Novel Formaldehyde Sensor based on Hydrogen Peroxide/Melamine Modulated Photoluminescence of Nitrogen-doped Graphene Quantum Dots

A modulated photoluminescence nanosensor was developed for the quantitative detection of formaldehyde with nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots and melamine. The sensing system was based on the different activated effects of melamine and hydrogen peroxide on the photoluminescence intensity of nitrogendoped graphene quantum dots. Under the optimal conditions, the modulated photoluminescence sensing system can be used to detect formaldehyde with a good linear relationship between the nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots photoluminescence difference and the concentration of formaldehyde. The novel sensing system provided new directions for the detection of formaldehyde with high selectivity and quick response.

Enhanced formaldehyde sensitivity of two-dimensional mesoporous SnO_(2) by nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots

Formaldehyde(HCHO) is widely known as an indoor air pollutant,and the monitoring of the gas has significant importance.However,most HCHO sensing materials do not have low detection limits and operate at high temperatures.Herein,two-dimensional(2D) mesoporous ultrathin SnO_(2) modified with nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots(N-GQDs) was synthesized.The N-GQDs/SnO_(2) nanocomposite demonstrated high efficiency for HCHO detection.With the addition of 1.00 wt%N-GQDs,the response(Ra/Rg) of SnO_(2) gas sensor increased from 120 to 361 at 60℃ for the detection of 10×10^(-6) HCHO.In addition,the corresponding detection limit was as low as 10×10^(-9).Moreover,the sensor exhibited excellent selectivity and stability for the detection of HCHO.The enhanced sensing performance was attributed to both the large specific surface area of SnO_(2) and electron regulation of N-GQDs.Therefore,this study presents a novel HCHO sensor,and it expands the research and application potential of GQDs nanocomposites.

Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots: Optical properties modification and photovoltaic applications

In this work,we utilize a bottom-up approach to synthesize nitrogen self-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs) from a single glucosamine precursor via an eco-friendly microwave-assisted hydrothermal method.Structural and optical properties of as-produced NGQDs are further modified using controlled ozone treatment.Ozone-treated NGQDs (Oz-NGQDs) are reduced in size to 5.5 nm with clear changes in the lattice structure and/D//G Raman ratios due to the introduction/alteration of oxygen-containing functional groups detected by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and further verified by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) showing increased atomic/weight percentage of oxygen atoms.Along with structural modifications,GQDs experience decrease in ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption coupled with progressive enhancement of visible (up to 16 min treatment) and near-infrared (NIR)(up to 45 min treatment) fluorescence.This allows fine-tuning optical properties of NGQDs for solar cell applications yielding controlled emission increase,while controlled emission quenching was achieved by either blue laser or thermal treatment.Optimized Oz-NGQDs were further used to form a photoactive layer of solar calls with a maximum efficiency of 2.64% providing a 6-fold enhancement over untreated NGQD devices and a 3-fold increase in fill factor/current density.This study suggests simple routes to alter and optimize optical properties of scalably produced NGQDs to boost the photovoltaic performance of solar cells.

Preparation and formaldehyde sensitive properties of N-GQDs/SnO2 nanocomposite

Graphene quantum dots(GQDs)have both the properties of graphene and semiconductor quantum dots,and exhibit stronger quantum confinement effect and boundary effect than graphene.In addition,the band gap of GQDs will transform to non-zero from 0 eV of graphene by surface functionalization,which can be dispersed in common solvents and compounded with solid materials.In this work,the SnO2 nanosheets were prepared by hydrothermal method.As the sensitizer,nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots(N-GQDs)were prepared and composited with SnO2 nanosheets.Sensing performance of pristine SnO2 and N-GQDs/SnO2 were investigated with HCHO as the target gas.The response(Ra/Rg)of0.1%N-GQDs/SnO2 was 256 for 100 ppm HCHO at 60℃,which was about 2.2 times higher than pristine SnO2 nanosheet.In addition,the material also had excellent selectivity and low operation temperature.The high sensitivity of N-GQDs/SnO2 was attributed to the increase of active sites on materials surface and the electrical regulation of N-GQDs.This research is helpful to develop new HCHO gas sensor and expand the application field of GQDs.