Identification of Semiconductive Patches in Thermally Processed Monolayer Oxo‐Functionalized Graphene

The thermal decomposition of graphene oxide (GO) is a complex process at the atomic level and not fully understood. Here, a subclass of GO, oxo‐functionalized graphene (oxo‐G), was used to study its thermal disproportionation. We present the impact of annealing on the electronic properties of a monolayer oxo‐G flake and correlated the chemical composition and topography corrugation by two‐probe transport measurements, XPS, TEM, FTIR and STM. Surprisingly, we found that oxo‐G, processed at 300 °C, displays C?C sp³‐patches and possibly C?O?C bonds, next to graphene domains and holes. It is striking that those C?O?C/C?C sp³‐separated sp²‐patches a few nanometers in diameter possess semiconducting properties with a band gap of about 0.4 eV. We propose that sp³‐patches confine conjugated sp²‐C atoms, which leads to the local semiconductor properties. Accordingly, graphene with sp³‐C in double layer areas is a potential class of semiconductors and a potential target for future chemical modifications.     

Oxo‐Functionalized Graphene as a Cell Membrane Carrier of Nucleic Acid Probes Controlled by Aging

We applied a fluorescein‐containing oligonucleotide (ON) to probe surface properties of oxidized graphene (oxo‐G) and observed that graphene‐like patches are formed upon aging of oxo‐G, indicated by enhanced probe binding and by FTIR spectroscopic analysis. By using a recently developed fluorogenic endoperoxide (EP) probe, we confirmed that during the aging process the amount of EPs on the oxo‐G surface is reduced. Furthermore, aging was found to strongly affect cell membrane carrier properties of this material. In particular, freshly prepared oxo‐G does not act as a carrier, whereas oxo‐G aged for 28 days at 4 °C is an excellent carrier. Based on these data we prepared an optimized oxo‐G, which has a low‐defect density, binds ONs, is not toxic, and acts as cell membrane carrier. We successfully applied this material to design fluorogenic probes of representative intracellular nucleic acids 28S rRNA and β‐actin‐mRNA. The results will help to standardize oxidized graphene derivatives for biomedical and bioanalytical applications.     

Controlled Chemistry Approach to the Oxo‐Functionalization of Graphene

Graphene is the best‐studied 2D material available. However, its production is still challenging and the quality depends on the preparation procedure. Now, more than a decade after the outstanding experiments conducted on graphene, the most successful wet‐chemical approach to graphene and functionalized graphene is based on the oxidation of graphite. Graphene oxide has been known for more than a century; however, the structure bears variable large amounts of lattice defects that render the development of a controlled chemistry impossible. The controlled oxo‐functionalization of graphene avoids the formation of defects within the σ‐framework of carbon atoms, making the synthesis of specific molecular architectures possible. The scope of this review is to introduce the field of oxo‐functionalizing graphene. In particular, the differences between GO and oxo‐functionalized graphene are described in detail. Moreover analytical methods that allow determining lattice defects and functional groups are introduced followed by summarizing the current state of controlled oxo‐functionalization of graphene.     

Highly Dispersible and Stable Anionic Boron Cluster–Graphene Oxide Nanohybrids

An efficient process to produce boron cluster–graphene oxide nanohybrids that are highly dispersible in water and organic solvents is established for the first time. Dispersions of these nanohybrid materials in water were extraordinarily stable after one month. Characterization of hybrids after grafting of appropriate cobaltabisdicarbollide and closo‐dodecaborate derivatives onto the surface of graphene oxide (GO) was done by FT‐IR, XPS, and UV/Vis. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) clearly shows a higher thermal stability for the modified‐GO nanohybrids compared to the parent GO. Of particular note, elemental mapping by energy‐filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) reveals that a uniform decoration of the graphene oxide surface with the boron clusters is achieved under the reported conditions. Therefore, the resulting nanohybrid systems show exceptional physico‐chemical and thermal properties, paving the way for an enhanced processability and further expanding the range of application for graphene‐based materials.     

Precise Tuning of Surface Composition and Electron‐Transfer Properties of Graphene Oxide Films through Electroreduction

Graphene materials are generally prepared from the exfoliation of graphite oxide (GO) to graphene oxide, followed by subsequent chemical or thermal reduction. These methods, although efficient in removing most of the oxygen functionalities from the GO material, lack control over the extent of the reduction process. We demonstrate here an electrochemical reduction procedure that not only allows for precise control of the reduction process to obtain a graphene material with a well‐defined C/O ratio in the range of 3 to 10, but also one that is able to tune the electrocatalytic properties of the reduced material. A method that is able to precisely control the amount and density of the oxygen functionalities on the graphene material as well as its electrochemical behaviour is very important for several applications such as electronics, bio‐composites and electrochemical devices.     

