Polyaniline Nanosheets Research Articles

Construction of Solution Processable NUS-8/PANI Nanosheets via Template-Directed Polymerization for Ultratrace Gas Sensing.

The advancement of wireless gas sensing signifies a substantial leap forward in gas detection and intelligent monitoring technologies. This necessitates stringent design criteria for gas sensitive materials with good solution processability, conductivity, and porosity, whose design and synthesis remain challenging yet highly sought-after. Herein, the fabrication of NUS-8/polyaniline (PANI) nanosheets is presented with excellent solution processability, high porosity, triboelectric property, and superior electrical conductivity via a template-directed polymerization strategy. Solution processable NUS-8 nanosheets, synthesized directly by a "one-pot" approach, serve as templates to enhance the "on-site" polymerization of aniline, resulting in the formation of PANI layer on NUS-8 nanosheets with a thickness of 7nm. The resultant NUS-8/PANI nanosheets exhibit outstanding solution processability, and a film conductivity of 8.6 Sm-1. The solution processability enables the facile fabrication of homogeneous and compact NUS-8/PANI films and thus their integration onto electronic devices targeted for multifunctional sensing. The NUS-8/PANI coated sensors demonstrate sensitive and selective detection at room temperature toward ultratrace ammonia with a detection limit of 120 ppb. A wireless sensing system based on the NUS-8/PANI-coated sensor is capable to monitor the spoilage process of meat. This study paves novel avenues for designing and synthesizing gas-sensitive materials for practical applications.

Polyaniline nanosheets templated from aniline‒acid precipitates and their electrochemical performance for flexible supercapacitor

The simple synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) polyaniline (PANI) structures remains a big challenge owing to the intrinsic growth of PANI chains into one-dimensional structures and the curling of the PANI chains into spherical particles. In this contribution, we report on the simple synthesis of PANI nanosheets by oxidizing aniline–acid precipitates with ammonium persulfate (APS) through a chemical oxidation polymerization method. The tested acids include methylene disulfonic acid, sulfuric acid, benzoic acid, oxalic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, hydrochloric acid, and acetic acid. The aniline–acid precipitates serve as separation-free templates for producing PANI nanosheets. The yield, oxidation level, electronic conductivity, conjugation length, and thickness of the PANI nanosheets can be tuned by controlling the molar ratio of aniline/APS. The electrochemical performance of PANI nanosheets-based symmetric supercapacitors was examined at the temperature ranging from room temperature to –60 °C. The PANI nanosheets with relatively high specific surface area rather than the oxidation level manifest superior electrochemical performance.

Polydopamine wrapped polyaniline nanosheets: Synthesis and anticorrosion application for waterborne epoxy coatings

Two-dimensional materials have been proved to be effective in improving the performance of anticorrosive coatings. However, most of the reported two-dimensional materials only have the ability to passively block corrosive media and cannot effectively inhibit localized corrosion reactions at the metal/coating interface. Herein, we first synthesized a novel polyaniline (PANI) nanosheet with both barrier and passivation functions for metals. In addition, polydopamine (PDA) wrapped PANI nanosheets (PANI@PDA) were obtained by in situ self-polymerization reaction of dopamine on the PANI surface, which enhance its interfacial interaction with polymeric resin. The chemical structure, morphology and corrosion inhibition properties of the nanosheets were systematically analyzed. The incorporated PANI@PDA nanosheets in composite coating provide a longer penetration path for corrosive mediums. Secondly, the uniformly dispersed two-dimensional nanosheets induce the formation of passivation film on the metal substrate. The protective effect of PANI@PDA nanosheets on coatings was verified by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Results indicated that the prepared composite coating exhibited excellent corrosion resistance throughout the test cycle. This simple and effective modification strategy based on conductive polymers provides a new insight into the development of environmentally adaptive composite coatings with active and passive protection.

Higher energy density of MoSe2/polyaniline capsule nanospheres for enhanced performance supercapacitor

It is very important to develop novel nanocomposites as electrode materials for supercapacitors (SCs). MoSe2 porous nanospheres were prepared by one-step hydrothermal method, and polyaniline (PANI) nanosheets were grown in situ to obtain MoSe2/PANI capsule nanospheres (CNs). By changing the amount of aniline, it was found that MoSe2/PANI-16 CNs had the best electrochemical performance, and a high specific capacitance of 753.2 F g−1 was obtained at a current density of 1 A g−1. In addition, the interface electron transport path was clarified that a C–Mo–Se bridge bonds may be formed for rapid electron transfer. The reaction kinetics was also explored. The large specific surface areas of MoSe2/PANI CNs provided more reactive sites, so that the contribution of pseudocapacitance was much larger than diffusion capacitance. The assembled MoSe2/PANI//activated carbon asymmetric supercapacitor has a energy density of 20.1 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 650 W kg−1. These results indicate that the MoSe2/PANI CNs are a promising electrode material.

