Graphene Nanostructures Research Articles

LOW-TEMPERATURE SYNTHESIS OF FINE-POROUS CORUNDUM BASED ON INCORPORATED GRAPHENE NANOSTRUCTURES

In the present paper, the effect of the addition of graphene nanostructures and 3 mass % TiO2 on the microstructure and properties of sintered corundum ceramics were studied. Fine-porous corundum ceramics were obtained by the method of solid-phase sintering at relatively low temperatures of 1450oC, by adding graphene nanostructures in an amount of 2 % or 20 %. To lower the synthesis temperature, 3 mass % TiO2 was added to the initial ceramic blends. As a result of the solid solution formed between Al2O3 and TiO2, a well-sintered corundum ceramic is obtained at synthesis temperature lower than that of pure corundum - 1450oС. For the characterization of the initial blends and the ceramic samples, the methods of X-ray phase analysis, infrared spectroscopy, SEM, TEM EDS and visual microscopy were used. Besides, the basic physicochemical properties of the samples synthesized based on corundum were determined, e.g. water absorption (WA, %), apparent density (AD, %) and apparent (open) porosity (Pa, %).

Enhancing aviation safety: Multifunctional graphene nanostructured foams for lightweight fire suppression materials

Fuel tank fires and explosions are the primary causes of military and civilian aircraft losses and have been a major concern for the aviation and defense industries. Passive protection systems with explosion-suppression materials generate a protected environment within fuel tanks before ignition can occur and help prevent catastrophic failures. To minimize these concerns, open-cell reticulated polyurethane foams are extensively used in passive protection systems. However, fire- and explosion-related incidents are still taking place and need to be urgently addressed for aviation safety. This study investigates the effects of graphene nanostructured foams for redesigning the next-generation lightweight fire-retardant materials in aviation. Graphene foams have a unique open-cell morphology with three dimensional (3D) continuous and interconnected network structures and hollow features, which can be suitable for aircraft and defense applications. In this study, mechanical and thermal characterizations tests were conducted on graphene nanostructured foams for a better evaluation. Mechanical loading-unloading studies highlighted their outstanding mechanical energy-absorption capabilities against external loads. The thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the graphene foams provided excellent thermal properties against fire and high-temperature degradation. It was also confirmed that graphene foams uniquely manifested self-extinguishing characteristics during burning tests without catching fire or dripping for secondary fire formations. According to the tube explosion experiments, the graphene foams kept their appearance and strength after blast impacts and elevated explosion temperatures and shock waves. As a result, the proposed multifunctional graphene micro- and nanofoams offer significant potential for the next-generation fire- and explosion-suppression materials in various critical industries, such as aircraft, defense, space, drone, energy, and automotive.

Flexible Supercapacitor Device Based on Laser‐Synthesized Nanographene for Low‐Power Applications

Laser‐induced graphene (LIG) and laser‐induced reduced graphene oxide (LIrGO) are two relatively recent graphene‐based nanoscale materials suitable for miniaturized flexible supercapacitors. This study employs direct laser engraving techniques to generate patterns on flexible substrates, such as paper and polyamide (PI). This methodology allows fine control over the formed nanographene structures to fabricated LIG and LIrGO supercapacitors. The LIG on PI exhibits a distinctive porous structure and high surface area, adsorption, and transportation of ions. Furthermore, paper‐based LIrGO electrodes are recyclable and are formed in a single step. The morphological study is done using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. Galvanostatic charge–discharge studies at 0.05 mA cm−2 current density show an areal capacitance of 3.69 mF cm−2 for LIG and 1.61 mF cm−2 for LIrGO. The comparable energy densities for LIG and LIrGO are 0.32 and 0.16 μWh cm−2, respectively. From the calculative analysis of both types, the variation in specific areal capacitance enabling effective is 56.3% from GCD, indicating that the LIG device performs better. Finally, a portable potentiostat is employed to investigate the viability of utilizing supercapacitors to operate self‐powered sensors in a portable and integrable fashion.

Nonlinear Thermoplasmonics in Graphene Nanostructures.

