Geographical and Geological Origin of Natural Graphite Heavily Influence the Electrical and Electrochemical Properties of Chemically Modified Graphenes

Natural graphite is an important precursor for the production of chemically modified graphenes in bulk quantities for electrochemical applications. These natural graphites have varying fundamental properties due to the different geological processes and environments at their points of origin, which are expected to affect their chemical reactivity and hence the properties of the derived graphene materials. Four different natural graphites with known geographical and geological origins were exposed to a modified Hummers oxidation method and the resulting graphite oxides were studied. The graphite oxides were shown to have different extents of oxidation and types of oxygen groups, which directly influenced their electrochemical properties. These differences were propagated further in the subsequent chemical reduction of the graphite oxides, and the reduced graphene oxides exhibited significantly different reduction efficiencies and electrical conductivities. These findings show that the choice of natural graphite of known origin is important to synthesize chemically modified graphenes with a desired set of properties.     

Unusual Inherent Electrochemistry of Graphene Oxides Prepared Using Permanganate Oxidants

Graphene and graphene oxides are materials of significant interest in electrochemical devices such as supercapacitors, batteries, fuel cells, and sensors. Graphene oxides and reduced graphenes are typically prepared by oxidizing graphite in strong mineral acid mixtures with chlorate (Staudenmaier, Hofmann) or permanganate (Hummers, Tour) oxidants. Herein, we reveal that graphene oxides pose inherent electrochemistry, that is, they can be oxidized or reduced at relatively mild potentials (within the range ±1 V) that are lower than typical battery potentials. This inherent electrochemistry of graphene differs dramatically from that of the used oxidants. Graphene oxides prepared using chlorate exhibit chemically irreversible reductions, whereas graphene oxides prepared through permanganate‐based methods exhibit very unusual inherent chemically reversible electrochemistry of oxygen‐containing groups. Insight into the electrochemical behaviour was obtained through cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments. Our findings are of extreme importance for the electrochemistry community as they reveal that electrode materials undergo cyclic changes in charge/discharge cycles, which has strong implications for energy‐storage and sensing devices.     

Tannic Acid Modified Electrochemical Biosensor for Glucose Sensing Based on Direct Electrochemistry

A novel glucose biosensor was constructed through the immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx) on gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) deposited, and chemically reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite. In the synthesis, tannic acid (TA) was used for the reduction of both graphene oxide, and Au³⁺ to rGO, and Au NPs, respectively. Also, by harnessing the π‐π interaction between graphene oxide and TA, and protein‐TA interaction, a novel nanocomposite for the fabrication of a third generation biosensor was successfully constructed. Upon the oxidation of TA to quinone, which is easily reducible at the negative potential range, enhanced electron transfer was obtained. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) results demonstrated a pair of well‐defined and quasi‐reversible redox peaks of active site molecule of GOx. The biosensor exhibited a linear response to glucose concentrations varying from 2 to 10 mM with a sensitivity of 18.73 mA mM⁻¹ cm⁻². The fabricated biosensor was used for the determination of glucose in beverages.     

On Oxygen‐Containing Groups in Chemically Modified Graphenes

Reduced graphenes (belonging to the class of chemically modified graphenes, CMG) are one of the most investigated and utilized materials in current research. Oxygen functionalities on the CMG surfaces have dramatic influences on material properties. Interestingly, these functionalities are rarely comprehensively characterized. Herein, the four most commonly used CMGs, mainly electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ER‐GO), thermally reduced graphene oxide (TR‐GO), and the corresponding starting materials, that is, graphene oxide and graphite oxide, were comprehensively characterized by a wide variety of methods, such as high‐resolution X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and voltammetry, to establish connections between the structures of these materials that carry different oxygen functionalities and their electrochemical behaviors. This was followed by the quantification of the negatively charged oxygen‐containing groups (OCGs) by UV/Vis spectroscopy and of the electrochemically reducible OCGs by voltammetry. Lastly, a biofunctionalization with gold nanoparticle (AuNP)‐modified DNA sequences was performed by the formation of covalent bonds with the carboxylic groups (? COOH) on the CMG surfaces. There was an evident predominance of functionalizable ? COOH groups on the ER‐GO surface, as confirmed by a higher amount of Au detected both with differential‐pulse voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy, coupled with visualization by TEM. We exploited the DNA–Au bioconjugates as highly specific stains to localize and visualize the positions of carboxylic groups. Our findings are very important to clearly identify the presence, nature, and distribution of oxygen functionalities on different chemically modified graphenes.     

