Synthesis, properties, and applications of graphene oxide/reduced graphene oxide and their nanocomposites

Thanks to their remarkable mechanical, electrical, thermal, and barrier properties, graphene-based nanocomposites have been a hot area of research in the past decade. Because of their simple top-down synthesis, graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have opened new possibilities for gas barrier, membrane separation, and stimuli-response characteristics in nanocomposites. Herein, we review the synthesis techniques most commonly used to produce these graphene derivatives, discuss how synthesis affects their key material properties, and highlight some examples of nanocomposites with unique and impressive properties. We specifically highlight their performances in separation applications, stimuli-responsive materials, anti-corrosion coatings, and energy storage. Finally, we discuss the outlook and remaining challenges in the field of practical industrial-scale production and use of graphene-derivative-based polymer nanocomposites.

Magnetic Fe_3O_4-Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites-Based Electrochemical Biosensing

An electrochemical biosensing platform was developed based on glucose oxidase(GOx)/Fe3O4-reduced graphene oxide(Fe3O4-RGO) nanosheets loaded on the magnetic glassy carbon electrode(MGCE).With the advantages of the magnetism, conductivity and biocompatibility of the Fe3O4-RGO nanosheets, the nanocomposites could be facilely adhered to the electrode surface by magnetically controllable assembling and beneficial to achieve the direct redox reactions and electrocatalytic behaviors of GOx immobilized into the nanocomposites. The biosensor exhibited good electrocatalytic activity, high sensitivity and stability. The current response is linear over glucose concentration ranging from 0.05 to 1.5 m M with a low detection limit of0.15 μM. Meanwhile, validation of the applicability of the biosensor was carried out by determining glucose in serum samples. The proposed protocol is simple, inexpensive and convenient, which shows great potential in biosensing application.

Hydrophobic and Magnetic Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite for Emulsified Oil Removal

Magnetic reduced graphene oxide(MRGO) nanocomposite was prepared by the chemical coprecipitation method and applied as adsorbent for removing emulsified oil from oily wastewater. SEM, TEM, XRD, FT-IR, VSM and other analytical methods were utilized to characterize the prepared MRGO. The adsorption performance of MRGO was evaluated under different initial adsorbate concentration, MRGO dosage, temperature, and pH value of the solution. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms were investigated. In addition, the MRGO repeatability was also tested. It was found that almost 65%of emulsified oil were removed by MRGO in the first 15 min. The MRGO adsorption capacity and efficiency for removal of adsorbate reached 335.85 mg/g and 92.52% within 60 min, respectively. The adsorption capacity reduced with an increasing MRGO dosage, while increased with the increase of emulsified oil concentration. The adsorption performance of MRGO in the alkaline environment was lower than that in the acidic environment. The adsorption data could well fit to the pseudosecondorder model. The Langmuir model could well describe the isotherm data. The MRGO adsorption capacity was still more than 236.1 mg/g at the sixth regeneration cycle.

Unique ZnS nanobuns decorated with reduced graphene oxide as an efficient and low-cost counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

Unique ZnS nanobuns decorated with reduced graphene oxide(RGO) was synthesized and found to exhibit a synergetic effect as a highly efficient and low-cost counter electrode(CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells(DSCs). Using this ZnS-RGO CE, a power conversion efficiency(PCE) of 7.03% was achieved. This value was 53% and 41% higher than those of pure ZnS and RGO CEs, respectively. The ZnS-RGO nanocomposite is indeed an efficient and cost-effective Pt-like alternative for iodine reduction reaction.

Selected gas response measurements using reduced graphene oxide decorated with nickel nanoparticles

The work reports the synthesis of nickel nanoparticles supported on thermally reduced graphene oxides(rGO)in the ionic liquid[BMIm][NTf_(2)]through microwave decomposition reaction.Ni@rGO with the polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS)as binder was positively tested for its response towards the oxidizing gas nitrogen dioxide(10 ppm in air),the reducing gas carbon monoxide(3000 ppm in N_(2))and the volatile organic compound(VOC)acetone(35,000 ppm in air).The results from different gases were compared at different temperatures with the best results for NO_(2) at 200℃.Additionally,it is shown for NO_(2) gas that the Ni@rGO-PEDOT:PSS polymer composite gives better results than the rGO-PEDOT:PSS polymer composite.After the heat treatment the oxidation state of pure nickel nanoparticles were confirmed by powder diffraction.