The linear electronic dispersion relation of graphene endows the atomically thin carbon layer with a large intrinsic optical nonlinearity, with regard to both parametric and photothermal processes. While plasmons in graphene nanostructures can further enhance nonlinear optical phenomena, boosting resonances to the technologically relevant mid- and near-infrared (IR) spectral regimes necessitates patterning on ∼10 nm length scales, for which quantum finite-size effects play a crucial role. Here we show that thermoplasmons in narrow graphene nanoribbons can be activated at mid- and near-IR frequencies with moderate absorbed energy density, and furthermore can drive substantial third-harmonic generation and optical Kerr nonlinearities. Our findings suggest that photothermal excitation by ultrashort optical pulses offers a promising approach to enable nonlinear plasmonic phenomena in nanostructured graphene that avoids potentially invasive electrical gating schemes and excessive charge carrier doping levels.

Evaluation of antiviral efficacy of graphene oxide nanosheets on dengue virus-infected Vero cells: in-vitro and in-silico approaches

Emerging viral diseases have led to an increased demand for novel therapeutic medicines. Graphene nanostructures exhibit excellent inhibitory antiviral effects owing to their unique physic-chemical properties. In this study we have investigated the potential of graphene oxide (GO) nanostructures for antiviral activity. GO was synthesized by Modified Hummer’s method and fully characterized using several chemical-physical techniques to confirm the structure, morphology, optical properties, chemical composition and oxidation states. The antiviral property of the GO was investigated against serotype-2 dengue virus. The results suggest that the antiviral action is attributed to the negative charge of the graphene sheets due to the presence of oxygenated functional groups. Dengue virus −2 infection was suppressed by 90% with GO in a dose-dependent manner. Cytotoxic features of GO against Vero cells were observed when treated at higher concentrations (>75 μg ml−1 IC 50 concentration). The in-silico investigation showed that the interaction between GO nanosheets and serotype-2 dengue virus occurred within the ligand-protein complex as confirmed by molecular docking studies. These results emphasize that GO has strong antiviral activity against serotype-2 dengue virus.

Analogical atomic effects of graphene nanostructure induced by nonlinearity.

A scheme to construct analogical atoms using graphene nanostructures via quantum nonlinearity is proposed. Due to the strong field localization capability of graphene plasmons and the significant intrinsic nonlinearity of graphene, a strong nonlinear optical response can be realized even with single-photon excitation. In this process, the quantum vacuum localized plasmonic mode plays a crucial role in achieving the third-order multi-photon nonlinear effect. The eigenfrequency of the nanostructure can shift by an amount tens of times larger than the decay rate, causing the nanostructure cavity to exhibit atomic-like behaviors. Furthermore, multilevel atoms can be constructed through the interaction of composite graphene nanostructures. The parameters of these atoms can be manipulated by adjusting the nanostructure size, Fermi energy, and other parameters. This research holds significant potential for applications in highly integrated, controllable nanophotonics.

Flagella, palmella and cyst Haematococcus lacustris microalgae cells decorated on graphene oxide and graphene nanoplatelets-activated carbon as novel adsorbents for the removal of lead from water

Industrialization has led to generation of large quantities of waste which constitutes various toxic heavy metals such as lead (Pb). In this work, novel bio-nanostructured graphene-based microalgae nanohybrid adsorbents, using three different cell types of Haematococcus lacustris (i.e., flagella (flg-C), palmella (Pal-C) and cyst (Cyst-C)) to introduce more functional moieties and enhance the surface properties of the nanohybrids. The nanostructured graphene oxide-activated carbon modified with algae cells (GO-AC@algae) and graphene nanoplatelets-activated carbon modified with algae cells (GNPs-AC@algae) nanohybrids were characterized and used for the removal of Pb ions. The GO-AC@algae nanohybrids demonstrated a high lead removal efficiency of over 98.0%, whereas the GNPs-AC@algae nanohybrids achieved more than 85.0%. Among the GO-AC@algae nanohybrids, the nanohybrid with cyst cell (GO-AC@Cyst-C) shown remarkable efficacy as an adsorbent for the removal of Pb2+ ions from aqueous solutions due to its high specific area, abundance of oxygen-nitrogen-based functional moieties, hydrophilicity, and pore structure. Chemisorption was found to be a beneficial process for both GO-AC@algae and GNPs-AC@algae samples, where Pb2+ was adsorbed in a single layer onto the uniform material surface. Among the various adsorbents, GO-AC@Cyst-C achieved the highest monolayer adsorption capacity of 25.58 mg/g according to the Langmuir model, making it the most effective nanoadsorbents. Kinetic studies revealed that the sorption mechanism of GO-AC@algae were better described by the second-order kinetic model. Meanwhile, the first-order kinetic model was found to be suited for GNPs-AC@algae samples. The nanohybrids could be employed as greener adsorbents at industrial scale for wastewater treatment without incurring significant costs.

