GO Surface Research Articles

Significantly Enhanced Corona Resistance of Epoxy Composite by Incorporation with Functionalized Graphene Oxide

Enhancing the corona resistance of epoxy resin (EP) is crucial for ensuring the reliable operation of electrical equipment and power systems, and the incorporation of inorganic nanofillers into epoxy resin has shown significant potential in achieving this. In this study, functionalized graphene oxide (KHGO) was synthesized via a sol-gel method to enhance the corona resistance of EP with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) used to assess the properties of KHGO/EP composites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) verified the successful grafting of epoxy groups onto the GO surface. The thermal conductivity and stability of the KHGO/EP composite initially increased with KHGO content but declined when the content exceeded 1.2 wt.%. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) indicated that KHGO improved interfacial compatibility with EP compared to GO, with agglomeration occurring when KHGO content exceeded a threshold value (1.2 wt.%). EIS analysis revealed that the corona resistance of the KHGO/EP composite was optimal at a filler content of 0.9 wt.%. After corona treatment, the saturation water uptake of the 0.9 wt.% KHGO/EP composite decreased by 15% compared to pure EP with its porosity reduced to just 1/40th of that of pure EP. This study underscores that well-dispersed KHGO/EP composite exhibits excellent corona resistance property suggesting the potential for industrial applications in high-voltage equipment insulation.

Construction of aptamers-modified plasmonic GO/urchin-like Au nanoparticles with enhanced photothermal performance and their efficient capture and elimination of Staphylococcus aureus

Here, aptamers-modified graphene oxide/urchin-like Au nanoparticles (Apt-GUANPs) were developed for efficient capture and photothermal therapy (PTT) of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Specifically, anisotropic UANPs were first prepared, and the excellent photothermal property was related to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in the near infrared (NIR) region caused by sharp branching. Then GO, which was used to enhance the photothermal effect, was added and assembled into GUANPs by electrostatic action. Infrared images showed that GUANPs exhibited a stronger photothermal effect than UANPs. Under the irradiation of 808 nm laser, the photothermal conversion efficiency (η) of GUANPs was as high as 40.5 %, which was attributed to the enhanced optical response of GUANPs at 808 nm and the strong plasmonic coupling effect between tightly packed UANPs loaded on GO surfaces. Aptamers were modified on the surfaces of GUANPs for specific capture of S. aureus, with the capture efficiency of up to 72 %. Utilizing the specific capture ability of aptamers and the excellent photothermal property of GUANPs, Apt-GUANPs exhibited the strong photothermal killing ability against S. aureus. Therefore, Apt-GUANPs will be a promising and efficient photothermal agent, and will have a great application prospect in the treatment of bacterial infections in the future.

Preparation and Characterization of Graphene Oxide/Carbon Nanotube/Polyaniline Composite and Conductive and Anticorrosive Properties of Its Waterborne Epoxy Composite Coatings.

The organic coating on the surface is common and the most effective method to prevent metal materials from corrosion. However, the corrosive medium can penetrate the metal surface via micropores, and electrons cannot transfer in the pure resin coatings. In this paper, a new type of anticorrosive and electrically conductive composite coating filled with graphene oxide/carbon nanotube/polyaniline (GO/CNT/PANI) nanocomposites was successfully prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline (AN) on the surface of GO and CNT and using waterborne epoxy resin (WEP) as film-forming material. The structure and morphology of the composite were characterized using a series of characterization methods. The composite coatings were comparatively examined through resistivity, potentiodynamic polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and salt spray tests. The results show that the GO/CNT/PANI/WEP composite coating exhibits excellent corrosion resistance for metal substrates and good conductivity when the mass fraction of GO/CNT/PANI is 3.5%. It exhibits a lower corrosion current density of 4.53 × 10-8 A·cm-2 and a higher electrochemical impedance of 3.84 × 106 Ω·cm2, while only slight corrosion occurred after 480 h in the salt spray test. The resistivity of composite coating is as low as 2.3 × 104 Ω·cm. The composite coating possesses anticorrosive and electrically conductive properties based on the synergistic effect of nanofillers and expands the application scope in grounding grids and oil storage tank protection fields.