Decrease of back recombination rate in CdS quantum dots sensitized solar cells using reduced graphene oxide

The photovoltaic performance of Cd S quantum dots sensitized solar cells(QDSSCs) using the 0.2 wt% of reduced graphene oxide and Ti O2nanoparticles(RGO+Ti O2nanocomposite) photoanode is investigated. Cd S QDs are adsorbed onto RGO+Ti O2 nanocomposite films by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction(SILAR) technique for several cycles. The current density–voltage(J–V) characteristic curves of the assembled QDSSCs are measured at AM1.5 simulated sunlight. The optimal photovoltaic performance for Cd S QDSSC was achieved for six SILAR cycles. Solar cells based on the RGO+Ti O2 nanocomposite photoanode achieve a 33% increase in conversion efficiency(η) compared with those based on plain Ti O2nanoparticle(NP) photoanodes. The electron back recombination rates decrease significantly for Cd S QDSSCs based on RGO+Ti O2 nanocomposite photoanodes. The lifetime constant(τ) for Cd S QDSSC based on the RGO+Ti O2 nanocomposite photoanode is at least one order of magnitude larger than that based on the bare Ti O2 NPs photoanode.

Enhanced photocatalytic performance of Bi_(2)O_(2)CO_(3)/Bi_(4)O_(5)Br_(2)/reduced graphene oxide Z-schemehe terojunction via a one-pot room-temperature synthesis

Bi_(2)O_(2)CO_(3)(BOC)/Bi_(4)O_5Br_(2)(BOB)/reduced graphene oxide(rGO)Z-scheme heterojunction with promising photocatalytic properties was synthesized via a facile one-pot room-temperature method.Ultra-thin nanosheets of BOC and BOB were grown in situ on r GO.The formed 2D/2D direct Z-scheme heterojunction of BOC/BOB with oxygen vacancies(OVs)effectively leads to lower negative electron reduction potential of BOB as well as higher positive hole oxidation potential of BOC,showing improved reduction/oxidation ability.Particularly,rGO is an acceptor of the electrons from the conduction band of BOC.Its dual roles significantly improve the transfer performance of photo-induced charge carriers and accelerate their separation.With layered nanosheet structure,rich OVs,high specific surface area,and increased utilization efficiency of visible light,the multiple synergistic effects of BOC/BOB/rGO can achieve effective generation and separation of the electron-holes,thereby generating more·O_(2)^(-)and h^(+).The photocatalytic reduction efficiency of CO_(2)to CO(12.91μmol/(g·hr))is three times higher than that of BOC(4.18μmol/(g·hr)).Moreover,it also achieved almost 100%removal of Rhodamine B and cyanobacterial cells within 2 hours.

Highly dispersed NiMo@rGO nanocomposite catalysts fabricated by a two-step hydrothermal method for hydrogen evolution

Exploring and designing a high-performance non-noble metal catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)are crucial for the large-scale application of H2 by water electrolysis.Here,novel catalysts with NiMo nanoparticles decorated on reduced graphene oxide(NiMo@r GO)synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method were reported.Physical characterization results showed that the prepared NiMo@r GO-1 had an irregular lamellar structure,and the NiMo nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the rGO.NiMo@rGO-1 exhibited outstanding HER performance in an alkaline environment and required only 93 and 180 mV overpotential for HER in 1.0 M KOH solution to obtain current densities of-10 and-50 mA·cm^(-2),respectively.Stability tests showed that NiMo@rGO-1 had a certain operating stability for32 h.Under the same condition,the performance of NiMo@rGO-1 can be comparable with that of commercial Pt/C catalysts at high current density.The synergistic effect between NiMo particles and lamellate graphene can remarkably promote charge transfer in electrocatalytic reactions.As a result,NiMo@rGO-1 presented the advantages of high intrinsic activity,large specific surface area,and small electrical impedance.The lamellar graphene played a role in dispersion to prevent the aggregation of nanoparticles.The prepared NiMo@rGO-1 can be used in anion exchange membrane water electrolysis to produce hydrogen.This study provides a simple preparation method for efficient and low-cost water electrolysis to produce hydrogen in the future.

