Structural and optical properties of thermally reduced graphene oxide for energy devices

Natural intercalation of the graphite oxide, obtained as a product of Hummer＇s method, via ultra-sonication of water dispersed graphite oxide has been carried out to obtain graphene oxide（GO） and thermally reduced graphene oxide（RGO）.Here we report the effect of metallic nitrate on the oxidation properties of graphite and then formation of metallic oxide（MO） composites with GO and RGO for the first time. We observed a change in the efficiency of the oxidation process as we replaced the conventionally used sodium nitrate with that of nickel nitrate Ni（NO_3）_2, cadmium nitrate Cd（NO_3）_2,and zinc nitrate Zn（NO_3）_2. The structural properties were investigated by x-ray diffraction and observed the successful formation of composite of MO–GO and MO–RGO（M = Zn, Cd, Ni）. We sought to study the effect on the oxidation process through optical characterization via UV-Vis spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared（FTIR） spectroscopy.Moreover, Thermo Gravimetric Analysis（TGA） was carried out to confirm 〉 90% weight loss in each process thus proving the reliability of the oxidation cycles. We have found that the nature of the oxidation process of graphite powder and its optical and electrochemical characteristics can be tuned by replacing the sodium nitrate（NaNO_3） by other metallic nitrates as Cd（NO_3）_2, Ni（NO_3）_2, and Zn（NO_3）_2. On the basis of obtained results, the synthesized GO and RGO may be expected as a promising material in antibacterial activity and in electrodes fabrication for energy devices such as solar cell, fuel cell,and super capacitors.

Unexpected Selective Absorption of Lithium in Thermally Reduced Graphene Oxide Membranes

Lithium plays an increasingly important role in scientific and industrial processes, and it is extremely important to extract lithium from a high Mg^(2+)/Li^(+) mass ratio brine or to recover lithium from the leachate of spent lithiumion batteries. Conventional wisdom shows that Li^(+) with low valence states has a much weaker adsorption(and absorption energy) with graphene than multivalent ions such as Mg^(2+). Here, we show the selective adsorption of Li^(+) in thermally reduced graphene oxide(rGO) membranes over other metal ions such as Mg^(2+), Co^(2+), Mn^(2+),Ni^(2+), or Fe^(2+). Interestingly, the adsorption strength of Li^(+) reaches up to 5 times the adsorption strength of Mg^(2+),and the mass ratio of a mixed Mg^(2+)/Li^(+) solution at a very high value of 500 : 1 can be effectively reduced to 0.7 : 1 within only six experimental treatment cycles, demonstrating the excellent applicability of the rGO membranes in the Mg^(2+)/Li^(+) separation. A theoretical analysis indicates that this unexpected selectivity is attributed to the competition between cation–π interaction and steric exclusion when hydrated cations enter the confined space of the rGO membranes.

Highly Improved Creep Resistance in Polypropylene Through Thermally Reduced Graphene Oxide and Its Creep Lifetime Prediction

Polypropylene(PP) exhibits suboptimal creep resistance due to the presence of methyl groups on its main chain, leading to irregular chain segment distribution, diminished inter-chain interaction, and crystallinity. This structural feature causes chain slippage in PP under stress,significantly constraining its service lifetime. In this study, thermally reduced graphene oxide(TrGO) nanosheets were incorporated into the PP matrix, yielding a nanocomposite with exceptional creep resistance performance. Results demonstrated that at a stress of 25 MPa, a 2.0 wt% TrGO content could enhance the creep failure lifetime of PP by 21.5 times compared to neat PP. Rheology, transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) characterization techniques were employed to analyze the mechanism of TrGO's influence on PP's creep behavior. It was observed that when TrGO content exceeded 1.0 wt%, an effective particle network structure formed within the PP matrix. This homogeneously dispersed TrGO-formed particle network structure restricted the migration and rearrangement of PP molecular chains, enabling prolonged stress resistance without structural failure. By combining the time-strain superposition method with the critical failure strain as a criterion, generalized creep compliance curves for PP and its composites were established, facilitating the prediction of material creep failure lifetimes, with a strong agreement between experimental and predicted lifetime values. This research proposes a novel strategy aimed at developing polypropylene materials and products with enhanced long-term stability and durability, thus extending service life, reducing failure risk, and broadening their potential across various application domains.