Ultrafast Delamination of Graphite into High-Quality Graphene Using Alternating Currents

To bridge the gap between laboratory-scale studies and commercial applications, mass production of high quality graphene is essential. A scalable exfoliation strategy towards the production of graphene sheets is presented that has excellent yield (ca. 75 %, 1–3 layers), low defect density (a C/O ratio of 21.2), great solution-processability, and outstanding electronic properties (a hole mobility of 430 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹). By applying alternating currents, dual exfoliation at both graphite electrodes enables a high production rate exceeding 20 g h⁻¹ in laboratory tests. As a cathode material for lithium storage, graphene-wrapped LiFePO₄ particles deliver a high capacity of 167 mAh g⁻¹ at 1 C rate after 500 cycles.     

Interlayer shear strength of single crystalline graphite

Reported values(0.2 MPa-7.0 GPa) of the interlayer shear strength(ISS) of graphite are very dispersed.The main challenge to obtain a reliable value of the ISS using conventional measuring methods was the unavailability of sufficiently large single crystalline graphite.Here we present a novel experimental method to measure the ISS,and obtain the value as ～0.14 GPa.Our result can serve as an important basis for understanding mechanical behavior of graphite or graphene-based materials.     

Metal Organic Framework-235 (MOF-235) Modified Carbon Paste Electrode for Catechol Determination in Water

MOF-235 is presented as an orange powder, with crystals of the octahedral formation. It was already used as adsorbent to remove different compounds from water; however, no attempts have been published about the exploration of the MOF-235 application as electrochemical sensor for organic compounds yet. MOF-235 was synthetized and after that, it was characterized by SEM, XRD and FTIR. Graphite electrodes (GEs) were modified with different MOF-235 ratio (5 %, 7 %, 10 %, 12 % and 14 %) and these modified GEs were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements in order to determine the effect of MOF-235 concentration on the current response. Results indicated that, a significant improvement on the current response was attained at MOF-235(10 %)/GE respect to unmodified GE. This behavior is related to the pore structure and multiple active sites on the MOF surface. The performance of the MOF-235(10 %)/GE as electrochemical sensor for detecting catechol was assessed by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Catechol detection response of MOF-based sensor provided a detection limit of about 12.79 μmol L⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient (R²) of about 0.9928 ranging from 12 to 514 μmol L⁻¹. Finally, MOF-235(10 %)/GE was used to determine catechol in real water matrixes.     

Complexation Based Voltammetric Determination of Pantoprazole Sodium in Pharmaceutical Formulations and Rabbit Plasma

Square wave adsorptive stripping voltammetric (SQWASV) method has been utilized to confirm and elucidate the possible complexation reaction between pantoprazole sodium and cobalt as a transition metal in Britton‐Robinson buffer (pH=7.0). The current signal due to the oxidation process was a function of the amount of pantoprazole sodium, pH of the medium, cobalt concentration and accumulation time at the electrode surface. The oxidation peak current has varied linearly with the concentration over the range of 0.1–9.0 nM. The limit of detection was found to be 0.04 nM. The validity of the method was successfully applied for the determination of pantoprazole sodium in pharmaceutical formulations with a pharmacokinetic study in rabbit plasma. The simplicity, rapidity, sensitivity and selectivity of this method make it a very attractive alternative to the other existing methods in the quality control laboratories.     

Atomic force microscopy characterization of β-casein nanoparticles on mica and graphite

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Thermal evolution of the first stage Cs(THF)1.75C24 graphitide,an example of segregation and decorrelation at low temperature

The thermal variation of the first stage ternary compound Cs(THF)_1.75C₂₄ has been investigated by powder neutron diffraction. Two phase transitions have been observed. The first one occurs at 248 K and can be interpreted as a three-dimensional segregation within the graphitic host. The second one starts at about 180 K and is continuous down to 50 K. This corresponds to a decorrelation of the graphen planes at low temperature. The origin of this transition could be the elastic constraint due to the kinks of the planes.     