Synthesis of a nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for photocatalysis under visible light irradiation

A nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide-reduced graphene oxide (N-TiO2-RGO)nanocomposite has been synthesized by the combination of a hydrothermal method and a thermal treatment under a NH3/N2 atmosphere.The resulting composites are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,diffuse reflectance absorption spectroscopy,energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy,and Raman characterization techniques.The sequence of the thermal treatment and hydrothermal treatment processes is shown to influence the photocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped composites.The composites synthesized by using this method show better photocatalytic activities toward the degradation of acetaldehyde under visible light irradiation compared with P25,N-TiO2,and TiO2-RGO.By applying the thermal treatment process after the hydrothermal pro- cess,nitrogen atoms can be simultaneously doped in the lattice ofTiO2nanoparticles and on the surface of reduced graphene oxide sheets.The conversion of acetaldehyde,as the model molecule of volatile organic compounds,is measured in a continuous stirred-tank reactor until the steady state condition is reached. The conversion of 50 ppm acetaldehyde,in an air flow under illumination from an 80W Hg lamp with a UV cut-off filter,reaches 62% after a 1-h reaction using a 0.07g N-TiO2-RGO sample with an optimum loading of 2wt% graphene oxide.In comparison,the photocatalytic activity of P25 for the degradation of acetaldehyde under visible light irradiation is only 8% under the same reaction conditions.The reaction rates for acetaldehyde degradation are calculated and predicted with pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics,and the activity result of the best N-TiO2-RGO sample is 12.3times higher than for P25.

Enhanced electrocatalytic CO_(2)reduction to formic acid using nanocomposites of In_(2)O_(3)@C with graphene

In_(2)O_(3)is an effective electrocatalyst to convert CO_(2)to formic acid(HCOOH),but its inherent poor electrical conductivity limits the efficient charge transfer during the reaction.Additionally,the tendency of In_(2)O_(3)particles to agglomerate during synthesis further limits the exposure of active sites.Here we address these issues by leveraging the template effect of graphene oxide and employing InBDC as a self-sacrificing template for the pyrolysis synthesis of In_(2)O_(3)@C.The resulting In_(2)O_(3)@C/rGO-600 material features In_(2)O_(3)@C nanocubes uniformly anchored on a support of reduced graphene oxide(rGO),significantly enhancing the active sites exposure.The conductive rGO network facilitates charge transfer during electrocatalysis,and the presence of oxygen vacancies generated during pyrolysis,combined with the strong electron-donating ability of rGO,enhances the adsorption and activation of CO_(2).In performance evaluation,In_(2)O_(3)@C/rGO-600 exhibits a remarkable HCOOH Faradaic efficiency exceeding 94.0%over a broad potential window of−0.7 to−1.0 V(vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)),with the highest value of 97.9%at−0.9 V(vs.RHE)in a H-cell.Moreover,the material demonstrates an excellent cathodic energy efficiency of 71.6%at−0.7 V(vs.RHE).The study underscores the efficacy of uniformly anchoring metal oxide nanoparticles onto rGO for enhancing the electrocatalytic CO_(2)reduction performance of materials.

Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles and Their Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites as Antibacterial Agents:A Bio-inspired Approach

In this paper, silver nanoparticles(Ag NPs) and Ag NPs/reduced graphene oxide(RGO) nanocomposites were prepared using lemon juice under microwave irradiation(MWI) and UV light irradiation. Ag NPs with face-centered cubic structure RGO peaks were observed by X-ray diffraction. The UV–Vis spectrum showed modifications in the absorption peaks of the Ag NPs with the concentration of the precursor solution and irradiation time, and the optimized condition was obtained for 20 min MWI and 60 s of UV light. Raman analysis confirmed the presence of RGO as D and G bands in the spectrum. Transmission electron microscopy analyses confirmed that the Ag NPs of size ranging from 3 to 8 nm were anchored onto the RGO sheets. The antibacterial properties of the Ag NPs/RGO nanocomposites were investigated using gram-negative bacteria. The results revealed that Ag NPs/RGO nanocomposites consisting of approximately 5 wt% Ag NPs can achieve antibacterial performance similar to that of neat Ag NPS. This method can be useful for the applications of Ag NPs-based nanocomposites, where minute amount of silver will be utilized.

