Reduced graphene oxide aerogel decorated with Mo_(2)C nanoparticles toward multifunctional properties of hydrophobicity,thermal insulation and microwave absorption

Reduced graphene oxide(rGO)aerogels are emerging as very attractive scaffolds for high-performance electromagnetic wave absorption materials(EWAMs)due to their intrinsic conductive networks and intricate interior microstructure,as well as good compatibility with other electromagnetic(EM)components.Herein,we realized the decoration of rGO aerogel with Mo_(2)C nanoparticles by sequential hydrothermal assembly,freeze-drying,and high-temperature pyrolysis.Results show that Mo_(2)C nanoparticle loading can be easily controlled by the ammonium molybdate to glucose molar ratio.The hydrophobicity and thermal insulation of the rGO aerogel are effectively improved upon the introduction of Mo_(2)C nanoparticles,and more importantly,these nanoparticles regulate the EM properties of the rGO aerogel to a large extent.Although more Mo_(2)C nanoparticles may decrease the overall attenuation ability of the rGO aerogel,they bring much better impedance matching.At a molar ratio of 1:1,a desirable balance between attenuation ability and impedance matching is observed.In this context,the Mo_(2)C/r GO aerogel displays strong reflection loss and broad response bandwidth,even with a small applied thickness(1.7 mm)and low filler loading(9.0wt%).The positive effects of Mo_(2)C nanoparticles on multifunctional properties may render Mo_(2)C/r GO aerogels promising candidates for high-performance EWAMs under harsh conditions.

Engineering Shewanella-re duce d graphene oxide aerogel biohybrid to efficiently synthesize Au nanoparticles

Biosynthesizing Au nanoparticles(AuNPs)from gold-bearing scraps provides a sustainable method to meet the urgent demand for AuNPs.However,it remains challenging to efficiently biosynthesize AuNPs of which the diameter is less than 10 nm from a trace amount of Au^(3+)concentration at the level of tens ppm.Here,we constructed an exoelectrogenic cell(eCell)-conductive reduced-graphene-oxide aero-gel(rGA)biohybrid by assembling Shewanella sp.S1(SS1)as living biocatalyst and rGA as conductive ad-sorbent,in which Au^(3+)at trace concentrations would be enriched by the adsorption of rGA and reduced to AuNPs through the extracellular electron transfer(EET)of SS1.To regulate the size of the synthe-sized AuNPs to 10 nm,the strain SS1 was engineered to enhance its EET,resulting in strain RS2(pYYD-P tac-ribADEHC&pHG13-P_(bad)-omcC in SS1).Strain RS2 was further assembled with rGA to construct the RS2-rGA biohybrid,which could synthesize AuNPs with the size of 7.62±2.82 nm from 60 ppm Au^(3+)so-lution.The eCell-rGA biohybrid integrated Au^(3+)adsorption and reduction,which enabled AuNPs biosyn-thesis from a trace amount of Au^(3+).Thus,the required Au^(3+)ions concentration was reduced by one or two orders of magnitude compared with conventional methods of AuNPs biosynthesis.Our work devel-oped an AuNPs size regulation technology via engineering eCell’s EET with synthetic biology methods,providing a feasible approach to synthesize AuNPs with controllable size from trace level of gold ions.

A Prussian blue route to nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels as efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction with enhanced active site accessibility

Developing high-performance nonprecious-metal electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction （ORR） is crucial for a variety of renewable energy conversion and storage systems. Toward that end, rational catalyst design principles that lead to highly active catalytic centers and enhanced active site accessibility are undoubtedly of paramount importance. Here, we used Prussian blue nano- particles to anchor Fe/Fe3C species to nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide aerogels as ORR catalysts. The strong interaction between nanosized Fe3C and the graphitic carbon shell led to synergistic effects in the ORR, and the protection of the carbon shell guaranteed stability of the catalyst. As a result, the aerogel electrocatalyst displayed outstanding activity in the ORR on par with the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst at the same mass loading in alkaline media, good performance in acidic media, and excellent stability and crossover tolerance that rivaled that of the best nonprecious-metal ORR electrocatalysts reported to date.

rGO aerogel embedded with organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite for lightweight broadband electromagnetic wave absorption

Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites are quite promising candidates in the field of electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption due to their unique physicochemical properties. However, it is still a considerable challenge to satisfy the light weight, broad bandwidth, and strong absorption properties simultaneously. Herein, the solution of methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) perovskites was infiltrated into the pores of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) aerogels. After drying, a series of MAPbI3/rGO composite aerogel (MGA) materials were synthesized by anchoring the MAPbI3 perovskite nanoparticles to rGO sheets with the assistance of rGO templates. Through the adjustment of component ratios, excellent EMW absorption properties are obtained with the synergistic effects of polarization loss, conduction loss, and multiple reflection and scattering of MAPbI3 and rGO. The porous structure of the aerogel and the suitable group distribution ratio allowed the MGA-4 samples to obtain excellent impedance matching and ultra-low density of ∼ 7.69 mg·cm−3. At a low filling ratio of 15 wt.%, the MGA-4 sample simultaneously achieves highly efficient and broadband EMW absorption performance at a thin thickness. The MGA-4 sample obtained a minimum reflection loss value of −64.35 dB and the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) value of 5.4 GHz at a thickness of 2.08 mm and a maximum EAB (EABmax) value of 6.2 GHz under 2.22 mm. The MGA-5 sample obtained a maximum EAB value of 6.4 GHz with the thinckness of 2.16 mm. Furthermore, the simulation results of the radar cross-section (RCS) verified the component-optimized composites are capable of achieving excellent EMW attenuation. This paper provides a new approach and valuable reference for the development of hybrid perovskite-based microwave absorption materials with lightweight, ultra-broadband, and strong absorption properties.