Mn3O4 aerogels and their graphene nanosheet (GN) composite aerogels were synthesized by a simple supercritical-ethanol process. In the process, supercritical ethanol acted as a reductant to reduce graphene oxide and MnO2 gels simultaneously. The synthesized aerogels consisted of 10-20 nm Mn3O4 nanocrystallites, with BET-specific surface areas around 60 m(2)/g. The performance of the aerogels as...

A novel nano-porous 3D architecture of N-doped carbon nanorods arrays grown on the surface of graphene has been prepared by carbonizing polyaniline/graphene oxide (PANI-GO) composite with PANI nanorod arrays on both sides of GO nanosheets. The obtained carbon materials are entirely composed of regularly grown carbon nanorods on graphene with height of about 100 nm and width about 30 nm, showing...

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), multiple drug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infection is a top threat to human health. Since bacteria evolve to resist antibiotics faster than scientists can develop new classes of drugs, the development of new materials which can be used, not only for separation, but also for effective disinfection of drug resistant pathogens is urgent. Driven by t...

Efficient metal-free electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are highly expected in future low-cost energy systems. We have successfully prepared crumpled, sheet-like, sulfur-doped graphene by magnesiothermic reduction of easily available, low-cost, nontoxic CO2 (in the form of Na2CO3) and Na2SO4 as the carbon and sulfur sources, respectively. At high temperature, Mg can reduce not...

The polyphenylene network, known as porous graphene, is one of the most important and widely studied two-dimensional materials. As a potential candidate for photocatalysis and photovoltaic energy generation, its application has been limited by the low photocatalytic activity in the visible-light region. State-of-the-art hybrid density functional theory investigations are presented to show that ...

Graphene is a well-known two-dimensional material that exhibits preeminent electrical, mechanical and thermal properties owing to its unique one-atom-thick structure. Graphene and its derivatives (e.g., graphene oxide) have become emerging nano-building blocks for separation membranes featuring distinct laminar structures and tunable physicochemical properties. Extraordinary molecular separatio...

A composite of modified graphene and LiFePO4 has been developed to improve the speed of charging-discharging and the cycling stability of lithium ion batteries using LiFePO4 as a cathode material. Chemically activated graphene (CA-graphene) has been successfully synthesized via activation by KOH. The as-prepared CA-graphene was mixed with LiFePO4 to prepare the composite. Microscopic observatio...

We studied the self-assembly of trimesic acid on single- and few-layer graphene supported by SiO2 substrates. A scanning tunneling microscope operated under ambient conditions was utilized to image supramolecular networks of trimesic acid at liquid-graphene interfaces. Trimesic acid can self-assemble into large-scale, highly ordered adlayers on graphene surfaces. Phase transition of the trimesi...

Particular N, S co-doped graphene/Fe3O4 hybrids have been successfully synthesized by the combination of a simple hydrothermal process and a subsequent carbonization heat treatment. The nanostructures exhibit a unique composite architecture, with uniformly dispersed Fe3O4 nanoparticles and N, S co-doped graphene encapsulant. The particular porous characteristics with many meso/micro holes/pores...

We investigate a novel method of fabricating a network of graphene nanoribbon structures. The process is a sharp departure from conventional nanolithographic techniques in both method and amount of time required. Epitaxial graphene prepared on single crystal 4H-SiC(0001) was etched with O2 plasma through 0.2 μm porous filters adhered to the surface of the sample. Thickness measurements using el...