Synthesis of butterfly-like BiVO4/RGO nanocomposites and their photocatalytic activities

A simple and high efficient method was proposed for the synthesis of uniform three dimensional(3D) BiVO_4/reduced graphene oxide(RGO) nanocomposite photocatalyst by adopting the microwave assistant and using Bi(NO_3)_3·5H_2O, graphene oxide(GO) and NH_4VO_3 as precursor. The as-obtained composites were well characterized with the aid of various techniques to study the morphology, structure, composition, optimal and electrical property. In the as-obtained composites, the GO sheets were fully reduced into RGO, and monoclinic structure BiVO_4 crystallized completely into butterfly-like BiVO_4 lamellas and well bonded with the RGO lamellas. The length and the width of the butterfly-like BiVO_4 particle were about 1.5 μm, and the thickness of the flake was about 20 nm. Photocatalytic performances of BiVO_4/RGO composite and pure BiVO_4 particle have been evaluated by investigating the reduction of Cr(Ⅵ) ion-contained wastewater under simulated solar light irradiation, where the BiVO_4/RGO composite displayed enhanced photocatalytic activity. It is found that the pseudo-first-order rate constants(k) for the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) by BiVO_4/RGO composite was about 4 times as high as that of the pure BiVO_4. The present work suggested that the combination of BiVO_4 and RGO displayed a remarkable synergistic effect, which led to enhanced photo-catalytic activity on Cr(Ⅵ) reduction.

基于纳米材料的无源RFID温度传感器设计

射频识别(RFID)技术与传感器的一体化设计,具有数据采集便捷和部署方便等优点,在智慧农业和食品溯源监测领域具有潜在应用价值。提出一种基于氧化锌(ZnO)/还原氧化石墨烯(RGO)的无源RFID一体化温度传感器设计,传感器天线和电极主要采用微带贴片天线制作,天线及电极结构通过HFSS软件进行仿真设计及优化,然后利用热转印技术在环氧树脂覆铜板上通过化学刻蚀制备图形化电极;传感器的温敏材料为水热法制备的ZnO/RGO纳米复合材料。ZnO/RGO温敏材料阻抗随环境温度发生变化,从而引起RFID射频谐振中心频点偏移,以射频回波损耗和归一化频移来度量环境温度的变化,在10℃~60℃量程范围内,该传感器的温度灵敏度可达0.86 dB/℃,线性度R2=0.99。

BiOBr-OV/RGO复合物的制备及其光催化CO_(2)还原性能

采用水热合成方法先制得四方相BiOBr纳米片与还原氧化石墨烯(RGO)相结合的二元复合物BiOBr/RGO,再经真空热处理获得富含氧空位(OV)的复合光催化剂BiOBr-OV/RGO。通过一系列分析测试方法对样品的结构、组成和光电性能进行了表征。BiOBr-OV/RGO表现出了最佳的模拟太阳光光催化CO_(2)还原活性,主要还原产物CO的生成速率达到15.67μmol·g^(-1)·h^(-1),分别是纯BiOBr、BiOBr-OV和BiOBr/RGO的4.5倍、2.5倍和1.4倍,体现了OV和RGO协同增强的可见光吸收和促进光生载流子在空间上的分离作用,从而提高光催化反应活性。

rGO/ZnO纳米复合材料的制备及其光催化降解性能及机理研究

采用一锅法制备具有可见光活性的还原氧化石墨烯(rGO)/ZnO纳米复合材料,将其应用于光催化降解罗丹明B(RhB),并获得了优异的降解效果。结果表明:该复合材料具有六方纤锌矿结构,rGO均匀包覆在ZnO上,表面光滑呈现出颗粒及不规则片状。rGO/ZnO对RhB的降解率为97.8%,催化活性优于单独的ZnO。自由基捕获实验表明,光催化降解RhB的活性物种主要是·OH^(-)和·O^(-)_(2),并由此推测了光催化降解机理。