PANI/Ti3C2Tx composite nanofiber-based flexible conductometric sensor for the detection of NH3 at room temperature

The rational design of sensing materials with distinct morphologies and compositions is important to construct outstanding flexible gas sensors. Herein, a mesh polyaniline (PANI)/Ti3C2Tx composite nanofiber-based flexible sensor was constructed by electrospinning of PANI and few-layer Ti3C2Tx nanosheets. Sensing results indicated that this novel PANI/Ti3C2Tx flexible sensor demonstrated much higher NH3 sensing response (2.3-fold improvement @ 20 ppm) in comparison with the sensor based on pure PANI nanofibers at 25 °C. Under different bending angles (maximum compression of 150°) and different bending times (maximum bending of 3200 times), the PANI/Ti3C2Tx flexible sensor maintained steady sensing behavior towards 20 ppm NH3, which reflected its good flexible bending stability. The PANI/Ti3C2Tx flexible sensor also exhibited good selectivity, repeatability, as well as good long-term stability. The improvement of NH3 sensing properties can be ascribed to the formation of Schottky junctions between PANI and Ti3C2Tx nanosheets, improved protonation degree of PANI, and the special three-dimensional mesh fiber structure. Our work revealed that the PANI/Ti3C2Tx composite nanofibers with interconnected mesh fiber structure have great potential to construct flexible NH3 sensors.

Grown of flower-like polyaniline nanosheet clusters on carbon cloth for enhanced electrochemical energy storage

Layered nanomaterials with hierarchically porous structure are reported to exhibit superior capacitive properties due to the facilitated electrolyte adsorption and migration process. In this work, polyaniline (PANI) nanosheet assembled flowers were successfully grown on carbon cloth (CC) through a simple repeated-deposition method. In this research, it is found that the affinity between the pre-loaded PANI and the new aniline monomer play an decisive role in the formation of product with nanosheet morphology. The typical hierarchically porous structure and the high redox activity of PANI endow CC/PANI4 with high specific capacitances of 1421.9 mF cm−2 (643.4 F g−1) at 1 mA cm−2 and 1101.2 mF cm−2 (498.3 F g−1) at 50 mA cm−2 in three-electrode system, as well as a stable charge-discharge behavior with 68.75% capacitance retention after 5000 cyclic tests. This research provides a new strategy for the construction of PANI with optimized sheet-assembled structures and also high electrochemical performances on flexible substrates.

Algae extract delamination of molybdenum disulfide and surface modification with glycidyl methacrylate and polyaniline for the elimination of metal ions from wastewater

A special type of two-dimensional (2D) material based conducting polymer was constructed by green synthesis and in-situ polymerization techniques. The 2D Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) were first synthesized with the combination of, ammonium tetrathiomolybdate dissolved in 20 mL algae extract under stirring. After stirring for about 2 h, and then finally sulfurization was initiated using sulfur powder in 20 mL of sulfuric solution and stirred for 8 h. The resulting black precipitates of MoS2 were collected by centrifugation at 5000 rpm. Moreover, the prepared MoS2 was functionalized with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and form the MoS2@PGMA. Further, the MoS2@PGMA is combined with polyaniline (PANI) to form conducting polymer grafted thin film nanosheets named MoS2@PGMA/PANI with a thickness in micrometer size through grafting method. The prepared materials were characterized by SEM, FTIR, XRD, XPS and EDX techniques. To check the performance of materials the adsorption study was performed. Moreover, the adsorption study toward Cu2+ and Cd2+ showed a tremendous results and the maximum adsorption was 307.7 mg/g and 214.7 mg/g respectively. In addition, the pseudo-first and second order models as well as the adsorption isotherm were investigated using the Langmuir and Freundlich model. The results were best fitted with the pseudo-second order and Langmuir models. The regeneration study was also conducted and MoS2@PGMA/PANI nanosheets can be easily recycled and restored after five successful recycling. The established methodology for preparing the 2D materials and conducting polymer based MoS2@PGMA/PANI nanosheets is expected to be applicable for other multiple applications.

