scholarly journals Quasi-Continuously Tuning the Size of Graphene Quantum Dots via an Edge-Etching Mechanism

MRS Advances ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (20) ◽  
pp. 1459-1467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shujun Wang ◽  
Ivan S. Cole ◽  
Dongyuan Zhao ◽  
Qin Li

ABSTRACTGraphene quantum dots (GQDs), a nano version of graphene whose interesting properties that distinguish them from bulk graphene, have recently received significant scientific attention. The quantum confinement effect referring to the size-dependence of physical and chemical properties opens great possibility in the practical applications of this material. However, tuning the size of graphene quantum dots is still difficult to achieve. Here, an edge-etching mechanism which is able to tune the size of GQDs in a quasi-continuous manner is discovered. Different from the ‘unzipping’ mechanism which has been adopted to cut bulk graphitic materials into small fragments and normally cut through the basal plane along the ‘zig-zag’ direction where epoxy groups reside, the mechanism discovered in this research could gradually remove the peripheral carbon atoms of nano-scaled graphene (i.e. GQDs) due to the higher chemical reactivity of the edge carbon atoms than that of inner carbon atoms thereby tuning the size of GQDs in a quasi-continuous fashion. It enables the facile manipulate of the size and properties of GQDs through controlling merely the reaction duration. It is also believed the as discovered mechanism could be generalized for synthesizing various sizes of GQDs from other graphitic precursors (e.g. carbon fibres, carbon nanotubes, etc).

2021 ◽  
Vol 2133 (1) ◽  
pp. 012006
Author(s):  
Yujia Li ◽  
Hanzheng Xia ◽  
Jingyi Xu

Abstract The unique physical and chemical properties and variable application potential of nanomaterials are continuously devoted to stimulating scientists’ studying enthusiasm. Extremely fine grains bring quantities excellent properties such as low density, low elastic modulus, high resistance and low thermal conductivity to nanomaterials, which has extensive use in the photoelectric field, environment, bioengineering and other fields. The research progress of graphene quantum dots, transparent reflective coatings and self-assembled nanotubes are mainly demonstrated. This paper shows the role of graphene quantum dots in solar cells, summarizes the synthesis methods of self-assembled nanotubes and their applications in bioengineering, and describes the development of transparent thermal reflective coatings for energy-saving glass attributed to providing relevant reference and basis for the development and research of nanomaterials.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 1483-1490
Author(s):  
Xiaoqing Zhou ◽  
Mustafa Habib ◽  
Tariq Javeed Zia ◽  
Asim Naseem ◽  
Anila Hanif ◽  
...  

AbstractGraph theory plays important roles in the fields of electronic and electrical engineering. For example, it is critical in signal processing, networking, communication theory, and many other important topics. A topological index (TI) is a real number attached to graph networks and correlates the chemical networks with physical and chemical properties, as well as with chemical reactivity. In this paper, our aim is to compute degree-dependent TIs for the line graph of the Wheel and Ladder graphs. To perform these computations, we first computed M-polynomials and then from the M-polynomials we recovered nine degree-dependent TIs for the line graph of the Wheel and Ladder graphs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1200700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhanjie Xu ◽  
Peng Du ◽  
Peter Meiser ◽  
Claus Jacob

Proanthocyanidins represent a unique class of oligomeric and polymeric secondary metabolites found ubiquitously and in considerable amounts in plants and some algae. These substances exhibit a range of rather surprising physical and chemical properties which, once applied to living organisms, are translated into a multitude of biological activities. The latter include antioxidant properties, cancer chemoprevention, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic effects as well as some exceptional, yet highly interesting activities, such as anti-nutritional and antimicrobial activity. Despite the wide range of activities and possible medical/agricultural applications of proanthocyanidins, many questions still remain, including issues related to bioavailability, metabolism and the precise biochemical, extra- and intracellular targets and mode(s) of action of these highly potent materials. Among the various physical and chemical interactions of such substances, strong binding to proteins appears to form the basis of many of their biological activities. Once easy-to-use synthetic methods to produce appropriate quantities of pure proanthocyanidins are available, it will be possible to identify the prime biological targets of these oligomers, study oligomer-protein interactions in more detail and develop possible practical applications in medicine and agriculture.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel C. Pinho ◽  
Robert P. Miller ◽  
Sonia S. Alfaia

This paper discusses the effects of trees on soil fertility, with a focus on agricultural systems in Amazonia. Relevant literature concerning the effects of trees on soil physical and chemical properties in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions is reviewed, covering both natural ecosystems and agroecosystems. Soil carbon, in the form of organic matter, is considered as an indicator of biological activity as well as in relation to policy issues such as carbon sequestration and climate change. In the case of tropical soils and Amazonia, information on the effects of trees on soils is discussed in the context of traditional agriculture systems, as well as in regard to the development of more sustainable agricultural alternatives for the region. Lastly, attention is given to a case study in the savanna region of Roraima, northern Brazil, where a chronosequence of indigenous homegarden agroforestry systems showed clear effects of management practices involving trees on soil fertility. The use of diverse tree species and other practices employed in agroforestry systems can represent alternative forms of increasing soil fertility and maintaining agricultural production, with important practical applications for the sustainability of tropical agriculture.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aumber Abbas ◽  
Tanveer A. Tabish ◽  
Steve J. Bull ◽  
Tuti Mariana Lim ◽  
Anh N. Phan