Surface one-step modification of graphene oxide with N-cyclohexylbenzothiazole-2-sulfonamide to enhance the wear resistance of natural rubber/butadiene rubber composites

Natural rubber (NR) and butadiene rubber (BR) composites are frequently used in manufacturing tires and conveyor belts, which are susceptible to severe wear, leading to product failure and significant losses. To enhance the wear resistance of NR/BR composites, we prepared NR/BR composites reinforced with a synergy of N-cyclohexylbenzothiazole-2-sulfonamide surface one-step modified reduced graphene oxide (CZ-rGO) and carbon black N234 (CB) using a latex co-precipitation method. This study explored the effects of GO content and CZ modification on the structure, wear resistance, thermal conductivity, and mechanical properties of the NR/BR blended composites. It showed that adding 2 phr of GO resulted in excellent filler dispersion, significantly improving the tensile strength, elongation at break, tear strength, thermal conductivity, and wear resistance of the composites. The incorporation of CZ-rGO further increased the crosslinking density, vulcanization performance, and filler dispersion with enhanced mechanical properties, thermal conductivity, and wear resistance of the composites. Notably, the DIN abrasion volume was reduced to 77.88 mm³, surpassing the ISO 10247 standard for conveyor belt cover rubber in terms of wear resistance. The wear resistance of NR/BR/CZ-rGO composites is not only significantly higher than that of single NR- or SBR-based rubber composites, but also significantly higher than that of other binary rubber blend composites, and the CZ-rGO filler is simpler in composition and structure and exhibits a more prominent wear enhancement. This work provides guidance for an efficient and environmentally friendly approach to GO surface modification, as well as useful insights for the development of high wear-resistant rubber composites with excellent overall performance.

Research on Lithium Storage Performance of MoS2/rGO Composites

AbstractMoS2/reduced graphene oxide (MoS2‐I, MoS2/rGO‐II and MoS2/rGO‐V) composites with the mass ratio of MoS2 to GO is 1:1, 2:1 and 5:1, which were used as anode materials for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). The electrochemical properties and structure were tested and characterized. In the first cycle charge and discharge, the initial discharge capacity of MoS2/rGO‐II electrode is 821.8 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C, and the first coulomb efficiency is 92.09 %. The capacity attenuation of the second and third cycles is 65 mAh g−1 and 10.1 mAh g−1, respectively. Compared to MoS2 electrode, the attenuation of MoS2/rGO‐II electrode is obviously improved at different rates of 0.1 C, 0.2 C and 0.5 C, so MoS2/rGO‐II electrode shows excellent rate performance. Through the reaction mechanism analysis, it is concluded that most of the oxygen‐containing functional groups on the surface of GO are removed, but the conjugated network of graphene is not fully restored, resulting in the loss of electrical conductivity. However, the results of EIS directly show that rGO can still provide good conductivity for MoS2. Therefore, MoS2/rGO composites have great potential as electrodes for LIBs and broad research and application prospects in the field of energy storage.

Rapid detection of spermine by using a cost-effective carbon nanostructured aptasensor

Spermine is a polyamine that participates in ion channel regulation and cell proliferation. It is considered a biomarker for pancreatic cancer. In this study, a carbon nanostructure-based aptasensor has been developed to rapidly detect spermine in solution by relying on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The FRET donor, carbon quantum dots (CDs), are bioconjugated to aptamers specific for spermine. CDs have an average diameter of 5.0 ± 2.5 nm and have the maximum fluorescence intensity emitting at 510 nm when excited at 400 nm. Due to the π-π* interaction between DNA-based aptamer and GO, a FRET quencher, CDs bioconjugated with aptamer (CDs-aptamer) can directly attach on the surface of GO, resulting in significant FRET quenching. In the presence of spermine, GO and CDs-Aptamer separate, and the fluorescence intensity of CDs is restored. The restored fluorescence intensity of CD-aptamer can be observed when the concentration of spermine increases from 0.1 to 250 nM. The sensing system in this study could be a cost-effective, user-friendly method to quickly detect spermine, a biomarker for pancreatic cancer.

Tuning the interlayer spacing of graphene oxide membrane via surfactant intercalation for ultrafast nanofiltration

A facile method has been developed to fabricate lamellar composite graphene oxide (CGO) membranes by incorporating positively charged surfactants – cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The interlayer spacing of GO nanosheets was regulated by the sum of both vertical and horizontal alignment of CTAB on the GO surface via electrostatic interaction. The CTAB intercalated GO membrane exhibited an internal layer spacing of 16.97 Å compared to 8.26 Å for the GO membrane. The obtained CGO lamellar membrane with well-defined nanochannels showed ultrafast pure water flux of ∼1112 L h−1 m−2 bar−1 and an excellent separation efficiency of >99 % towards negatively charged organic dye molecules at a high permeation flux of ∼932 L h−1 m−2 bar−1, which was nearly 2.5-fold enhancement compared with that of the pristine GO membrane (∼400 L h−1 m−2 bar−1). The electrostatic and π–π interaction forces between the CGO membrane and organic dye molecules played a major role in the overall dye separation mechanism. Furthermore, the CGO membrane demonstrated excellent stability with no loss in separation performance (>96 % organic molecules rejection) after exposure to various pH solutions and deionized water (DI) water. The current work provides a straightforward approach for the formation of highly tunable and stable CTAB-intercalated GO membranes for ultrafast molecular separation.