Ionic Liquid-Assisted One-Step Hydrothermal Synthesis of TiO2-Reduced Graphene Oxide Composites

我们为可溶的减少的 graphene 氧化物表(RGO ) 和钛氧化物(TiO2 ) 的准备的制造表明了灵巧、有效的策略用一出修改一步舞的 nanoparticle-RGO composites 热水的方法。graphene 氧化物能容易作为 reductant 与维生素酸在 solvothermal 条件下面被减少，这被发现，与 RGO 表面上的 TiO2 粒子的伴随物生长。TiO2-RGO 合成被 Fourier 变换彻底地描绘了红外线的光谱学，拉曼光谱学， X 光检查衍射， X 光检查光电子光谱学，和 thermogravimetric 分析。显微镜学技术(扫描电子显微镜学，原子力量显微镜学，和传播电子显微镜学) 被采用了探查词法特征以及调查 RGO 表的脱落。TiO2-RGO 氢的合成展出优秀光催化进化。

One-pot solvothermal synthesis of ZnTe/RGO nanocomposites and enhanced visible-light photocatalysis

Zinc telluride/reduced graphene oxide(ZnTe/RGO) nanocomposites are synthesized by a one-pot, facile,solvothermal process using hydrazine hydrate as the reducing agent. Hydrazine hydrate not only promoted the formation of ZnTe nanoparticles but also reduced GO to RGO. The formation of ZnTe/RGO is demonstrated by different techniques. In addition, the experimental results suggest a possible formation mechanism of these nanocomposites. Finally, due to the transfer of the photo-generated electrons between ZnTe and RGO resulting in low electrons/holes recombination, the as-prepared nanocomposites of ZnTe/RGO exhibited strongly enhanced photocatalytic activity for the bleaching of methyl blue(MB)dye under visible light irradiation.

Novel Ag2S nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide sheets as a super-efficient catalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Here,Ag_2S nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide(Ag_2S NPs/RGO) nanocomposites with relatively good distribution are synthesized for the first time by conversing Ag NPs/RGO to Ag_2S NPs/RGO via a facile hydrothermal sulfurization method.As an noval catalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol(4-NP),it only takes 5 min for Ag_2S NPs/RGO to reduce 98% of 4-NP,and the rate constant of the composites is almost 13 times higher than that of Ag NPs/RGO composites.The high catalytic activity of Ag_2S NPs/RGO can be attributed to the following three reasons:(1) Like metal complex catalysts,the Ag_2S NPs is also rich with metal center Ag(δ^+),with pendant base S(δ) close to it,and thus the Ag and basic S function as the electron-acceptor and proton-acceptor centers,respectively,which facilitates the catalyst reaction;(2)RGO features the high adsorption ability toward 4-NP which provides a high concentration of 4-NP near the Ag_2S NPs;and(3) electron transfer from RGO to Ag_2S NPs,facilitating the uptake of electrons by 4-NP molecules.

部分还原氧化石墨烯／二氧化钛复合材料的水热合成及其光催化活性

采用水热法以Hummers氧化法制备的氧化石墨和钛酸四丁酯为原料制备了部分还原的氧化石墨烯/二氧化钛(RGO/TiO2)复合光催化剂,并研究了该复合材料在可见光以及紫外光下对亚甲基蓝的光催化降解活性.结果表明,通过改变反应温度和氧化石墨加入量可以调控TiO2的晶相组成及其在复合材料中的分散性;在水热反应过程中氧化石墨烯发生了部分还原;所制备的RGO/TiO2复合材料的可见光和紫外光催化活性均高于纯TiO2;部分还原的氧化石墨烯在复合材料中担当载体和电子受体,同时可以使TiO2的初始吸收边向可见光区域红移,增强了TiO2在可见光区域的吸收,能有效提高对目标污染物的吸附性和光催化降解活性.