Fabrication of MXene (Ti2C3Tx) based conducting polymer materials and their applications as anticancer and metal ions removal from wastewater

A new types of 2D MXene based conducting polymer materials was constructed by in-situ polymerization techniques. In addition, the MXene (Ti3C2Tx) was synthesized with the combination of Ti3AlC2 and HF, after successful preparation of Ti3C2Tx then, their surface was functionalized with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and formed the Ti3C2Tx@PGMA. Further, the Ti3C2Tx@PGMA is combined with polyaniline (PANI) to form conducting polymer grafted thin film nanosheets named Ti3C2Tx@PGMA/PANI with a thickness in micrometer size through the grafting method. The prepared materials were characterized by SEM, FTIR, XRD, XPS, and EDX techniques. To check the performance of materials, the in-vitro anticancer activities were performed with laser and without laser. Ti3C2Tx@PGMA/PANI-treated cancer cells exposed to an 808 nm laser (0.48 W cm2, 10 min) showed a significant anticancer impact, and practically all anticancer cells were destroyed. The MTT findings demonstrating the effective in vitro anticancer impact of Ti3C2Tx@PGMA/PANI were supported by the Calcein AM/PI double staining examination. Additionally, an adsorption investigation was conducted using the metals Cr3+ and pb2+, and the maximum adsorption reached 303.3 and 201.6 mg/g, correspondingly. The recovering study was also conducted, and Ti3C2Tx@PGMA/PANI nanosheets can be easily recycled and regenerated after ten successful recovering recycle. It is anticipated that the developed process for making the MXene and conducting polymer-based Ti3C2Tx@PGMA/PANI nanosheets would be usable for various other advanced applications.

Hybrid MXene (Ti3C2Tx)/polyaniline nanosheets as additives for enhancing anticorrosion properties of Zn-epoxy coating

Corrosion is a problematic and costly issue in various technological fields, especially in marine, automobile, rail, and building industries. To effectively cope with this issue, transition-metal carbides (Ti3C2Tx), a 2-dimensional conductive material, functionalized with polyaniline (PANI) have been developed and applied as anticorrosion additive in a Zn-epoxy coating, due to its high specific surface area, excellent electronic conductivity and ease of surface modifications. Ti3C2Tx functionalized with PANI (Ti3C2Tx/PANI) was fabricated via an in-situ polymerization of aniline monomer using ammonium persulphate initiator. The presence of crystalline PANI molecules in the interlayer and on the surface of Ti3C2Tx was reflected by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The formation of crystalline PANI in the interlayer of Ti3C2Tx created the conductive pathway for increased electrical conductivity and enhanced compatibility with the epoxy matrix. The Ti3C2Tx/PANI composites were sonicated into ultrathin nanosheets, dispersed in the Zn-epoxy resin, and applied as an anticorrosion coating on steel substrates. Their anticorrosion performance was evaluated using an accelerated immersion test in severe acidic solution. The inclusion of 2.0 wt% Ti3C2Tx/PANI into the Zn-epoxy coating showed lower amounts of corrosion products, water adsorption, and leached iron concentration than pure epoxy and the Zn-epoxy coatings, indicating an enhanced anticorrosion property of the developed composites.

Electrodeposition of polyaniline on high electroactive indium tin oxide nanoparticles-modified fluorine doped tin oxide electrode for fabrication of high-performance hybrid supercapacitor

In this study, hierarchical polyaniline (PANI) nanosheets were electrochemically deposited on indium tin oxide nanoparticles coated fluorine-doped tin oxide glass (ITONPs-FTO) substrate from an aqueous solution containing 0.5 M aniline and 1 M H2SO4. The ITONPs provide efficient support with high electroactive surface area in the electrochemical deposition of PANI and produce excellent PANI films. The developed PANI film deposited on the ITONPs-FTO electrode was characterized via field-emission scanning-electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) was fabricated using the developed PANI deposited ITONPs-FTO as a positrode and the jute sticks derived activated carbon nanosheets coated FTO (JAC-FTO) as a negatrode. Because of its high capacitive performance, unique structures of electrode materials, and optimum operating potential window, the fabricated PANI-ITONPs-FTO//JAC-FTO HSC performed excellently in 0.1 M HCl aqueous electrolyte, delivering a high areal capacitance of 318 mF/cm2 at a 1.0 mA/cm2 current density and exhibit a high energy density of 28 µWh/cm2 at a high power density of 400 µW/cm2. Moreover, the HSC exhibits excellent cyclic stability with ∼ 87% Coulombic efficiency and ∼ 91% capacitance retention after 1000 charge–discharge cycles.

