Dynamic surface wettability of three-dimensional graphene foam

In this work, three-dimensional graphene foams （GFs） are synthesized and characterized by scanning electron micro- scope （SEM） and Raman spectroscopy. The SEM images indicate that after the growth of graphene, the graphene covers the surface of nickel （Ni） foam uniformly. Raman spectra show that the percentages of monolayer, bilayer, trilayer, and multilayer graphenes are - 58%, - 32%, - 8%, and ,.o 2%, respectively. The contact angle （CA） （-- 12°） of water droplet （3 p-L） on GF is found to be larger than that on Ni foam （,- 107°）, indicating that graphenes have changed the surface wettability of the Ni foam. Meanwhile, the dynamic characteristics of CA of water droplet on GF are different from those on Ni foam. The mechanisms for different behaviors are discussed, which are attributed to volatilization and seepage of water droplets.

Study of the effect of chemical composition on the surface wettability of three-dimensional graphene foams

The chemical composition obviously affects the surface wettability of a three-dimensional(3D)graphene material apart from its surface energy and microstructure.In the hydrothermal preparation,the heteroatom doping changes the chemical composition and wettability of the 3D graphene material.To realize the controllable surface wettability of graphene materials,aminobenzene sulfonic acid(ABSA)was selected as a typical doping agent for the preparation of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped 3D graphene foam(SNGF)using a hydrothermal method.Different from using o-ABSA or p-ABSA as the dopant,SNGF with tunable surface wettability is obtained only when m-ABSA is used.This result indicates that the substituent position of-SO3H group in the benzene ring of ABSA is rather important for the tunable wettability.This work provides some theo retical foundations for dopant selection and some new insights in manipulating the properties of 3D graphene foams by adjusting the configuration of dopants.

Mixed‑Dimensional Assembly Strategy to Construct Reduced Graphene Oxide/Carbon Foams Heterostructures for Microwave Absorption,Anti‑Corrosion and Thermal Insulation

Considering the serious electromagnetic wave(EMW)pollution problems and complex application condition,there is a pressing need to amalgamate multiple functionalities within a single substance.However,the effective integration of diverse functions into designed EMW absorption materials still faces the huge challenges.Herein,reduced graphene oxide/carbon foams(RGO/CFs)with two-dimensional/three-dimensional(2D/3D)van der Waals(vdWs)heterostructures were meticulously engineered and synthesized utilizing an efficient methodology involving freeze-drying,immersing absorption,secondary freeze-drying,followed by carbonization treatment.Thanks to their excellent linkage effect of amplified dielectric loss and optimized impedance matching,the designed 2D/3D RGO/CFs vdWs heterostructures demonstrated commendable EMW absorption performances,achieving a broad absorption bandwidth of 6.2 GHz and a reflection loss of-50.58 dB with the low matching thicknesses.Furthermore,the obtained 2D/3D RGO/CFs vdWs heterostructures also displayed the significant radar stealth properties,good corrosion resistance performances as well as outstanding thermal insulation capabilities,displaying the great potential in complex and variable environments.Accordingly,this work not only demonstrated a straightforward method for fabricating 2D/3D vdWs heterostructures,but also outlined a powerful mixeddimensional assembly strategy for engineering multifunctional foams for electromagnetic protection,aerospace and other complex conditions.

Preparing three-dimensional graphene architectures: Review of recent developments

The recent development of synthesis processes to assemble graphene sheets into porous three-dimensional （3D）macroscopic structures are reviewed, including our efforts on 3D graphene structures. Mechanisms for building 3D graphene architectures and their composite materials are also summarized. The functional systems based on 3D graphene architectures provide a significant enhancement in the efficacy due to their unique structures and properties.

Highly Thermo-Conductive Three-Dimensional Graphene Aqueous Medium

Highly thermo-conductive aqueous medium is a crucial premise to demonstrate high-performance thermal-related applications.Graphene has the diamond comparable thermal conductivity,while the intrinsic two-dimensional reality will result in strong anisotropic thermal conductivity and wrinkles or even crumples that significantly sacrifices its inherent properties in practical applications.One strategy to overcome this is to use three-dimensional(3D)architecture of graphene.Herein,3D graphene structure with covalent-bonding nanofins(3D-GS-CBF)is proposed,which is then used as the filler to demonstrate effective aqueous medium.The thermal conductivity and thermal conductivity enhancement efficiency of 3D-GS-CBF(0.26 vol%)aqueous medium can be as high as 2.61 W m-1 K-1 and 1300%,respectively,around six times larger than highest value of the existed aqueous mediums.Meanwhile,3D-GS-CBF can be stable in the solution even after 6 months,addressing the instability issues of conventional graphene networks.A multiscale modeling including non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations and heat conduction model is applied to interpret experimental results.3D-GS-CBF aqueous medium can largely improve the solar vapor evaporation rate(by 1.5 times)that are even comparable to the interfacial heating system;meanwhile,its cooling performance is also superior to commercial coolant in thermal management applications.