AbstractGraphene quantum dots (GQDs), a novel type of zero-dimensional fluorescent materials, have gained considerable attention owing to their unique optical properties, size and quantum confinement. However, their high cost and low yield remain open challenges for practical applications. In this work, a low cost, green and renewable biomass resource is utilised for the high yield synthesis of GQDs via microwave treatment. The synthesis approach involves oxidative cutting of short range ordered carbon derived from pyrolysis of biomass waste. The GQDs are successfully synthesised with a high yield of over 84%, the highest value reported to date for biomass derived GQDs. As prepared GQDs are highly hydrophilic and exhibit unique excitation independent photoluminescence emission, attributed to their single-emission fluorescence centre. As prepared GQDs are further modified by simple hydrothermal treatment and exhibit pronounced optical properties with a high quantum yield of 0.23. These modified GQDs are used for the highly selective and sensitive sensing of ferric ions (Fe3+). A sensitive sensor is prepared for the selective detection of Fe3+ ions with a detection limit of as low as 2.5 × 10–6 M. The utilisation of renewable resource along with facile microwave treatment paves the way to sustainable, high yield and cost-effective synthesis of GQDs for practical applications.


Holzforschung ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 549-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernt O. Myrvold

Abstract The solubility of lignosulfonates (LSs) in water is strongly dependent on other ions present in the water phase. The differences in the solubility might strongly influence the measurements of the physical and chemical properties of the LS molecules. A reduced solubility of the LS might also affect its utility in many practical applications. The understanding of the interaction between LSs and various salts is important for both practical and theoretical reasons. Therefore, the effect of salt concentrations on the LS has been investigated for 41 different salts with 14 different cations and 16 different anions. The observations cannot be explained by the common ion effect or the screening effects. On the contrary, it was found that the stability of LS solutions follows the Hofmeister series, with the exception of those ions that will chemically interact with the LS molecule. Moreover, the positions of phosphate (HPO42-) and sulfate (SO42-) ions were reversed.


2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingchuan Sun ◽  
Yang Qu ◽  
Jianwu Zhao

Tannic acid (TA) is a naturally occurring polyphenol compound commonly found in tea, wine, and fruits. Because of the excellent structural and functional properties afforded by TA, materials based on the structure of polyhydroxyphenols have great value, particularly for orthopedic transplantation. This compound, for example, can form a strong interaction with metals and can form a stable coating on their surfaces, thus, improving the physical and chemical properties of bone–implant surfaces and boosting implantation success rates. TA can also inhibit the activity of osteoclasts, thus, playing a potential role in the treatment of osteoporosis. Furthermore, if the body becomes polluted with heavy metals, TA can chelate the ions to protect bone morphology and structure. It also has a significant antibacterial effect and can reduce infections caused by surgical implantation and inhibit a variety of tumor cells, thereby promoting its potential application in spinal metastasis surgery. Furthermore, it can also slow the corrosion caused by magnesium alloys, thereby greatly improving the development of degradable orthopedic metal fixatives. Importantly, TA is cheap and easy to obtain, making it extremely valuable for use in orthopedics. This review focuses on the research status and practical applications of TA, and prospects for its future application for orthopedics (Figure 1).


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 3480-3488
Author(s):  
Jun Wang ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Bo-Ping Zhang ◽  
Dan-Dan Xie ◽  
Juan Ge ◽  
...  

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) possess unique properties of graphene and exhibit a series of new phenomena of 0 dimension (D) carbon materials. Thus, GQDs have attracted much attention from researchers and have shown great promise for many applications. Recently, many works focus on GQDs-metal ions and metal nanoparticles (NPs). Although, many researches point out that metal ions and metal NPs have significant effect on photoluminescence (PL) feature of GQDs, mainly focus on PL intensity. Here, for the first time, we reported that metal NPs also affected PL peak position which was dependent on the mix mechanism of metal and GQDs. When GQDs-silver (Ag) composite mixed by physical method and excited at a wavelength of 320 nm, PL peak position of composites first showed blue-shifted then red-shifted with increasing of Ag content. However, if GQDs-Ag composite prepared by chemical method, PL peak position of the composites blue-shifted. Furthermore, the shift of PL peak position of GQDs-Ag prepared both for physical and chemical method displayed excitation-dependent feature. When the excitation wavelength approached to Ag SPR peaks, no obvious PL shift was observed. The mechanism for different PL shifts and the phenomenon of excitation-dependent PL shift as well as the formation mechanism of GQDs-Ag composite by chemical method are discussed in detail in this paper.


This paper develops the general theory of conjugated systems by the method of molecular orbitals. The electron densities and bond orders appear as first-order derivatives of the energy of the mobile electrons with respect to the energy integrals in the secular equations; and various other relations are established which confirm the appropriateness of the definitions. A set of new quantities are introduced and discussed for the first time, namely, the mutual polarizability of two atoms or two bonds or an atom and a bond, and it is shown that they are important in determining the effect of structural changes on chemical reactivity, and also in calculating force constants and interaction terms for the vibration of bonds. Formulae are derived for the calculation of the total energy, electron densities, bond orders and mutual polarizabilities, and the relation of these quantities to other physical and chemical properties is briefly discussed.


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