Polyaniline intercalated vanadium pentoxide nanosheets for the improvement of lubricity of base oil

Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanosheets were prepared and tested as an additive to improve the wear/friction-reducing and load-carrying properties of the base lube, paraffin oil. For further advancement of these properties, in situ intercalation of polyaniline (PANI) was achieved hydrothermally using the starting materials as V2O5 powder and aniline. During the process, V2O5 powder was exfoliated into nanosheets, and aniline was oxidatively polymerized under acidic conditions producing polyaniline, which intercalated between the nanosheets to yield the composite PANI-V2O5.nH2O (PVO). Separately synthesized PANI, exfoliated V2O5 nanosheets, and the in situ synthesized composite were characterized by p-XRD, HR-SEM, TEM, FTIR, and XPS. Intercalated PANI prevented restacking of nanosheets and reduced their agglomerating tendencies. A significant increase of interplanar spacing corresponding to the (001) plane of V2O5 in the nanocomposite confirms considerable interaction between the nanosheets and PANI. Although there is no chemical interaction, the non-covalent interactions like hydrogen bonding between the organic and the inorganic components through NH(PANI)...... O-V(V2O5) and van der Waals forces hold the structure firmly. Tribological tests performed on a four-ball tester following ASTM D4172 and ASTM D5183 standards in paraffin oil revealed significant enhancement in friction/wear-reducing and load-carrying properties of the composite compared to V2O5 nanosheets and PANI. The advanced activity of the nanocomposite validates synergy between PANI and V2O5 nanosheets. The morphological studies of the worn surface by SEM and AFM studies endorsed the observed results. The EDX and XPS studies of the tribofilm confirmed the elemental composition and chemical states of all the elements, respectively. A possible mechanism of lubrication has been presented.

Porous charged polymer nanosheets formed via microplastic removal from frozen ice for virus filtration and detection.

We developed a method for producing porous charged polymer nanosheets using frozen ice containing microplastics. Upon assessing SARS-CoV-2 filtration using nanosheets with 100 nm-sized pores, a high rejection rate of 96% was achieved. The charged surfaces of nanosheets further enabled the electrophoretic capture of the virus using a portable battery with additional real-time sensing capability.

Conducting polymer ink for flexible and printable micro-supercapacitors with greatly-enhanced rate capability

Conducting polymer ink holds great promise for wearable, flexible, and printable high-power-density micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) but chronically suffers from the poor rate capability ascribing to naturally electron-blocked transferring. Herein, we devise an air-stable, easy-fabricating and rapid electron-transferring polyaniline ink by embedding conductive carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotubes (C-MWCNTs) networks into polyaniline nanosheets. Due to the optimized electron-transferring kinetics, the rate capability of polyaniline ink is significantly increased by 73.7%. Additionally, the large-scale printable MSCs based on this ink deliver remarkable energy density of 2.6 mWh cm −3 , large areal capacitance of 45.4 mF cm −2 and excellent mechanics-electrochemistry stability with 84.6% capacitance retention against 1000 consecutive bending cycles. Evidently, this work provides the polyaniline ink for large-scale, printable, and flexible MSCs, which can underpin the next generation printed electronics in the approaching era of Internet of Things. Conducting polymer ink with greatly enhanced rate performance is successfully devised by embedding carboxylic MWCNTs into polyaniline nanosheets for scalable printing of high-performance micro-supercapacitors. 1. Conducting polymer ink is devised for scalable printing of micro-supercapacitor. 2. Rate capability is enhanced by 73.7% through embedding carboxylic MWCNTs. 3. Micro-supercapacitor with high energy density and good cyclic stability. 4. Capacitive contribution plays a dominant role according to quantitative calculation. 5. Proof-of-concept demonstration of various electronics as practical application.

Ten-Minute Synthesis of Highly Conductive Polymer Nanosheets on Ice Surfaces: Role of Ice Crystallinity.

