Performance Improvement of Supercapacitor Materials with Crushed 3D Structured Graphene

Conventional 2D-graphene sheets (2D-rGO) often demonstrate poor performance as capacitor materials, especially in cyclability due to the lamellar stacking and agglomeration of the electrode materials. Herein, we have proposed that crushed 3D-graphene (c-3D-rGO) can overcome the limitation. A simplistic way to prepare 3D-crushed graphene structures has been presented utilizing metal rGO core-shell (Ni@rGO) followed by acid leaching. The electrochemical performances of the prepared c-3D-rGO were evaluated as capacitor material using a three-electrode system with aqueous 0.5 M Na2SO4 solution through cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements. 2D-rGO was separately prepared to compare the performance with 3D-crushed graphene structures. It has been observed that the calculated specific capacitance (Csp) value of the prepared c-3D-rGO was 335 Fg-1 at a current density of 0.15 Ag-1, which was about three times higher than that of the 2D-rGO. The c-3D-rGO electrode retained 100% capacitance of its initial value after 10000 cycles, demonstrating the material’s excellent electrochemical stability. Furthermore, to show the performance in hybrid capacitor, manganese oxide (MnOx) with c-3D-rGO. The presence of c-3D-rGO significantly improved the capacitive performance MnOx.

Modulating Thermal Transport in Porous Carbon Honeycomb by Cutting and Deformation Techniques

During past years, there has been a flurry of investigations on the lattice thermal transport of three-dimensional (3D) graphene, but few studies on how to adjust this property effectively by...

Mass Production of 3D Connective Graphene Networks by Fluidized Bed Chemical Vapor Deposition and Its Application in High Performance Lithium-Sulfur Battery

Three−dimensional (3D) graphene with novel nano−architectures exhibits many excellent properties and is promising for energy storage and conversion applications. Herein, a new strategy based on the fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition (FB−CVD) process was proposed to prepare 3D graphene networks (3DGNs) with various nano−architectures. Specially designed SiC−C@graphene core/shell nanoparticles were prepared taking the advantages of the FB−CVD system, and 3DGNs with hierarchical nanostructures were obtained after removing the SiC core. The 3DGNs performed well as electrodes of lithium–sulfur batteries. The C–S cathode showed good rate performance at the current density of 0.1–2.0 C, and an initial discharge capacity of 790 mAhg−1 cathode was achieved at a current density of 0.2 C. The Li−S batteries showed stabilized coulombic efficiency as high as 94% and excellent cyclic performance with an ultra low cyclic fading rate of 0.075% for the initial 280 cycles at a current density of 1.0 C. The improved electrochemical performance was ascribed to the enhanced conductivity by the connective graphene networks and the weakened shuttle effect by the special outer graphene layers. Mass production of the products was realized by the continuous FB−CVD process, which opens up new perspectives for large scale application of 3D graphene materials.

Voltammetric Determination of 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furfural in Processed Cheese Using an Easy-Made and Economic Integrated 3D Graphene-like Electrode

The concentration of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF) is an important quality-related index in milk and milk products. Fast, cost-effective and environmentally friendly determination of HMF is of great significance in milk products control. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) graphene-like surface (3DGrls) was successfully prepared within 5 min by an electrochemical amperometric pretreatment on a pencil graphite electrode (PGE). The fast-obtained 3D graphene-like surface increased the electrode surface area and enhanced the electron transfer capability without the addition of any harmful chemicals. The morphology and chemical composition of the obtained electrode were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results found that the electrochemical response to HMF at the prepared 3DGrls/PGE was 34 times higher than that at PGE. The modified electrode showed a good linear response to HMF in a concentration range of 0.35~116 μM with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.099 μM. The integrated electrode also exhibited excellent stability and wonderful antifouling property. Furthermore, the 3DGrls/PGE was successfully applied for the determination of HMF in three processed cheese samples with satisfactory results.

Foam-like 3D Graphene as a Charge Transport Modifier in Zinc Oxide Electron Transport Material in Perovskite Solar Cells

The effect of foam-like 3D graphene (3DG) in an electron transport material (ETM), viz. ZnO thin film, on the steady-state photoluminescence (PL), light-harvesting efficiency (LHE), photocurrent density (JSC), photovoltage (VOC), and charge transport parameters of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are systematically investigated. The ETM is developed by spin coating a ZnO precursor solution containing varying amounts of 3DG on conducting glass substrates and appropriate annealing. A significant improvement in the photoconversion efficiency of PSCs is observed for a low concentration of 3DG in ZnO. The current–voltage and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements show that the addition of 3DG enhances the VOC due to efficient electron–hole separation and charge transport compared to the pristine ZnO. These studies offer a route for further advances in enhancing the optoelectronic properties of ETM for artificial photosynthesis and photocatalysis devices.