石墨烯的氧化还原法制备及结构表征

采用改进的Hummers法对天然鳞片石墨进行氧化处理制备氧化石墨,经超声分散,然后在水合肼的作用下加热还原制备了在水相条件下稳定分散的石墨烯。用红外光谱、拉曼光谱、扫描探针显微镜和ζ电位仪对样品进行了结构、谱学、形貌和ζ电位分析。结果表明,石墨被氧化后形成以C=O、C-OH、-COOH和C-O-C等官能团形式的共价键型石墨层间化合物;还原氧化石墨后形成的石墨烯表面的官能团与石墨的相似;氧化石墨烯和石墨烯在碱性条件下可形成稳定的悬浮液;氧化石墨烯和石墨烯薄片厚度为1.0nm左右。考察并讨论了还原过程中水合肼用量,体系反应温度、反应时间和pH值对石墨烯还原程度和稳定性的影响,水合肼用量和反应时间是影响石墨烯还原程度的主要因素;pH值对石墨烯稳定性影响较大。     

Sulfur‐Functionalized Graphene Oxide by Epoxide Ring‐Opening

The treatment of graphene oxide (GO) with potassium thioacetate followed by an aqueous work‐up yields a new material via the ring‐opening of the epoxide groups. The new material is a thiol‐functionalized GO (GO‐SH) which is able to undergo further functionalization. Reaction with butyl bromide gives another new material, GO‐SBu, which shows significantly enhanced thermal stability compared to both GO and GO‐SH. The thiol‐functionalized GO material showed a high affinity for gold, as demonstrated by the selective deposition of a high density of gold nanoparticles.     

KH-570功能化石墨烯的制备与表征

采用Hummers法对天然石墨进行氧化处理制备了氧化石墨烯,通过γ-甲基丙烯酰氧丙基三甲氧基硅烷与氧化石墨烯反应得到功能化氧化石墨烯,然后在水合肼的作用下制备了功能化石墨烯。未烘干的功能化石墨烯在超声处理下,能稳定分散在体积比为9∶1(V/V)的乙醇/水、丙酮/水或N,N-二甲基甲酰胺/水的混合溶剂中。用傅立叶变换红外光谱、原子力显微镜、X射线光电子能谱及X射线衍射对样品结构、形貌进行了分析。结果表明,KH-570上的硅氧烷与氧化石墨烯上的羟基发生了反应,经水合肼还原后,功能化石墨烯的无序度增加,层间距也比功能化氧化石墨烯的缩小了。功能化石墨烯在DMF/水中呈高度剥离状态,片层厚度为1.1～2.3 nm。     

Acetone‐Induced Graphene Oxide Film Formation at the Water–Air Interface

Graphene oxide (GO) is an amphiphilic soft material, which can accumulate at the water–air interface. However, GO sheets diffuse slowly in the aqueous phase because of their large size. It is still challenging to form high quality GO films in a controllable and simple way. In this study, we showed that GO sheets can quickly migrate to the water–air interface and form thin films when a suitable amount of acetone is directly mixed with a GO aqueous dispersion. The film formation rate and surface coverage of GO sheets depend on the volume of acetone added, GO dispersion concentration, and formation time. Among several organic solvents, acetone has its advantage for GO film formation owing to its three properties: a nonsolvent to GO aqueous dispersions, miscible with a GO aqueous dispersion, and fast evaporation. Furthermore, we have found that the film formation also is governed by the size of GO sheets and their oxygen content. Although smaller GO sheets could migrate to the water–air interface faster, the overlapping of small GO sheets and the increase in contact resistance is not desirable. A higher oxygen content in GO sheets could also result in smaller GO sheets. Multilayer GO films can be obtained through layer‐by‐layer dip‐coating. These findings open opportunities in developing simple scalable GO film fabrication processes.     

Synthesis of Honeycomb‐Structured Beryllium Oxide via Graphene Liquid Cells

Using high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron energy‐loss spectroscopy, we show that beryllium oxide crystallizes in the planar hexagonal structure in a graphene liquid cell by a wet‐chemistry approach. These liquid cells can feature van‐der‐Waals pressures up to 1 GPa, producing a miniaturized high‐pressure container for the crystallization in solution. The thickness of as‐received crystals is beyond the thermodynamic ultra‐thin limit above which the wurtzite phase is energetically more favorable according to the theoretical prediction. The crystallization of the planar phase is ascribed to the near‐free‐standing condition afforded by the graphene surface. Our calculations show that the energy barrier of the phase transition is responsible for the observed thickness beyond the previously predicted limit. These findings open a new door for exploring aqueous‐solution approaches of more metal‐oxide semiconductors with exotic phase structures and properties in graphene‐encapsulated confined cells.     