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of three-dimensional graphene/polyaniline composites for supercapacitor electrode materials

To improve the specific capacitance and rate capability of electrode material for supercapacitors, a three-dimensional graphene/polyaniline （3DGN/PANI） composite is prepared via in situ polymerization on GN hydrogel. PANI grows on the GN surface as a thin film, and its content in the composite is controlled by the concentration of the reaction monomer. The specific capacitance of the 3DGN/PANI composite containing 10 wt% PANI reaches 322.8 F.g-1 at a current density of 1 A.g-1, nearly twice as large as that of the pure 3DGN （162.8 F.g-1）. The capacitance of the composite is 307.9 F.g-1 at 30 A.g-1 （maintaining 95.4%）, and 89% retention after 500 cycles. This study demonstrates the exciting potential of 3DGN/PANI with high capacitance, excellent rate capability and long cycling life for supercapacitors.

Three-Dimensional Static Analysis of Nanoplates and Graphene Sheets by Using Eringen’s Nonlocal Elasticity Theory and the Perturbation Method

A three-dimensional(3D)asymptotic theory is reformulated for the static analysis of simply-supported,isotropic and orthotropic single-layered nanoplates and graphene sheets(GSs),in which Eringen’s nonlocal elasticity theory is used to capture the small length scale effect on the static behaviors of these.The perturbation method is used to expand the 3D nonlocal elasticity problems as a series of two-dimensional(2D)nonlocal plate problems,the governing equations of which for various order problems retain the same differential operators as those of the nonlocal classical plate theory(CST),although with different nonhomogeneous terms.Expanding the primary field variables of each order as the double Fourier series functions in the in-plane directions,we can obtain the Navier solutions of the leading-order problem,and the higher-order modifications can then be determined in a hierarchic and consistent manner.Some benchmark solutions for the static analysis of isotropic and orthotropic nanoplates and GSs subjected to sinusoidally and uniformly distributed loads are given to demonstrate the performance of the 3D nonlocal asymptotic theory.

Effect of Graphene Surface Functional Groups on the Mechanical Property of PMMA Microcellular Composite Foams

The functional groups on graphene sheets surface affect their dispersion and interfacial adhesion in polymer matrix. We compared the mechanical property of polymethymethacrylate（PMMA） microcellular foams reinforced with graphene oxide（GO） and reduced graphene oxide（RGO） to investigate this influence of functional groups. RGO sheets were fabricated by solvent thermal reduction in DMF medium. UV-Vis, FT-IR and XPS analyses indicate the difference of oxygen-containing groups on GO and RGO sheets surface. The observation of SEM illustrates that the addition of a smaller number of GO or RGO sheets causes a fine cellular structure of PMMA foams with a higher cell density(about 1011 cells/cm3) and smaller cell sizes（about 1-2 μm） owing to their remarkable heterogeneous nucleation effect. Compared to GO reinforced foams, the RGO/PMMA foams own lower cell density and bigger cell size in their microstructure, and their compressive strength is lower even when the reinforcement contents are the same and the foam bulk density is higher. These results indicate that the oxygen-containing groups on GO sheets’ surface are beneficial to adhere CO2 to realize a larger nucleation rate, and their strong interaction with PMMA matrix improves the mechanical property of PMMA foams.

Investigation of microstructures of ZnCo_2O_4 on bare Ni foam and Ni foam coated with graphene and their supercapacitors performance

The graphene coating was deposited on the surface of Ni foam using the chemical vapor deposition process. A large amount of flower-like ZnCoOmicrospheres with short nanowires were formed on bare Ni foam by hydrothermal method, while large-scale ZnCoOnanowires arrays homogeneously aligned and separated adequately on Ni foam coated with graphene. This ZnCoOnanowire structure exhibited superior supercapacitors properties. The excellent supercapacitors were mainly attributed to the large specific surface and the porosity on the nanowires which promoted the electrons and ions transportation. In addition, graphene improved conductivity of substrate for current collecting.