Renewable Resources as Promising Materials for Obtaining Graphene Oxide-like Structures.

Currently, one of the topical directions in the field of production and application of graphene-like nanostructures is the use of renewable natural raw materials, which have unlimited resources for an economically efficient large-scale yield of a product with environmental safety. In this regard, we present the production of graphene oxide (GO) from a renewable natural raw material of plant biomass, birch activated carbon (BAC), and a comparison of the obtained physicochemical, mechanical, and electrical properties of birch activated carbon-graphene oxide (BAC-GO) and graphite-graphene oxide (G-GO) synthesized from the initial materials, BAC and graphite (G). Results obtained from this study confirm the successful oxidation of BAC, which correlates well with the physical-chemical dates of the G-GO and BAC-GO samples. Change in data after the oxidation of graphite and BAC was facilitated by the structure of the starting materials and, presumably, the location and content of functional oxygen-containing groups in the G-GO and BAC-GO chains. Based on the results, the application of a cost-effective, eco-friendly colloidal solution of nanodispersed BAC-GO from a plant biomass-based high-quality resource for producing large-scale nanostructured graphene is validated which has potential applicability in nanoelectronics, medicine, and other fields.

On-surface synthesis of porous graphene nanoribbons mediated by phenyl migration

Advancements in the on-surface synthesis of atomically precise graphene nanostructures are propelled by the introduction of innovative precursor designs and reaction types. Until now, the latter has been confined to cross-coupling and cyclization reactions that involve the cleavage of specific atoms or groups. In this article, we elucidate how the migration of phenyl substituents attached to graphene nanoribbons can be harnessed to generate arrays of [18]-annulene pores at the edges of the nanostructures. This sequential pathway is revealed through a comprehensive study employing bond-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy and ab-initio computational techniques. The yield of pore formation is maximized by anchoring the graphene nanoribbons at steps of vicinal surfaces, underscoring the potential of these substrates to guide reaction paths. Our study introduces a new reaction to the on-surface synthesis toolbox along with a sequential route, altogether enabling the extension of this strategy towards the formation of other porous nanostructures.

First-principles study of O3 molecule adsorption on pristine, N, Ga-doped and -Ga-N- co-doped graphene

The adsorption of O3 molecules (ozone) on graphene, N-doped graphene, Ga-doped graphene, and -Ga-N- co-doped graphene with an emphasis on O3 detection was examined in this work. The physical characteristics of -Ga-N-co-doped graphene are significantly altered upon O3 adsorption, which makes it a suitable choice for O3 detection molecular sensors. The interaction between the O3 molecule and the adsorbent is explained on the basis of their adsorption energy, adsorption distance and charge transfer. It was found that the adsorption of ozone molecules on the -Ga-N- co-doped graphene was more favorable in energy than that on the pristine one, representing the superior sensing performance of -Ga-N- co-doped system. In our work, we estimated the charge transfer between the O3 molecule and doped graphene nanostructures based on Mulliken population analysis. The calculated adsorption energy value shows the ozone molecule more firmly adsorbs on the surface of -Ga-N- co-doped graphene nanostructures (Eads = –1.74 eV) than that of pristine graphene (Eads = –0.41 eV), deriving from a stronger covalent bond between the ozone molecule and the -Ga- N- co-doped graphene nanostructures. Our findings thus suggest that -Ga-N- co-doped graphene could be a highly efficient gas sensor device for O3 detection in the environment.

Nonlinear Response of Nanostructured Graphene to Circularly Polarized Light

Nonlinear Response of Nanostructured Graphene to Circularly Polarized Light

Наноструктурные материалы для хранения энергии: инновации и применение

Background: As the world shifts towards renewable energy, there is a growing demand for efficient energy storage systems. Because of their unique features, nanostructured materials have emerged as key to improving the performance and efficiency of these storage systems. Objective: This research aims to assess the most recent discoveries and uses of nanostructured materials in energy storage technologies, emphasizing its disruption in the industry. Methods: A detailed assessment of recent advances was undertaken, focusing on diverse nanostructured materials utilized in batteries, supercapacitors, and other energy storage systems. Synthesis and characterization techniques for these materials and their incorporation into energy storage devices were investigated. Results: The nanostructured materials considerably increase energy density, charge/discharge speeds, and durability of energy storage devices. Graphene, carbon nanotubes, and metal-oxide nanostructures have significantly improved performance metrics across various applications. Conclusion: Nanostructured materials have to revolutionize energy storage systems. Continued research and development in this sector are critical for developing high-performance, long-term energy storage technologies capable of meeting the growing demands of contemporary technology and renewable energy systems. Further investigation into these materials' scalability and environmental effects is necessary to ensure their practicality and sustainability.

