Carbon Nanostructures For Applications Research Articles

Biomedical use of nanoconjugates based on graphene oxide and fullerenes with cytostatic drugs.

Medicine is one of the most promising and essential fields for the application of modern nanotechnologies. Targeted drug delivery, providing prolonged drug action, diagnostics, and the manufacturing of medical devices are among the promising applications of nanomaterials. The excellent electrical, mechanical, and optical properties of carbon nanoparticles, along with their ease of functionalization, have made them attractive candidates for the development of new materials for biomedical applications. As analyzed from contemporary literature, a significant amount of research in experimental oncology has been dedicated to the development of methods for targeted delivery of antitumor agents to biological targets, including the use of nanoparticles. Thus, the creation of antitumor drugs based on conjugates of cytostatic drugs with carbon nanostructures is one of the actively developing directions in medicinal chemistry. This review discusses scientific achievements in the synthesis and study of properties of nanocomposites based on graphene oxide and fullerenes with cytostatic drugs (such as paclitaxel, carboplatin, cisplatin, doxorubicin, gemcitabine, etc.), their mechanisms of action, and practical applications in biomedicine. Special attention is given to the requirements imposed on nanocarriers, methods of targeted delivery of nanocomposites to biological targets, and the advantages of using antitumor agents in the composition of nanoconjugates based on carbon nanostructures. Additionally, the review summarizes and iden- tifies the current challenges in the application of carbon nanostructures in biomedicine.

Application of carbon nanostructures toward acetylsalicylic acid adsorption: A comparison between fullerene ylide and graphene oxide by DFT calculations

DFT calculations were performed for a comparative study between nanostructures obtained from the multifunctionalization of acetylsalicylic acid radicals on fullerene ylide to graphene oxide. The adsorption processes on fullerene ylides are energetically more favorable and more soluble compared to the adsorptions on graphene oxide. There is more stability for nanostructures with fullerene ylide as nano vector than those with graphene oxide. The nanostructures adsorbed on fullerene ylide have smaller energy gaps and better nonlinear optical properties than those adsorbed on graphene oxide and could be helpful detectors. The nanostructures with fullerene ylide as nano vector are more reactive, electrophilic and softer than those with graphene oxide as nano vector. Fullerene ylide nano vectors would be more advantageous in the adsorption of aspirin molecules and generally of drug molecules than those based on graphene oxide.

Recent Advances in the Applications of Carbon Nanostructures on Optical Sensing of Emerging Aquatic Pollutants

AbstractIn recent years, optical sensing based on nanomaterials has emerged as a prospective strategy for monitoring environmental pollution in water. In this context, carbon nanostructures have received increasing attention due to their unique optoelectronic and physiochemical properties. To this end, nanocarbon such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and carbon dots have been used to develop proof‐of‐concept opto‐chemical sensors for emerging aquatic contaminants, including pesticides, bacterial pathogens, and pharmaceuticals residues. These optical sensors have attracted significant research interest in nanotechnology, material science, and the detection of aquatic pollutants. However, the practical application for detecting contaminants is still limited because of cost‐effectiveness, sensitivities, and selectivity toward the diverse pollutants. This review examines the current trends and challenges in designing and applying carbon nanostructure‐based optical sensors for detecting aquatic contaminants. Finally, a critical perspective on the field and future research directions is provided.

A novel path towards synthesis of nitrogen-rich porous carbon nanofibers for high performance supercapacitors

A facile and efficient nitrogen doping strategy is proposed to improve the nitrogen content, increase surface area, and tune the configuration of nitrogen-related defects in the carbon nanostructures for application as supercapacitors. To this end, carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were fabricated via pyrolysis of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers with sacrificial polymers (PMMA). By lowering the interfacial tension between PAN and PMMA in DMF with the aid of surfactants, the size of the sacrificial PMMA islands in the continuous PAN phase was significantly reduced, promoting the formation of pores and increase the specific surface area (SSA) of the host CNF during pyrolysis. The synthesis of N-doped CNF with a controlled N-bonding structure was achieved by pyrolysis of precursor on Ni surface in the presence of melamine as a nitrogen source. We showed that the concentration and configuration of N-related defects in CNFs can be respectively enhanced and controlled by absorption of the oxygen-containing sites onto a metallic substrate. Furthermore, the surface area was also increased by absorbing oxygen on the Ni surface. The synthesized porous nitrogen-rich CNFs as a binder-free and free-standing electrode for supercapacitors demonstrated remarkable electrochemical capacitance, superb rate capability, and possessed excellent long-term stability over 10,000 cycles (capacitance retention of 94%).