Stabilized multifunctional phase change materials based on carbonized Cu-coated melamine foam/reduced graphene oxide framework for multiple energy conversion and storage

The leakage of organic phase change materials(OPCMs)at temperatures above their melting point severely limits their large-scale application.The introduction of porous supports has been identified as an efficient leakageproofing method.In this study,a novel carbonized Cu-coated melamine foam(MF)/reduced graphene oxide(rGO)framework(MF/rGO/Cu-C)is constructed as a support for fabricating stabilized multifunctional OPCMs.MF serves as the supporting material,while rGO and Cu act as functional reinforcements.As a thermal energy storage material,polyethylene glycol(PEG)is encapsulated into MF/rGO/Cu-C through a vacuum-assisted impregnation method to obtain PEG@MF/rGO/Cu-C composite with excellent comprehensive performance.PEG@MF/rGO/Cu-C exhibits high phase change enthalpies of 148.3 J g^(-1)(melting)and 143.9 J g^(-1)(crystallization),corresponding to a high energy storage capability of 92.7%.Simultaneously,MF/rGO/Cu-C endues the composite with an enhanced thermal conductivity of 0.4621Wm^(-1) K^(-1),which increases by 463%compared to that of PEG@MF.Furthermore,PEG@MF/rGO/Cu-C displays great light-to-thermal and electric-to-thermal conversion capabilities,thermal cycle stability,light-tothermal cycle stability,and shape stability,showing promising application prospects in different aspects.

Facile magnetoresistance adjustment of graphene foam for magnetic sensor applications through microstructure tailoring

Graphene foam is becoming a material of choice for magnetoelectronic devices due to its large,linear and unsaturated room temperature magnetoresistance.However,the magnetoresistance of graphene foam is not as large as that of monolayer graphene.Herein,we describe how magnetoresistance^100%was detected at room temperature under a magnetic field of 5 T that is comparable to the magnetoresistance in monolayer graphene;the highest magnetoresistance of^158%was detected at 5 K under a magnetic field of 5 T.Unlike monolayer graphene,graphene foam is far more comfortable with producing in gram scale and utilizing in magnetoelectronic devices.

Constructing a multifunctional mesoporous composite of metallic cobalt nanoparticles and nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxides for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries

Electrochemical properties of lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are mainly hindered by both the insulating nature of elemental sulfur(i.e.,molecular S8)and the shuttling effect or sluggish redox kinetics of lithium polysulfide intermediates(Li_(2)S_(n),3≤n≤8).In this paper,a three-dimensional mesoporous reduced graphene oxide-based nanocomposite,with the embedding of metallic Co nanoparticles and the doping of elemental N(Co/NrGO),and its simply ground mixture with powdered S at a mass ratio of 1:6(Co/NrGO/S)are prepared and used as cathode-/separator-coated interlayers and working electrodes in assembled Li-S cells,respectively.One of the effective cell configurations is to paste composite Co/NrGO onto both the S-loading cathode and separator,showing good cycling stability(1070mAh g^(−1) in the 100th cycle at 0.2 C),highrate capability(835mAh g^(−1),2.0 C),and excellent durability(905mAh g^(−1) in the 250th cycle at 0.5 or 0.2 C).Compared with the experimental results of Co-absent NrGO,electrochemical properties of various Co/NrGO-based cell configurations clearly show multiple functions of Co/NrGO,indicating that the absence of Co/NrGO coatings and/or Co nanoparticles may be inadequate to achieve superior S availability of assembled Li-S batteries.

Edge sulfurized graphene nanoplatelets via vacuum mechano-chemical reaction for lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium–sulfur batteries have great potential for high energy applications due to their high capacities,low cost and eco-friendliness. However, the particularly rapid capacity decay owing to the dissolution and diffusion of polysulfide intermediate into the electrolyte still hamper their practical applications.And the reported preparation procedures to sulfur based cathode materials are often complex, and hence are rather difficult to produce at large scale. Here, we report a simple mechano-chemical sulfurization methodology in vacuum environment applying ball-milling method combined both the chemical and physical interaction for the one-pot synthesis of edge-sulfurized grapheme nanoplatelets with 3D porous foam structure as cathode materials. The optimal sample of 70%S–Gn Ps-48 h(ball-milled 48 h) obtains 13.2 wt% sulfur that chemically bonded onto the edge of Gn Ps. And the assembled batteries exhibit high initial discharge capacities of 1089 mAh/g at 0.1 C and 950 mAh/g at 0.5 C, and retain a stable discharge capacity of 776 mAh/g after 250 cycles at 0.5 C with a high Coulombic efficiency of over 98%. The excellent performance is mainly attributed to the mechano-chemical interaction between sulfur and grapheme nanoplatelets. This definitely triggers the currently extensive research in lithium–sulfur battery area.