Improved photocatalytic performance of cobalt doped ZnS decorated with graphene nanostructures under ultraviolet and visible light for efficient hydrogen production

Highly dispersed Cobalt doped ZnS nanostructures were successfully fabricated on the surfaces of graphene sheets via a simple hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photocurrent spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy (RS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized to analyze the structural characteristics of the cobalt doped ZnS decorated with graphene CoxZn1-xS\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${\\rm Co}_x{\\rm Zn}_{1-x}{\\rm S}$$\\end{document} rGO nanostructures (NSs). UV-visible optical absorption (UV-vis) studies were conducted to investigate their optical properties. In laboratory studies utilizing water and visible light, the photocatalytic activity of CoxZn1-xS\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${\\rm Co}_x{\\rm Zn}_{1-x}S$$\\end{document}rGO NSs at (x = 0, 1, 2, 4 and 6 atm.%) were evaluated. Graphite Oxide (GO) was successfully transformed into sheets of graphene and CoxZn1-xSrGO\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${\\rm Co}_x{\\rm Zn}_{1-x}{\\rm S \\, rGO}$$\\end{document} NSs possessed a crystalline structure according to the findings of XRD, RS and FTIR analysis. SEM investigation showed graphene sheets enhanced with ZnS NSs possessed cuboidal, spheroidal form of structure and displayed a paper like appearance. UV-vis confirmed a noticeable rapid increase in transmittance along the UV wavelength area and confirmed a highly transparent NSs in the wavelength range of (180-800 nm). Calculations using density functional theory (DFT) revealed that the Co NSs have more negative conduction bands than ZnS, allowing for effective electron transfer from cobalt to ZnS and exhibiting a band gap decrease as Co content increased. The Co0.04Zn0.96S\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${\\rm Co}_{0.04}{\\rm Zn}_{0.96}S$$\\end{document} rGO NSs sample had the highest photocatalytic activity, measured at 7648.9μmolh-1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$7648.9 \\, \\upmu {\\rm mol} \\, {\\rm h}^{-1}$$\\end{document}. A combination of improved dispersion properties, greater surface area, increased absorption and enhanced transfer of photogenerated electrons, CoxZn1-xS\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${\\rm Co}_x{\\rm Zn}_{1-x}S$$\\end{document} rGO NSs increased the photocatalytic hydrogen generation activity.

Enhanced Performance for Li & Na Ion Battery Anodes by Charge Modulation of Interface Through SiC4 and SiN1C3 Active Centers on Silicon Nitrogen Co‐Doped Graphene

AbstractHeteroatom doping of graphene is a powerful approach to develop high‐performance Li and Na ion battery anodes. In this study, silicon‐nitrogen co‐doped graphene (Si−N−GN) nanostructures were successfully synthesized via a rational and scalable solvothermal process. The performances of Si−N−GN in Na+ and Li+ half‐cells were investigated in detail by advanced electrochemical techniques and the obtained results were analyzed in terms of Si−N−GN surface properties, reaction kinetics, and electrode/interface interactions. Si−N−GN exhibited a superior capacity of 540 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1 for Li+ and improved rate capability for both Li+ and Na+ which are linked with the increased interlayer spacing and enlarged graphene sheets upon Si‐doping. Importantly, the capacity increased with the number of cycles owing to surface electron density redistribution and Si−N−GN/SEI interactions, supported by DFT.

Enhanced the sensing sensitivity of the metamaterial absorbers with patterned convex graphene in the terahertz

Abstract In this paper, a patterned graphene metamaterial terahertz absorber is theoretically designed. The proposed absorber consists of a gold layer, a dielectric layer of SiO2, and graphene. The sensing sensitivity of the proposed absorber is simulated for the absence and presence of a square convex nanostructure, trapezoidal convex nanostructure, and rounded convex nanostructure. The sensitivity comparison between convex and absent convex nanostructures is studied, compared to no convex nanostructure, the simulated results show that the sensing sensitivity can be improved with the convex nanostructures, it is found that the absorber has two obvious absorption peaks, and it is insensitive to TE and TM polarization, and the maximum sensitivity corresponding to low-frequency and high-frequency modes is 0.911 THz RIU−1 and 1.561 THz RIU−1, respectively. Our work will play an important role in improving the sensing sensitivity of the graphene metamaterial absorber. Meanwhile, it can also greatly promote the application of biological sensing, modulation, integrated photodetectors, frequency selectors, sensors, filters and so on.