A review on application of carbon nanostructures as nanofiller in corrosion-resistant organic coatings

Since corrosion has tremendous economic effects, academics and industries have sought to develop more effective coatings. These efforts have led to profound importance of nanocomposite coatings based on polymers and carbon nanostructures. It is shown that good reinforcement, advanced mechanical properties, and high corrosion resistance are only found at relatively low levels of nanocarbon (i.e., fullerene, carbon black, carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, and carbon dots) loadings in coating compositions. Herein, a survey of breakthrough scientific studies on application of carbon nanostructures in corrosion-resistant organic coatings is carried out to pave the way for future developments in novel nanocoatings.

Improved stability and performance of organic photovoltaic cells by application of carbon nanostructures and PEDOT:PSS composites as additional transparent electrodes

Conventional bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cell (OPVC) with regioregular poly[3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl] (P3HT): [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blend as active layer has been fabricated with simple ITO/P3HT:PCBM/Al structure and its performance is compared with that of OPVC fabricated by incorporating an additional conducting layer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) in between the active layer and ITO. An improvement of power conversion efficiency (PCE) has been observed from 2.716% to 2.733% due to the incorporation of PEDOT:PSS. The PCE has been further enhanced by replacing PEDOT:PSS with composites of carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/PEDOT:PSS and reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/PEDOT:PSS which have been prepared by simple solution method and the device parameters of all OPVCs are collated. A maximum PCE of 2.823% with corresponding short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 9.858 mA/cm2, open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 646.923 mV, and a fill factor (FF) of 44.263% has been achieved (at 25 °C) for the device with 5 wt% of CNTs in PEDOT:PSS. The performances of all fabricated OPVCs have been compared at different temperatures (25 °C, 30 °C, and 35 °C) and a declination in PCE is noted with increase in temperature. The stability of selected devices exposed to open atmosphere has been checked by measuring their parameters at different time intervals and it is observed that the degradation of materials reduces the performance of OPVCs. Under all different circumstances, OPVCs fabricated using the composites have been observed to perform better along with significant enhancement in PCE compared to OPVCs fabricated without using the composites.

Carbon nanostructures for advanced nanocomposite mixed matrix membranes: a comprehensive overview

Abstract The highly progressive membrane separation technology challenges conventional separation processes such as ion exchange, distillation, precipitation, solvent extraction, and adsorption. The integration of many desired properties such as low energy consumption, high removal efficiency, affordable costs, suitable selectivity, acceptable productivity, ease of scale-up, and being environmentally friendly have made the membranes capable of being replaced with other separation technologies. Combination of membrane technology and nanoscience has revolutionized the nano-engineered materials, e.g. nanocomposites applied in advanced membrane processes. Polymer composites containing carbon nanostructures are promising choices for membrane fabrication owing to their enhanced chemistry, morphology, electromagnetic properties, and physicochemical stability. Carbon nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nano graphene oxides (NGOs), and fullerenes are among the most popular nanofillers that have been successfully applied in modification of polymer membranes. Literature review shows that there is no comprehensive overview reporting the modification of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) using carbon nanofibers, nano-activated carbons, and carbon nanospheres. The present overview focuses on the applications of carbon nanostructures mainly CNTs and NGOs in the modification of MMMs and emphasizes on the application of CNTs and NGO particles.

(Invited) Functionalization and Application of Carbon Nanostructures

Since from the discovery of the new allotropic forms of carbon, their potential applications in many different fields appeared to be very interesting. The increasing of components in the Carbon NanoStructure (CNS) family is still widening these potentialities. However, in the majority of the cases, a chemical functionalization of these derivatives is needed and results to be challenging. We will survey the recent years’ achievements in this field on various CNSs.