Two-dimensional nanosheets as building blocks to construct three-dimensional structures for lithium storage

2D nanosheets such as graphene, silicene, phosphorene, metal dichalcogenides and MXenes are emerging and promising for lithium storage due to their ultrathin nature and corresponding chemical/physical properties. However, the serious restacking and aggregation of the 2D nanosheets are still hampering their applications. To circumvent the issues of 2D nanosheets, one efficient strategy is to construct 3D structures with hierarchical porous structures, good chemical/mechanical stabilities and tunable electrical conductivities. In this review, we firstly focus on the available synthetic approaches of 3D structures from 2D nanosheets, and then summarize the relationships between the microstructures of 3D structures built from 2D nanosheets and their electrochemical behaviors for lithium storage. On the basis of above results, some challenges are briefly discussed in the perspective of the development of various functional 3D structures.

A Graphene-Based Aerogel Was Prepared as Solid Adsorbent for the Enrichment of Platinum (IV) at Trace Concentration

A three-dimensional graphene-based composite was prepared by a simple one-step in-site reduced-oxide method under atmospheric pressure. The obtained hydrogel was modified with 4-amino-benzenesulfonic acid and connected with ethylenediamine, and freeze-dried into an aerogel, which was characterized. Then the surface interaction with platinum (Pt, IV) was explored. The obtained aerogel showed good adsorption for Pt (IV) at acid conditions, giving a rising to the adsorption rate > 98% while pH ≥ 6. Using hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide of 2% (m/V) as an eluent to desorb the Pt (IV) from the surface of the aerogel, a desorption rate of 81.1% was obtained in this process. Urea, buffer aquation and other surfactants were used in the desorption experiment to understand the adsorption mechanism between the aerogel and Pt (IV). In this work, hydrogen bond, van der Waals force and electronic interaction force mainly drove the adsorption process. For obtaining more purified Pt (IV), we used 0.5% CTAB to desorb Pd (II). A new three-dimensional graphene-based composite was prepared and the surface interaction between Pt (IV) and composite was experimented for understanding the adsorption mechanism and exploring its potential application in sample preparation in low concentration.

Three-dimensional heterogeneous electro-Fenton system with reduced graphene oxide based particle electrode for Acyclovir removal

New pollutant pharmaceutical and personal care products(PPCPs),especially antiviral drugs,have received increasing attention not only due to their increase in usage after the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemics but also due to their adverse impacts on water ecological environment.Electro-Fenton technology is an effective method to remove PPCPs from water.Novel particle electrodes(MMT/rGO/Fe_(3)O_(4))were synthesized by depositing Fe3O4 nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide modified montmorillonite and acted as catalysts to promote oxidation performance in a three-dimensional electro-Fenton(3D-EF)system.The electrodes combined the catalytic property of Fe3O4,hydrophilicity of montmorillonite and electrical conductivity of graphene oxides,and applied for the degradation of Acyclovir(ACV)with high efficiency and ease of operation.At optimal condition,the degradation rate of ACV reached 100%within 120 min,and the applicable pH range could be 3 to 11 in the 3D-EF system.The stability and reusability of MMT/rGO/Fe_(3)O_(4)particle electrodes were also studied,the removal rate of ACV remained at 92%after 10 cycles,which was just slightly lower than that of the first cycle.Potential degradation mechanisms were also proposed by methanol quenching tests and FT-ICR-MS.

