oxide, cysteine, and H2O2. The current-voltage characteristics of the GOQDs exhibit a clear NDR in the ambient environment at room temperature. A peak-to-valley ratio as high as 4.7 has been achieved under an applied voltage sweep from -6 to 6 V. The behavior of the NDR and its corresponding peak-to-valley ratio can be controlled by adjusting the range of applied voltages, air pressure, and relative humidity. Also, the NDR is sensitive to the the concentration of H2O2 added in the synthesis. The charge carrier injection through the trapping states, induced by the GOQD aggregation, could be responsible for the NDR behavior in GOQDs.

Fluorinated graphene nanoparticles with 1-3 nm electrically active graphene quantum dots

A new approach to creating a new and locally nanostructured graphene-based material is reported. We studied the electric and structural properties of partially fluorinated graphene (FG) films obtained from an FG-suspension and nanostructured by high-energy Xe ions. Local shock heating in ion tracks is suggested to be the main force driving the changes. It was found that ion irradiation leads to the formation of locally thermally expanded FG and its cracking into nanoparticles with small (∼1.5-3 nm) graphene quantum dots (GQD), embedded in them. The bandgap of GQD was estimated as 1 -1.5 eV. A further developed approach was applied to correct the functional properties of printed FG-based crossbar memristors. Dielectric FG films with small quantum dots may offer prospects in graphene-based electronics due to their stability and promising properties.

Distinctive electronic transport in pyridine-based devices with narrow graphene nanoribbon electrodes

Two kinds of pyridine-based molecular devices with the same narrow ZGNR electrodes show different and distinctive non-equilibrium electron transport properties.