Current state and perspectives for organo-halide perovskite solar cells: Crystal structures and thin film formation, morphology, processing, degradation, stability improvement by carbon nanotube

The fundamental problems of the modern state of the studies of organic-inorganic organo-halide perovskites (OHP) as basis for high efficiency thin film solar cells are discussed. Perovskite varieties and background properties are introduced. The chronology of development of the studies in this direction has been presented — structural aspects of these OHP perovskites, from early 2D to recent 3D MAPbI3 perovskites and important technological aspects of smooth thin film structure creation by various techniques, such as solvent engineering, spin- and dip-coating, vacuum deposition, cation exchange approach, nanoimprinting (particularly, a many-sided role of polymers). The most important theoretical problems such as electronic structure of lattice, impurity and defect states in pure and mixed perovskites, suppressed electron-hole recombination, extra-long lifetimes, and diffusion lengths are analyzed. Degradation effects associated with moisture and photo irradiation, as well as degradation of metallic electrodes to OHP solar cells have been considered. The application of carbon nanostructures: carbon nanotubes (CNT) and graphene as stable semitransparent charge collectors to OHP perovskites is demonstrated on the example of original results of authors.

(Invited) Carbon and Non-Carbon Nanomaterials for Sustainable Energy

For the last two decades, nanomaterials (NMs) have been successfully processed to impart superior mechanical, electrical and chemical properties to the materials used in innovative energy technologies that are critical for a sustainable energy future. It is important to know the possibilities as well as limitations of the use of NMs in providing sustainable solutions for issues of all forms of energy. The present talk will focus on the applications of carbon nanostructures (fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene) and metal oxides (ZnO and TiO2) for light weight composites for terrestrial and space transportation [1,2]; energy production such as solar cells and fuel cells; energy storage using supercapacitors [3,4] and batteries; and energy transmission using quantum wires. Incorporation of NM nanocomposite structures are being pursued for applications of hydrogen storage [5] as well. Life cycle assessment of these NMs as well as the environmental, health and safety considerations will be discussed.

Current state and perspectives for organo-halide perovskite solar cells. Part 1. Crystal structures and thin film formation, morphology, processing, degradation, stability improvement by carbon nanotubes. A review

The fundamental problems of the modern state of the studies of organic–inorganic organo-halide perovskites (OHP) as basis for high efficiency thin film solar cells are discussed. Perovskite varieties and background properties are introduced. The chronology of development of the studies in this direction has been presented – structural aspects of these OHP perovskites, from early 2D to recent 3D MAPbI3 perovskites and important technological aspects of smooth thin film structure creation by various techniques, such as solvent engineering, spin- and dip - coating, vacuum deposition, cation exchange approach, nanoimprinting (particularly, a many-sided role of polymers). The most important theoretical problems such as electronic structure of lattice, impurity and defect states in pure and mixed perovskites, suppressed electron-hole recombination, extra-long lifetimes, and diffusion lengths are analyzed. Degradation effects associated with moisture and photo irradiation, as well as degradation of metallic electrodes to OHP solar cells have been considered. The application of carbon nanostructures: carbon nanotubes (CNT) and graphene as stable semitransparent charge collectors to OHP perovskites is demonstrated on the example of original results of authors.

Application of carbon nanostructures toward SO2 and SO3 adsorption: a comparison between pristine graphene and N-doped graphene by DFT calculations

We studied the adsorption of SOx (x = 2,3) molecules on the surface of pristine graphene (PG) and N-doped graphene (NDG) by density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. We used Mulliken and NBO charge analysis to calculate the net charge transfer of adsorbed SOx on pristine and defected graphene systems. Our calculations reveal much higher adsorption energy and higher net charge transfer by using NDG instead of pristine graphene. Furthermore, the density of state (DOS) graphs point to major orbital hybridization between the SOx and NDG, while there is no evidence of hybridization by using pristine graphene. Based on our results, it is found that SO2 and SO3 molecules can be adsorbed on the surface of NDG physically and chemically with adsorption energies (Eads) of −27.5 and 65.2 kJ mol−1 (19.6 and 51.4 kJ mol−1 BSSE), respectively, while low adsorption energies were calculated in the case of using pristine graphene. So we introduced NDG as a sensitive adsorbent/sensor for detection of SO2 and SO3.

ChemInform Abstract: Recent Advances in Carbon Nanospheres: Synthetic Routes and Applications

AbstractReview: [66 refs.