Environmental and Energy Applications of Graphene-Based Nanocomposites: A Brief Review

Chemically stable two-dimensional nanostructured graphene with huge surface area, high electrical conductivity and mechanical excellence has gained significant research attention in the past two decades. Its excellent characteristics make graphene one of the important materials in various applications such as environmental and energy storage devices. Graphene no doubt has been a top priority among the carbon nanomaterials owing to its structure and properties. However, the functionalization of graphene leads to various nanocomposites where its properties are tailored to be suited for various applications with more performance, environmental friendliness, efficiency, durability and cost effectiveness. Graphene nanocomposites are said to exhibit more surface area, conductivity, power conversion efficiency and other characteristics in energy devices like supercapacitors. This review was aimed to present some of the applications of graphene-based nanocomposites in energy conversion devices like supercapacitors and Li-ion batteries and some of the environmental applications. It was observed that the performance of supercapacitors was obstructed due to restacking and agglomeration of graphene layers. This was addressed by combining MO (metal oxide) or CP (conducting polymer) with graphene as material for electrodes. Electrodes with CP or MO/graphene composites are summarized. Heterogeneous catalysts were of environmental concern in recent years. In this context, graphene-based nanocomposites gained significance due to expansion in structural diversity. A minimum overview is presented in this paper in terms of structural aspects and properties of GO/rGO-based materials used in supercapacitors and environmental applications like dye removal. Continuous efforts towards synthesis of productive graphene-based nanocomposites might lead to significant output in applications related to environment and energy sectors.

Thermal conductivity of boronated-holey graphene under mechanical strain: Insights from molecular dynamics

Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics is used to elucidate the thermal properties of 2D boronated-holey graphene (C2B) nanostructures under different mechanical strain levels. First, the thermal conductivity of strain-free monolayers was explored over a wide range of sheet width and length and system temperature. At room temperature, the thermal conductivity of C2B was calculated to be ∼40 W/(m.K) which was lower than its C2N counterpart with k = ∼60 W/(m.K).Next, the thermal conductivity of C2B (and C2N) monolayer was examined under both uniaxial and biaxial tensile strains. Interestingly, the thermal conductivity shows a maximum in both types of strains. Further examinations revealed that the rippling in C2B (C2N) decreases under applying strain up to 2 % (12 %) and 2–6% (4 %) for uniaxial and biaxial strains, respectively, which is responsible for the primarily enhanced thermal conductivities. Finally, a machine-learning model was applied to estimate the thermal conductivity of C2B at desired length and strain level.

On-Surface Synthesis of Open-Shell Nanographenes through the π-Extension of Dibenzo[Hi,St]Ovalene