High-performance supercapacitor based on ultralight and elastic three-dimensional carbon foam/reduced graphene/polyaniline nanocomposites

A novel supercapacitor based on ultralight and elastic three-dimensional (3D) porous melamine foam (MF)-derived macroporous carbon (3DPMFDMC)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites (denoted as 3DPMFDMC/rGO/PANI) were fabricated. By high temperature carboniza-tion, the commercial MF soaked in GO solution was prepared into ultralight and elastic 3DPMFDMC, the rGO were uniformly distributed into 3DPMFDMC to obtain 3DPMFDMC/rGO, and finally PANI was grown on the 3DPMFDMC/rGO by using in situ chemical oxidation polymerization method. The obtained 3DPMFDMC/rGO/PANI nanocomposites were characterized by SEM, FT-IR and Raman. The results showed the uniform distribution of rGO connected the broken fibers of 3DPMFDMC produced in the high temperature carbonization to improve the electrical conductivity and also enlarged the specific surface area of nanocomposites greatly. Lots of PANI were vertically arrayed on the surface of 3DPMFDMC/rGO. 3DPMFDMC/rGO/PANI exhibited a rapid electron/mass transport. Owing to its special structures and nanocomposites, the supercapacitor showed good electrical performance with a specific capacitance of 1870 F/g at the current density of 1 A/g. Moreover, the specific capacitance remained 95.4%after 1000 charging/discharging cycles at a current density of 5 A/g.

Highly sensitive and selective electrochemical immunosensors by substrate-enhanced electroless deposition of metal nanoparticles onto three-dimensional graphene@Ni foams

In this study, we have for the first time preformed the facile substrate-enhanced electroless deposition(SEED) of metal nanoparticles onto monolithic graphene@Ni foams for construction of disposable three-dimensional(3 D) electrochemical immunosensors. Specifically, we firstly used the SEED method to deposit gold nanoparticles(AuNPs) onto the graphene@Ni foam for immobilization of antibody(Ab1). This is followed by a second step SEED deposition to produce silver nanoparticles(AgNPs) for electrochemical stripping detection. Using a-fetoprotein antigen(AFP) as a module analyte, the newly-developed sensor showed a wide linear response, ranging from 5.0 pg/mL to 5.0 ng/mL and a low detection limit down to 2.3 pg/mL. The newly-developed 3 D-immunosensor is sensitive, reliable,and easy to be fabricated, showing great potential for clinic applications.

Polyurethane foam-supported three-dimensional interconnected graphene nanosheets network encapsulated in polydimethylsiloxane to achieve significant thermal conductivity enhancement

Polyurethane(PU)foams are widely used in thermal management materials due to their good flexibility.However,their low thermal conductivity limits the efficiency.To address this issue,we developed a new method to produce tannic acid(TA)-modified graphene nanosheets(GTs)-encapsulated PU(PU@GT)foams using the soft template microstructure and a facile layer-by-layer(L-B-L)assembly method.The resulting PU@GT scaffolds have ordered and tightly stacked GTs layers that act as three-dimensional(3D)highly interconnected thermal networks.These networks are further infiltrated with polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS).The through-plane thermal conductivity of the polymer composite reaches 1.58 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1) at a low filler loading of 7.9 wt.%,which is 1115%higher than that of the polymer matrix.Moreover,the mechanical property of the composite is~2 times higher than that of the polymer matrix while preserving good flexibility of the polymer matrix owing to the retention of the PU foam template and the construction of a stable 3D graphene network.This work presents a facile and scalable production approach to fabricate lightweight PU@GT/PDMS polymer composites with excellent thermal and mechanical performance,which implies a promising future in thermal management systems of electronic devices.

High-performance thermal interface materials enabled by vertical alignment of lightweight and soft graphene foams

High-performance thermal interface materials (TIMs) are highly sought after for modern electronics. Two-dimensional (2D) materials as vertical aligned fillers can optimize the out-plane thermal conductivity (k ⊥), but their excessively high content or intrinsic rigidness deteriorate TIMs softness, leading to worsening for thermal contact resistance (R contact). In this study, 2D graphene materials are fabricated into lightweight and soft graphene foams (GFs) with high-orientation, acting as vertical filler frameworks to optimize the k ⊥ and R contact for vertical GF (VGF) TIMs. The VGF-TIM has a high k ⊥ of 47.9 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1) at a low graphene content of 15.5 wt.%. Due to the softness and low filler contents of GFs, the VGF-TIM exhibits a low compressive module (4.2 MPa), demonstrating excellent compressibility. The resulting TIM exhibit a low contact resistance of 24.4 K·mm2·W^(−1), demonstrating 185.1% higher cooling efficiency in practical heat dissipating scenario compared to commercial advanced TIMs. This work provides guidelines for the design of advanced TIMs and their applications in thermal management.