Nanomaterials and Nanodevices for Energy Applications

Energy generation and storage are perhaps two of the most imperative, ongoing, and challenging issues facing the world to date. The rapidly growing global energy demand is placing increasingly greater burdens on the incumbent fossilfuel based infrastructure necessitating the development and mobilization of alternative technologies, particularly those focused on exploiting or scavenging new and clean energy sources alongside the development of highly efficient energy storage devices. Though advanced energy storage concepts and regenerative energy systems have been the focus of considerable attention over the past decade, the advent of the nanoage added traction to field by promising the potential to fabricate, for the first time, a wide range of truly novel devices that will enable this paradigm shift in energy applications. However, breakthroughs are needed to synthesize, engineer, and manufacture, en masse, nanomaterials and microand macrostructures based thereon. Central to this is a new understanding of the atomistic assembly of such materials in order to study energy transduction at nanoscale and to elucidate the underlying chemical and physical mechanism involved in high efficient energy conversion and storage. This special issue—which focuses on the science and engineering of nanomaterials and nanodevices used in all forms of energy harvesting, conversion, storage, and utilization—consists of 13 papers spanning topics detailing the empirical exploitation of nanowires for enhanced supercapacitors to thermoelectric generators, photocatalytic nanoparticles, and small molecule based organic solar cells. L. Chen et al. discuss the use of scanning force microscopy to investigate frictional images of newly cleaved surface domains of single crystal BaTiO 3 under ambipolar biases, providing a new method to determine domain polarization direction, whereas H.-S. Tsai et al. synthesized novel onedimensional SiO 2 /Ta 2 O 5 core-shell nanostructures, proposing a Ta-O diffusion-controlled growth process. P. Hiralal et al. report on the tailored growth of carbon nanostructures for application in high-frequency supercapacitors formed from engineered vertically aligned nanocarbon electrodes which are shown to enhance the porosity and electrolyte permeability within the device, resulting in a novel fabrication route to realise a functionally advanced compact energy storage platform. In a similar approach, H. Xu et al. summarise their work towards the preparation of Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles which facilitate long-lifetime and electrochemically superior supercapacitors by undertaking detailed studies of the electrode metrology. Z. Ma et al. report on energy recovery of coolant heat for internal combustion engines using thermoelectric generation technology. They showed that cooling improved with increased fan speeds and that the Seebeck coefficient was reduced with an increase in temperature difference between the two ends of thermoelectric generator.

Review of Electrochemical Capacitors Based on Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene

Electrochemical capacitors, which can store large amount of electrical energy with the capacitance of thousands of Farads, have recently been attracting enormous interest and attention. Carbon nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes and graphene are considered as the potentially revolutionary energy storage materials due to their excellent properties. This paper is focused on the application of carbon nanostructures in electrochemical capacitors, giving an overview regarding the basic mechanism, design, fabrication and achievement of latest research progresses for electrochemical capacitors based on carbon nanotubes, graphene and their composites. Their current challenges and future prospects are also discussed.

Systematization of data on the physical and chemical properties and application of carbon nanostructures

The methodical basics of creating information systems on the properties of nanoobjects are developed. It is shown that the main requirement for such systems is the capability of maintaining variations in the logical data structure which is manifested as they permanent change in the nomenclature of the characteristics and identification rules depending on a particular type of nanostructure. Computer technology of organization of the reference data collection taking into account the specific features of nanostructures and nanomaterials is proposed. Nanocarbon and a variety of its studied forms (fullerenes, nanotubes, nanodiamonds, etc.) in combination with continuous datastream on newly discovered forms, elucidation of their properties and potential application was taken for particular implementation of the database. The scheme of data description is based on multifactor classification of carbon nanoforms using topological features, type of chemical bonds, and multiple morphological features. The current content of the database is represented by the thermodynamic properties of fullerenes, their condensed analogues, and nanodiamond particles. It is shown that the database tools provide concentrated storage and dissemination of numerical and qualitative data for a variety of nanocarbon forms of different structure and typology.

Hot-filament CVD synthesis and application of carbon nanostructures

We have reported the catalyst-assisted hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) of various carbon nanostructures, such as carbon nanotube (CNT), nanoparticle (CNP), and nanofiber (CNF), and their application examples. In the case of CNT, vertically aligned high-density growth has been investigated in detail using in-situ optical reflectivity measurement. For CNF showing large field-emission currents, adsorbate-related emission behavior and the emission from patterned cathodes have been studied. Regarding CNP, the performances of a series of triode field emitters with CNP cathodes have been compared, and the application of CNP triode to miniature time-of-flight mass spectrometer has been discussed.