Boron‐Functionalized Graphene Oxide‐Organic Frameworks for Highly Efficient CO2 Capture

The capture and storage of CO₂ have been suggested as an effective strategy to reduce the global emissions of greenhouse gases. Hence, in recent years, many studies have been carried out to develop highly efficient materials for capturing CO₂. Until today, different types of porous materials, such as zeolites, porous carbons, N/B‐doped porous carbons or metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs), have been studied for CO₂ capture. Herein, the CO₂ capture performance of new hybrid materials, graphene‐organic frameworks (GOFs) is described. The GOFs were synthesized under mild conditions through a solvothermal process using graphene oxide (GO) as a starting material and benzene 1,4‐diboronic acid as an organic linker. Interestingly, the obtained GOF shows a high surface area (506 m² g⁻¹) which is around 11 times higher than that of GO (46 m² g⁻¹), indicating that the organic modification on the GO surface is an effective way of preparing a porous structure using GO. Our synthetic approach is quite simple, facile, and fast, compared with many other approaches reported previously. The synthesized GOF exhibits a very large CO₂ capacity of 4.95 mmol g⁻¹ at 298 K (1 bar), which is higher those of other porous materials or carbon‐based materials, along with an excellent CO₂/N₂ selectivity of 48.8.     

Electrografting of Diazonium‐Functionalized Polyoxometalates: Synthesis,Immobilisation and Electron‐Transfer Characterisation from Glassy Carbon

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are attractive candidates for the rational design of multi‐level charge‐storage materials because they display reversible multi‐step reduction processes in a narrow range of potentials. The functionalization of POMs allows for their integration in hybrid complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)/molecular devices, provided that fine control of their immobilisation on various substrates can be achieved. Owing to the wide applicability of the diazonium route to surface modification, a functionalized Keggin‐type POM [PW₁₁O₃₉{Ge(p‐C₆H₄‐C?C‐C₆H₄‐${{\rm N}{{+\hfill \atop 2\hfill}}}$ )}]^3? bearing a pending diazonium group was prepared and subsequently covalently anchored onto a glassy carbon electrode. Electron transfer with the immobilised POM was thoroughly investigated and compared to that of the free POM in solution.     

Hemin‐Functionalized Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheets Reveal Peroxynitrite Reduction and Isomerization Activity

Facile and efficient reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and novel applications of the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) based materials are of current interest. Herein, we report a novel and facile method for the reduction of GO by using a biocompatible reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT). Stabilization of DTT by the formation of a six‐membered ring with internal disulfide linkage upon oxidation is responsible for the reduction of GO. The reduced graphene oxide is characterized by several spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Dispersion of RGO in DMF remained stable for several weeks suggesting that the RGO obtained by DTT‐mediated reduction is hydrophobic in nature. This method can be considered for large scale production of good quality RGO. Treatment of RGO with hemin afforded a functional hemin‐reduced graphene oxide (H‐RGO) hybrid material that exhibited remarkable protective effects against the potentially harmful peroxynitrite (PN). A detailed inhibition study on PN‐mediated oxidation and nitration reactions indicate that the interaction between hemin and RGO results in a synergistic effect, which leads to an efficient reduction of PN to nitrate. The RGO also catalyzes the isomerization of PN to nitrate as the RGO layers facilitate the rapid recombination of ^.NO₂ with Fe^IV=O species. In the presence of reducing agents such as ascorbic acid, the Fe^IV=O species can be reduced to Fe^III, thus helping to maintain the PN reductase cycle.     

One-Step Synthesis of Aminobenzoic Acid Functionalized Graphene Oxide by Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite for Oxygen Reduction to Hydrogen Peroxide and Supercapacitors

Graphene-based materials have attracted considerable attention as promising electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and as electrode materials for supercapacitors. In this work, electrochemical exfoliation of graphite in the presence of 4-aminebenzoic acid (4-ABA) is used as a one-step method to prepare graphene oxide materials (EGO) functionalized with aminobenzoic acid (EGO-ABA). The EGO and EGO-ABAs materials were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the EGO-ABA materials have smaller flake size and higher density of oxygenated functional groups compared to bare EGO. The electrochemical studies showed that the EGO-ABA catalysts have higher activity for the ORR to H₂O₂ in alkaline medium compared to EGO due to their higher density of oxygenated functional groups. However, bare EGO has a higher selectivity for the 2-electron process (81%) compared to the EGO-ABA (between 64 and 72%) which was related to a lower content of carbonyl groups. The specific capacitance of the EGO-ABA materials was higher than that of EGO, with an increase by a factor of 3 for the materials prepared from exfoliation in 5 mM 4-ABA/0.1 M H₂SO₄. This electrode material also showed a remarkable cycling capability with a loss of only 19.4% after 5000 cycles at 50 mVs⁻¹.