自动石墨消解–电感耦合等离子体质谱法同时测定左氧氟沙星胶囊中7种金属元素

建立自动石墨消解-电感耦合等离子体质谱法(ICP-MS)同时测定左氧氟沙星胶囊中铅、铬、砷、镉、锡、铝、铁7种金属元素含量的方法。以HNO3-H2O2()体积比为1∶1为消解体系,采用自动石墨消解法消解左氧氟沙星胶囊样品,消解液除酸后,用5%硝酸溶液定容至50 mL,采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法对消解液进行测定,以内标法定量。铅、铬、砷、镉、锡、铝、铁的质量浓度在0.05~20.0μg/mL范围内与质谱响应值成良好的线性关系,相关系数均大于0.998,方法检出限为0.119~1.323μg/kg。样品加标回收率为91.2%~105.5%,测定结果的相对标准偏差为1.67%~3.46%(n=6)。该方法样品前处理简单,检出限低,测定结果准确,适用于左氧氟沙星胶囊等沙星类抗生素中多种金属元素残留的测定。     

Reversible M−M Bonding by Alkaline Earth Metals (Mg,Ca, Sr,Ba) in Graphite Intercalation Compounds

The alkaline earth metals (M=Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba) exhibit a +2 oxidation state in nearly all known stable compounds, but M^I dimeric complexes with M−M bonding, [M₂(en)₂]²⁺, (en=ethylenediamine) of all these metals can be stabilized within the galleries of donor-type graphite intercalation compounds (GICs). These metals can also form GICs with more conventional metal (II) ion complexes, [M(en)₂]²⁺. Here, the facile interconversion between dimeric-M^I and monomeric-M^II intercalates upon the addition/removal of en are reported. Thermogravimetry, powder X-ray diffraction, and pair distribution function analysis of total scattering data support the presence of either [M₂(en)₂]²⁺ or [M(en)₂]²⁺ guests. This phase conversion requires coupling graphene and metal redox centers, with associated reversible M−M bond formation within graphene galleries. This chemistry allows the facile isolation of unusual oxidation states, reveals M⁰→M²⁺ reaction pathways, and present new opportunities in the design of hybrid conversion/intercalation materials for applications such as charge storage.     

Electrical conductivity of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/expanded graphite nanocomposites prepared by in situ polymerization

Nanocomposites based on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and expanded graphite (EG) have been prepared by in situ polymerization. Morphology of the nanocomposites has been examined by electronic microscopy. The relationship between the preparation method, morphology, and electrical conductivity was studied. Electronic microscopy images reveal that the nanocomposites exhibit well dispersed graphene platelets. The incorporation of EG to the PET results in a sharp insulator‐to‐conductor transition with a percolation threshold (?_c) as low as 0.05 wt %. An electrical conductivity of 10^?3 S/cm was achieved for 0.4 wt % of EG. The low percolation threshold and relatively high electrical conductivity are attributed to the high aspect ratio, large surface area, and uniform dispersion of the EG sheets in PET matrix. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Preparation of PEO-b-PPO-b-PEO/α-cyclodextrin supramolecular hydrogels hybridized with exfoliated graphite nanoplates

Abstract

In this work, an effective method was developed to prepare novel PEO-b-PPO-b-PEO (EPE)/α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) supramolecular hydrogels containing exfoliated graphite nanoplates (xGNPs) by mixing an aqueous solution of α-CD with an aqueous dispersion of xGNPs at the presence of amphiphilic EPE copolymer. The EPE copolymer played three important roles in the preparation process: (1) as an exfoliating agent to break expanded graphites into xGNPs under ultrasonication, (2) as a dispersant to stabilize xGNPs in the aqueous solution, and （3）as a component to form the inclusion complexes with α-CD. The resultant xGNPs/EPE/α-CD hybridized hydrogels were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which confirmed not only the formation of supramolecular hydrogel structure but also the homogenous dispersion of xGNPs in the hydrogel matrix. It was found that the existence of xGNPs can accelerate the speed of gel formation in comparison with that of the native EPE/α-CD hydrogel. Additionally, the water-retention ability and the release behavior of vancomycin hydrochloride for the xGNPs/EPE/α-CD hybridized hydrogels were investigated.