Conducting polymers have been studied widely over the past decades for use as organic electrode materials owing to their high electrical conductivity and low-cost synthesis. Among the various synthesis methods reported, the recently established ice-assisted approach for developing conducting polymer nanosheets is regarded as an advanced technology that allows for easy fabrication in an eco-friendly manner. However, the role of the crystallinity of the underlying ice surface in determining the physicochemical properties of the conducting polymers remains unclear. Here, the electronic properties and packing structures of polyaniline (PANI) nanosheets formed on ice surfaces are studied by controlling the ice crystallinity. Intriguingly, the crystallinity of the PANI nanosheets resembles that of the ice surfaces, in that the anisotropic growth of the PANI crystals with a face-on orientation occurs preferentially on high-crystalline ice surfaces. In addition, it is found that the development of highly crystalline PANI nanosheets results in efficient charge transport, owing to polaron delocalization in PANI with extended chain conformations and the improvement in the degree of backbone ordering because of the preorganized aniline moieties on the ice surface.

In situ polymerized polyaniline/MXene (V2C) as building blocks of supercapacitor and ammonia sensor self-powered by electromagnetic-triboelectric hybrid generator

This paper reports in situ polymerization of polyaniline (PANI)/MXene (V 2 C) composites as building blocks of supercapacitor and ammonia sensor self-powered by electromagnetic-triboelectric hybrid generator. The high accessible surface of MXene produced abundant high reactivity and electronegativity sites, which could promote or induce the polymerization of aniline on its surface and the polymerization of aniline on its surface could prevent its re-stacking and enhance its electrochemical activity, which could significantly improve the performance of ammonia sensor and supercapacitor. The working principle of the integrated self-power system is to use the hybrid nanogenerator of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) and electromagnetic generator (EMGs) to charge the supercapacitor for driving the ammonia sensor. The supercapacitor utilized PANI/MXene as anode and active carbon as cathode, which displays a capacitance of 337.5 F/g at the current density of 1 A/g, a considerable energy density of 11.25 Wh/kg and a power density of 415.38 W/kg. The sensing material of PANI/MXene nanosheets have an eye catching response value ((R g -R a )/R a = 14.9% @ 1 ppm NH 3 ), good stability (more than 60 days) and fast response/recovery time (9 s/9 s @ 1 ppm NH 3 ), which is much better than the pristine PANI and MXene nanosheets. This work provided a candidate of PANI/MXene for constructing supercapacitor and sensing elements, which opened up an avenue for the integration of self-power gas sensing for industrial and agricultural pollution. • In situ polymerization of PANI/MXene composites as building blocks of supercapacitor and ammonia sensor. • The PANI/MXene composite film-based NH 3 sensor was self-powered by a hybrid power generation system. • The hybrid power generation system is constructed by triboelectric nanogenerators and electromagnetic generator. • A series of detection and alarm systems are designed to realize the real-time transmission and sharing of data.

Binary nanosheet frameworks of graphene/polyaniline composite for high-areal flexible supercapacitors

Graphene/polyaniline composites with a unique structure serve as a crucial class of materials for supercapacitor (SC) electrodes. In this work, we design and construct binary nanosheet frameworks of graphene/polyaniline composite for high-capacity flexible all-solid-state SCs. Novel morphological PANI nanosheets are synthesized by a self-assembly process at −20 °C without using additional template material. The as-prepared PANI nanosheets are 1–5 μm lateral dimension and 40–50 nm thickness. The PANI nanosheets exhibit excellent pseudocapacitance properties and are potential supercapacitor materials. The sacked framework based on PANI nanosheets and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are successfully constructed, even the weight content of PANI is as high as 82%. The rGO/PANI-82% electrode in aqueous symmetric SCs presents a high specific areal capacitance (Ca) of 684 mF cm−2 at 1 mA cm−2. Furthermore, the resulting rGO/PANI-67% electrode-based all-solid-state SC device is fabricated. The device exhibits an energy density of 21 μWh cm−2 (or 4.2 Wh L−1 or 10.2 Wh kg−1) at a power density of 252 μWcm−2 (or 50.4 W L−1 or 121 W kg−1). Overall, the new method of synthesizing polyaniline nanosheets reported here and as-designed structures pave the way to advancements in high-capacity flexible electrodes.

