High Performance Na-O Batteries and Printed Microsupercapacitors Based on Water-Processable, Biomolecule-Assisted Anodic Graphene.

Integrated approaches that expedite the production and processing of graphene into useful structures and devices, particularly through simple and environmentally friendly strategies, are highly desirable in the efforts to implement this two-dimensional material in state-of-the-art electrochemical energy storage technologies. Here, we introduce natural nucleotides (e.g.

Aqueous Cathodic Exfoliation Strategy toward Solution-Processable and Phase-Preserved MoS Nanosheets for Energy Storage and Catalytic Applications.

The production of MoS nanosheets by electrochemical exfoliation routes holds great promise as a means to access this two-dimensional material in large quantities for different practical applications. However, the use of electrolytes based on synthetic organic salts and solvents, as well as issues related to the unwanted oxidation and/or phase transformation of the exfoliated nanosheets, constitute significant obstacles that hinder the industrial adoption of the electrochemical approach. Here, we introduce a safe and sustainable method for the cathodic delamination of MoS that makes use of aqueous solutions of very simple and widely available salts, mainly KCl, as the electrolyte.

Aqueous Exfoliation of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Assisted by DNA/RNA Nucleotides: Catalytically Active and Biocompatible Nanosheets Stabilized by Acid-Base Interactions.

The exfoliation and colloidal stabilization of layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) in an aqueous medium using functional biomolecules as dispersing agents have a number of potential benefits toward the production and practical use of the corresponding two-dimensional materials, but such a strategy has so far remained underexplored. Here, we report that DNA and RNA nucleotides are highly efficient dispersants in the preparation of stable aqueous suspensions of MoS and other TMD nanosheets at significant concentrations (up to 5-10 mg mL). Unlike the case of common surfactants, for which adsorption on 2D materials is generally based on weak dispersive forces, the exceptional colloidal stability of the TMD flakes was shown to rely on the presence of relatively strong, specific interactions of Lewis acid-base type between the DNA/RNA nucleotide molecules and the flakes.

Impact of Covalent Functionalization on the Aqueous Processability, Catalytic Activity, and Biocompatibility of Chemically Exfoliated MoS Nanosheets.

Chemically exfoliated MoS (ce-MoS) has emerged in recent years as an attractive two-dimensional material for use in relevant technological applications, but fully exploiting its potential and versatility will most probably require the deployment of appropriate chemical modification strategies. Here, we demonstrate that extensive covalent functionalization of ce-MoS nanosheets with acetic acid groups (∼0.4 groups grafted per MoS unit) based on the organoiodide chemistry brings a number of benefits in terms of their processability and functionality.

From graphene oxide to pristine graphene: revealing the inner workings of the full structural restoration.

High temperature annealing is the only method known to date that allows the complete repair of a defective lattice of graphenes derived from graphite oxide, but most of the relevant aspects of such restoration processes are poorly understood. Here, we investigate both experimentally (scanning probe microscopy) and theoretically (molecular dynamics simulations) the thermal evolution of individual graphene oxide sheets, which is rationalized on the basis of the generation and the dynamics of atomic vacancies in the carbon lattice. For unreduced and mildly reduced graphene oxide sheets, the amount of generated vacancies was so large that they disintegrated at 1773-2073 K.

Chemically exfoliated MoS₂ nanosheets as an efficient catalyst for reduction reactions in the aqueous phase.

Chemically exfoliated MoS2 (ce-MoS2) nanosheets that incorporate a large fraction of metallic 1T phase have been recently shown to possess a high electrocatalytic activity in the hydrogen evolution reaction, but the potential of this two-dimensional material as a catalyst has otherwise remained mostly uncharted. Here, we demonstrate that ce-MoS2 nanosheets are efficient catalysts for a number of model reduction reactions (namely, those of 4-nitrophenol, 4-nitroaniline, methyl orange, and [Fe(CN)6](3-)) carried out in aqueous medium using NaBH4 as a reductant. The performance of the nanosheets in these reactions is found to be comparable to that of many noble metal-based catalysts.

Influence of porous texture and surface chemistry on the CO₂ adsorption capacity of porous carbons: acidic and basic site interactions.

Doped porous carbons exhibiting highly developed porosity and rich surface chemistry have been prepared and subsequently applied to clarify the influence of both factors on carbon dioxide capture. Nanocasting was selected as synthetic route, in which a polyaramide precursor (3-aminobenzoic acid) was thermally polymerized inside the porosity of an SBA-15 template in the presence of different H3PO4 concentrations. The surface chemistry and the porous texture of the carbons could be easily modulated by varying the H3PO4 concentration and carbonization temperature.

Energy storage on ultrahigh surface area activated carbon fibers derived from PMIA.

High-performance carbon materials for energy storage applications have been obtained by using poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide), PMIA, as a precursor through the chemical activation of the carbonized aramid fiber by using KOH. The yield of the process of activation was remarkably high (25-40 wt%), resulting in activated carbon fibers (ACFs) with ultrahigh surface areas, over 3000 m(2) g(-1) , and pore volumes exceeding 1.50 cm(3) g(-1) , keeping intact the fibrous morphology.

Activated carbon fibers with a high content of surface functional groups by phosphoric acid activation of PPTA.

Activated carbon fibers (ACFs) were prepared by chemical activation of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide (PPTA) with phosphoric acid, with a particular focus on the effects of impregnation ratio and carbonization temperature on both surface chemistry and porous texture. Thermogravimetric studies of the pyrolysis of PPTA impregnated with different amounts of phosphoric acid indicated that this reagent has a strong influence on the thermal degradation of the polymer, lowering the decomposition temperature and increasing the carbon yield. As concerns surface chemistry, TPD and chemical analysis results indicated that the addition of phosphoric acid increases the concentration of oxygenated surface groups, with a maximum at an impregnation ratio of 100 wt.

Surface characteristics of activated carbons obtained by pyrolysis of plasma pretreated PET.

Activated carbon materials have been prepared by pyrolysis of plasma pretreated recycled PET. The obtained carbon materials have been texturally characterized by N2 (77 K) and CO2 (273 K) adsorption. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) have been used to analyze the surface of the treated precursors.

Adsorption of n-alkanes on plasma-oxidized high-strength carbon fibers.

The objective of this work was to characterize the degree of heterogeneity brought about by oxygen plasma treatment of carbon fibers by studying its effects on the adsorption of n-alkanes. Untreated and unsized high-strength carbon fibers were subjected to oxygen plasma treatments with different degrees of severity. A sample of the same material oxidized following a standard industrial method was also studied for comparison.

Carbon molecular sieves for air separation from Nomex aramid fibers.

Activated carbon fibers prepared from aramid fibers have proved to possess outstanding homogeneity in pore size, most of all when Nomex aramid fiber is used as precursor. Taking advantage of this feature, microporous carbon molecular sieves for air separation have been prepared through carbon vapor deposition of benzene on Nomex-derived carbon fibers activated to two different burnoff degrees. Carbon molecular sieves with good selectivity for this separation and showing acceptable adsorption capacities were obtained from ACFs activated to the two burnoff degrees chosen.