Electrochemically Exfoliated Graphene and Graphene Oxide for Energy Storage and Electrochemistry Applications

Top‐down methods are of key importance for large‐scale graphene and graphene oxide preparation. Electrochemical exfoliation of graphite has lately gained much interest because of the simplicity of execution, the short process time, and the good quality of graphene that can be obtained. Here, we test three different electrolytes, that is, H₂SO₄, Na₂SO₄, and LiClO₄, with a common exfoliation procedure to evaluate the difference in structural and chemical properties that result for the graphene. The properties are analyzed by means of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), Raman spectroscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We then tested the graphene materials for electrochemical applications, measuring the heterogeneous electron transfer (HET) rates with a Fe(CN)₆^3?/4? redox probe, and their capacitive behavior in alkaline solutions. We correlate the electrochemical features with the presence of structural defects and oxygen functionalities on the graphene materials. In particular, the use of LiClO₄ during the electrochemical exfoliation of graphite allowed the formation of highly oxidized graphene with a C/O ratio close to 4.0 and represents a possible avenue for the mass production of graphene oxide as valid alternative to the current laborious and dangerous chemical procedures, which also have limited scalability.     

Electrochemistry at chemically modified graphenes

Electrochemical applications of graphene are of great interest to many researchers as they can potentially lead to crucial technological advancements in fabrication of electrochemical devices for energy production and storage, and highly sensitive sensors. There are many routes towards fabrication of bulk quantities of chemically modified graphenes (CMG) for applications such as electrode materials. Each of them yields different graphene materials with different functionalities and structural defects. Here, we compare the electrochemical properties of five different chemically modified graphenes: graphite oxide, graphene oxide, thermally reduced graphene oxide, chemically reduced graphene oxide, and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide. We characterized these materials using transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry, which allowed us to correlate the electrochemical properties with the structural and chemical features of the CMGs. We found that thermally reduced graphene oxide offers the most favorable electrochemical performance among the different materials studied. Our findings have a profound impact for the applications of chemically modified graphenes in electrochemical devices.     

高分子微球在电化学领域的应用

本文综述了近几年来高分子微球在电化学领域应用的研究进展。分别介绍了电场作用下微球悬浮液反射光谱的变化,包覆导电聚合物高分子微球的振荡电流和循环伏安特征和二茂铁基高分子微球电极反应的粒径效应,并对各类微球悬浮液的电化学行为及电极反应模型进行阐述。综述表明高分子微球电化学具有广阔的应用前景。     

The Inherent Electrochemistry of Nickel/Nickel‐Oxide Nanoparticles

The direct detection of nanoparticles is at the forefront of research owing to their environmental and toxicological applications. Herein, we studied the inherent electrochemistry of Ni and NiO nanoparticles and proposed a simple and direct electrochemical method for the determination of the concentrations of both nickel (Ni) and nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles in alkaline solution. A highly sensitive voltammetry technique was used to measure the oxidative signal of Ni(OH)₂ that formed spontaneously on the surface of Ni and NiO nanoparticles in alkaline media. Detection limits of 220 μg mL^?1 for Ni and 13 μg mL^?1 for NiO nanoparticles were obtained. Ni and NiO nanoparticles are used as electrode modifiers or as electrochemical signal labels in various biosensing applications. Therefore, methods to rapidly quantify the amount of Ni and NiO nanoparticles are of widespread potential use.     

氮掺杂还原氧化石墨烯/四氧化三钴双功能催化剂的制备及表征

采用尿素作为氮源,通过热退火法制备氮掺杂还原氧化石墨烯,然后以乙酰丙酮钴作为钴源通过水热法制备氮掺杂还原氧化石墨烯/四氧化三钴杂化纳米片作为催化氧还原和氧析出反应的双功能催化剂。利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线电子能谱仪(XPS)等对其进行形貌结构表征,通过旋转圆盘电极等电化学测试对其电催化性能进行分析,可以看出该催化剂具有良好的氧还原和氧析出催化性能。     

聚吡咯/氧化石墨烯层状复合材料的制备及其在超级电容器中的应用(英文)

通过将吡咯单体在低温下与氧化石墨烯进行原位聚合,获得聚吡咯/石墨烯(Ppy/CRGO)复合材料.采用场发射电子显微镜(FESEM)、红外(FT-IR)和热重分析(TGA)对复合物的表面形貌、结构进行表征.FESEM结果表明,通过控制氧化石墨烯(GO)和吡咯单体的质量比例,可以对复合物的层状和厚度进行调控.FT-IR和TGA结果表明,聚吡咯(Ppy)是通过化学键合的方式与氧化石墨烯复合在一起.通过机械冷压法将粉末状Ppy/CRGO复合物压成圆片电极,并探讨了石墨烯和聚吡咯复合比例、反应时间、烘干温度和孔隙率等因素对Ppy/CRGO复合物电极的电学和电化学性能的影响.结果表明,Ppy与CRGO质量比为10∶1所制得的Ppy/CRGO复合物的电容量为421 F·g-1,通过在电极中引入孔隙,电容量能进一步提升为509 F·g-1.     