Graphene nanostructures are attracting attentions for their intriguing optical, electronic, and magnetic properties that are critically dependent on their chemical structures. Whereas it is challenging to obtain atomically precise structures by typical top-down fabrication methods, such as lithographic patterning of graphene and unzipping of carbon nanotubes, bottom-up synthesis enables the preparation of molecular nanographenes and graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with pre-designed structures. In addition to the solution synthesis based on the methods of synthetic organic chemistry, such graphene nanostructures can also be synthesized on metal surfaces under ultrahigh vacuum conditions and directly visualized by atomic resolution scanning probe microscopy (SPM) [1]. Using carefully designed and solution-synthesized molecular precursors, this on-surface synthesis method can provide various nanographenes, including the structures that are highly unstable under ambient conditions. We have previously developed the solution synthesis of dibenzo[hi,st]ovalene (DBOV) with strong red fluorescence [2], and achieved its π-extension to circumpyrene [3]. Following the successful synthesis of rhombus-shaped nanographenes with four zigzag edges, showing a closed-shell or an open-shell depending on the size [4], we functionalized DBOV and circumpyrene with two 2,6-dimethylphenyl groups for their on-surface π-extension to unprecedented zigzag-edged nanographenes. The resulting structures were clearly visualized by scanning tunneling microcopy and their open-shell characters were indicated by theoretical and experimental investigations, revealing large magnetic exchange couplings of up to 190 meV [5]. We have more recently also achieved further π-extension of these open-shell nanographenes on surface and obtained initial results for their polymerization.[1] Chen, Z.; Narita, A.; Müllen, K.; Adv. Mater. 2020, 32, 2001893.[2] Paternò, G. M.; Chen, Q.; Wang, X.-Y.; Liu, J.; Motti, S. G.; Petrozza, A.; Feng, X.; Lanzani, G.; Müllen, K.; Narita, A.; Scotognella, F., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 6753–6757.[3] Chen, Q.; Schollmeyer, D.; Müllen, K.; Narita, A., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 19994–19999.[4] Mishra, S.; Yao, X.; Chen, Q.; Eimre, K.; Gröning, O.; Ortiz, R.; Di Giovannantonio, M.; Sancho-García, J. C.; Fernández-Rossier, J.; Pignedoli, C. A.; Müllen, K.; Ruffieux, P.; Narita, A.; Fasel, R.; Nat. Chem. 2021, 13, 581.[5] Biswas, K.; Soler, D.; Mishra, S.; Chen, Q.; Yao, X.; Sánchez-Grande, A.; Eimre, K.; Mutombo, P.; Martín-Fuentes, C.; Lauwaet, K.; Gallego, J. M.; Ruffieux, P.; Pignedoli, C. A.; Müllen, K.; Miranda, R.; Urgel, J. I.; Narita, A.; Fasel, R.; Jelínek, P.; Écija, D. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 2968–2974.

Synthetic Electronics

Building electronic circuitry with atomic precision is beyond the capability of current, as well as in the foreseeable future, top-down lithographic techniques. In recent years, the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) has championed several research initiatives that sought to address this key challenge. One of the most exciting development and initial success that resulted from these initiatives is a bottom-up chemical synthesis technique that has proven highly effective at assembling two-dimensional (2D) graphene nanostructures with spatial resolution down to single atom and single bond level. In this presentation I will briefly review, from a government program manager perspective, the current status of this exciting new research field which I call Synthetic Electronics. I will highlight some recent technical and scientific advances, such as various on-surface synthesis techniques, that enable and help define future directions of synthetic electronics. I will share some of my own personal perspectives and speculate on possible future directions, and also draw attention to some of the major challenges that are facing synthetic electronics. The motivation behind the discussion is to socialize the basic ideas and capabilities with, and seek feedback from, the relevant research communities, in order to inform and further refine research agenda in the future.

Graphene in Medicine: Revolutionizing Healthcare through Advanced Nanomaterials

Nanomaterials, particularly carbon-based structures like graphene nanostructures, have revolutionized science and technology, offering groundbreaking advancements in bioengineering and medicine. These developments have enhanced our ability to detect, diagnose, and treat diseases, leading to significant innovations in therapy methods. The evolving field of graphene synthesis, with its less complex and more effective strategies, has captured the scientific community's interest. This review seeks to delve into the latest progress in the creation and application of graphene-based nanomaterials, especially their role in biomedical applications, with a primary focus on drug delivery systems. Graphene has emerged as a versatile material in the medical field. Its application as a sensor in monitoring vital parameters such as blood pressure and blood sugar levels, as well as nitric oxide levels in oxygen, has been noteworthy. In dentistry, graphene, combined with specific peptides, can identify individual bacterial strains, aiding in accurate disease diagnosis. Its role as an immunosensor is also significant, enabling the detection of trace amounts of substances like growth hormones. In the battle against cancer, graphene has shown promising results. It is actively being researched for broader medical applications including cancer therapy, diagnostic tools for diseases, tissue engineering, implants, DNA sequencing, biomarker identification, genetic material transfer, and in the combined fields of biomedical imaging and neuroscience. This review underscores the potential of graphene in medical science. As research continues, it is anticipated that graphene-based technologies will significantly contribute to personalized therapies, enhancing healthcare quality. The conclusion of this review emphasizes the need for ongoing research to explore and refine graphene-derived smart therapeutics. Such advancements will not only improve patient care but also drive us towards the zenith of human welfare, showcasing the transformative impact of nanotechnology in healthcare.Keywords: Graphene, Biomedical Applications, Drug Delivery Systems, Diagnostic Innovations and Personalized Therapeutics