Fabrication of two-dimensional carbon/V2O3 composite nanosheets and their application for electrochemical sensing

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are newly developed and promising modified electrode materials for non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) detection via an electrochemical strategy due to their unique nanosheet-like structure and excellent electron transport capability. In this study, 2D polyaniline nanosheets doped with vanadic acid have been fabricated and used as templates and precursors to realize the successful preparation of carbon/vanadium trioxide (C/V2O3) nanosheets, which are assembled with a large quantity of V2O3 nanoparticles with an average size of 58.3 nm on carbon matrix. The as-prepared C/V2O3 nanosheets present an excellent sensing performance toward H2O2 with a wide detection range over 5.0–1500 μM and a low detection limit of 1.7 μM (S/N = 3), which are superior to many previous reported metal oxides and even noble metals-based sensors. Furthermore, the C/V2O3 nanosheets-based sensor displays a desirable selectivity, reproducibility, and stability, offering the feasibility for H2O2 detection in real samples. This study provides an efficient way to construct 2D metal oxides and carbon-based nanomaterials for non-enzymatic electrochemical sensing applications.

Sacrificial template synthesis of ultrathin polyaniline nanosheets and their application in highly sensitive electrochemical dopamine detection

Unique functional nanomaterials as electroactive media for efficiently electrochemical biosensing have always been an ever-increasing topic in biotechnology and environmental fields. In this study, we report a simple sacrificial template-guided polymerization strategy to fabricate ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) polyaniline (PANI) nanosheets for electrochemical detection of dopamine (DA). By using vanadium pentoxide nanosheets as both sacrificial templates and oxidants, the resulting PANI nanosheets show an ultrathin thickness of ca. 4 nm with a favorable electrical conductivity of ca. 10 S cm−1. Furthermore, PANI nanosheets have been modified on a glass carbon electrode for highly sensitive DA detection. The proposed DA sensor delivers a linear range of 0.5–300 μM with a low detection limit of 0.118 μM (S/N = 3). In addition, the as-fabricated electrochemical sensor exhibits an outstanding selectivity, stability, reproducibility, and repeatability, enabling its feasible application for DA detection in real samples. Therefore, the ultrathin PANI nanosheets reported here are good candidates as electrodes for the sensitive and selective DA detection.

Potential Unwinding of Double-Stranded DNA upon Binding to a Carbon Nitride Polyaniline (C3N) Nanosheet.

Recently, carbon nitride polyaniline (C3N) had attracted considerable attention from many scientific fields after its successful synthesis. However, thus far, limited efforts were devoted to reveal its potential effect to biomolecules, which correlated intimately with its further utilization. In this study, by using a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation approach, we investigated in detail the interaction between C3N and a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) segment to expose the underlying biological effect of C3N to dsDNA and the corresponding molecular basis. MD simulation results demonstrated that dsDNA presented serious damages upon adsorption onto a C3N nanosheet with the terminal base pairs denaturized, unwound, and directly packing on the C3N surface, which implied that C3N was potentially deleterious to biomolecules. This binding/unwinding process was mainly guided by a combination of van der Waals and π-π stacking interactions together with a continuous lateral migration of dsDNA. Moreover, the nanoscale dewetting also played an important role during the adsorption. These findings revealed the potential bio-effect of the C3N nanomaterial and its molecular mechanism, which might benefit the future applications of C3N-based nanostructures.

Hierarchically grown ZnFe2O4-decorated polyaniline-coupled-graphene nanosheets as a novel electrocatalyst for selective detecting p-nitrophenol

In this study, a novel hierarchical-assembly approach was developed to for the co-assembly of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) and graphene-coupled polyaniline (PANI) nanosheets with the facilitation of graphene oxide (GO). Three-dimensional ultralight and porous ZnFe2O4/PANI@ reduced graphene oxide (rGO) aerogels were developed as effective and convenient electrochemical sensors for the detection of p-nitrophenol (p-NP). These ternary aerogels displayed efficient reduction ability and outstanding p-NP electrochemical sensing performance, which is attributed to the synergies between the local conductivity of the PANI@rGO nanosheets and the long-distance conductivity of the three-dimensional graphene aerogel frameworks. The experimental results demonstrated that the satisfactory linear concentration range for the detection of p-NP by ternary aerogels was 1–100 μmol/L with excellent sensitivity at 36.898 mA mM−1 cm−2, along with excellent stability and selectivity (<2.4%). Importantly, the detection reliability of tap water was estimated, and an average recovery of 101.16% was maintained. Overall, the developed sensor displayed excellent electrochemical performance, and hierarchical assembly could provide a distinctive method for the fabrication of three-dimensional sandwich-like structured ternary nanocomposites with versatile applications.