石墨烯纳米复合材料在电化学生物传感器中的应用

将石墨烯与其他纳米材料复合,是一种拓展或增强其应用的有效方法。借助不同组分间的协同作用,可以改善石墨烯的电学、化学和电化学性质,拓展和增强石墨烯的电化学效应,为固定氧化还原酶,实现直接电化学提供新型、高效的平台,应用于第三代电化学生物传感器的设计和制备,对葡萄糖、胆固醇、血红蛋白、DNA、H₂O₂、O₂、小生物分子等的检测显示出了优异的灵敏度和选择性。本文综述了基于石墨烯构筑的纳米复合材料在电化学生物传感器中的应用研究,包括石墨烯与贵金属、金属氧化物/半导体纳米粒子、高分子、染料分子、离子液体、生物分子等的纳米复合材料,并对石墨烯材料在电化学领域的发展方向和应用前景进行了展望。     

Graphene Nanosheets and Quantum Dots: A Smart Material for Electrochemical Applications

A novel material for the electrochemical determination of endocrine disruptors using a composite based on graphene oxide modified with cadmium telluride quantum dots has been evaluated. The morphology, structure and electrochemical performance of the composite electrodes were characterised by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, UV‐visible absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, Raman spectra and cyclic voltammetry. The dynamic light scattering, transmission electronic microscopy and spectrophotometric measurements all showed good distribution of the quantum dots with a small particle size. The electrochemical measurements demonstrated the high performance of the composite response in the presence of a light source. Differential pulse voltammetry allowed the development of a method to determine 17β‐estradiol levels in the range from 0.2 to 4.0 μmol L ^?1 with a detection limit of 2.8 nmol L ^?1 (0.76 μg L ^?1).     

Covalently Binding Atomically Designed Au9 Clusters to Chemically Modified Graphene

Atomic‐resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to identify individual Au₉ clusters on a sulfur‐functionalized graphene surface. The clusters were preformed in solution and covalently attached to the surface without any dispersion or aggregation. Comparison of the experimental images with simulations allowed the rotational motion, without lateral displacement, of individual clusters to be discerned, thereby demonstrating a robust covalent attachment of intact clusters to the graphene surface.     

Graphene Nanoplatelets: Electrochemical Properties and Applications for Oxidation of Endocrine‐Disrupting Chemicals

In most graphene‐based electrochemical applications, graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) have been applied. Now, for the first time, electrochemical properties of GNPs, namely, its electrochemical activity, potential window, and double‐layer capacitance, have been investigated. These properties are compared with those of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). GNP‐ and CNT‐coated electrodes were then applied for electrochemical oxidation of endocrine‐disrupting chemicals. The GNP‐coated electrode was characterized by atomic force microscopy and electrochemical techniques. Compared with the CNT‐coated electrode, higher peak current for the oxidation of 4‐nonylphenol is achieved on the GNP‐coated electrode, together with lower capacitive current. Electrochemical oxidation of 2,4‐dichlorophenol, bisphenol A, and octylphenol in the absence or presence of 4‐nonylphenol was studied on the GNP‐coated electrode. The results suggest that GNPs have better electrochemical performance than CNTs and are thus more promising for electrochemical applications, for example, electrochemical detection and removal of endocrine‐disrupting chemicals.     

Electrochemistry of graphene: new horizons for sensing and energy storage

Graphene is a new 2D nanomaterial with outstanding material, physical, chemical, and electrochemical properties. In this review, we first discuss the methods of preparing graphene sheets and their chemistry. Following that, the fundamental reasons governing the electrochemistry of graphene are meaningfully described. Graphene is an excellent electrode material with the advantages of conductivity and electrochemistry of sp² carbon but without the disadvantages related to carbon nanotubes, such as residual metallic impurities. We highlight important applications of graphene and graphene nanoplatelets for sensing, biosensing, and energy storage. © 2009 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 9: 211–223; 2009: Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ) DOI 10.1002/tcr.200900008     

Electrochemical C−H/N−H Functionalization for the Synthesis of Highly Functionalized (Aza)indoles

Indoles and azaindoles are among the most important heterocycles because of their prevalence in nature and their broad utility in pharmaceutical industry. Reported herein is an unprecedented noble‐metal‐ and oxidant‐free electrochemical method for the coupling of (hetero)arylamines with tethered alkynes to synthesize highly functionalized indoles, as well as the more challenging azaindoles.