Enhancement of methylene blue catalytic reduction by novel green synthesized metal decorated reduced graphene oxide: Sn@rGO and Ag@rGO

Carbon-based nanocomposites (NCs) attracted much attention in heterogeneous catalysis to remove organic dyes. Herein, a novel low-cost green approach was utilized to design a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) impregnated with Sn or Ag nanoparticles (NPs) using ginger extract as a green reducing agent. The synthesized NCs were characterized utilizing X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), Raman spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The synthesized NCs were assessed for their catalytic reduction activity towards methylene blue (MB) dye. XRD displayed the characteristic peaks of Sn- and Ag-NPs and the reduction of GO, referring to successful NC formation. FTIR and Raman confirmed the reduction of GO and the incorporation of Sn and Ag-NPs into the GO surfaces. TEM results proved that either Sn- or Ag-NPs was uniformly dispersed on rGO sheets with average sizes of 4.129 and 7.293 nm, respectively. EDX spectra of Sn@rGO- and Ag@rGO-NCs revealed the presence of C, O, Sn, and Ag. TGA confirmed the increased thermal stability of the NCs as compared to GO. Ag@rGO-NC exhibited stronger catalytic MB reduction (97% after 10 min) than Sn@rGO-NC (80% after 20 min). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time Sn@rGO-NC has been designed for MB catalytic reduction, which gives rise to its promising capacity for future catalytic applications.

Upgraded and Light-Up Biosensing Platform: Entropy-Driven Catalysis Circuit Manipulates the Configuration Transformation of Novel DNA Silver Nanoclusters on the Graphene Oxide Surface.

To tackle the predicament of the traditional turn-off mechanism, exploring an activated turn-on system remains an intriguing and crucial objective in biosensing fields. Herein, a dark DNA Ag nanocluster (NC) with hairpin-structured DNA containing a six-base cytosine loop (6C loop) as a template is atypically synthesized. Intriguingly, the dark DNA Ag NCs can be lit to display strong red-emission nanoclusters. Building upon these exciting findings, an unprecedented and upgraded turn-on biosensing system [entropy-driven catalysis circuit (EDCC)-Ag NCs/graphene oxide (GO)] has been created, which employs an EDCC to precisely manipulate the conformational transition of DNA Ag NCs on the GO surface from adsorption to desorption. Benefiting from the effective quenching of GO and signal amplification capability of the EDCC, the newly developed EDCC-Ag NCs/GO biosensing system displays a high signal-to-background (S/B) ratio (26-fold) and sensitivity (limit of detection as low as 0.4 pM). Meanwhile, it has good specificity, excellent stability, and reliability in both buffer and biological samples. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first example that adopts an EDCC to precisely modulate the configuration transformation of DNA Ag NCs on the GO surface to obtain a biosensor with low background, strong fluorescence, high contrast, and sensitivity. This exciting finding may provide a new route to fabricate a novel turn-on biosensor based on hairpin-templated DNA Ag NCs in the optical imaging and bioanalytical fields.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles decorated on graphene oxide for crystal violet dye removal

In this study, we demonstrate a facile and environmentally benign method for the synthesis of Ag nanoparticles using a green reducing agent and their subsequent deposition onto GO sheets. The synthesized GO@Ag nanocomposite was characterized using various analytical techniques such as FTIR, XRD, FESEM, EDX and BET. The results confirmed the successful formation of cubic Ag nanoparticles with diameter 30–40 nm on the GO surface. The theoretical surface area of GO@Ag was found to be 89 m2/g. The adsorption efficiency of GO@Ag nanocomposite toward CV dye was evaluated through batch adsorption experiments. The above experimental results revealed that CV adsorption on to the GO@Ag surface was pH dependent and maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 48.78 mg/g at pH = 8. The adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models, indicating monolayer adsorption with chemisorption as the rate-limiting step. Furthermore, the recyclability and stability of the nanocomposite were assessed through multiple adsorption-desorption cycles, demonstrating its potential for practical applications in wastewater treatment for the removal of cationic dyes. The mechanism of CV adsorption on to the GO@Ag surface mainly involves electrostatic attraction and π-π interaction.

Transferrin Immobilized Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite for Targeted Cancer Chemodynamic Therapy via Increasing Intracellular Labile Fe2+ Concentration.

Recently, different alternative regulated cell death (RCD) pathways, viz., necroptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, cuproptosis etc., have been explored as important targets for the development of cancer medications in recent years, as these can change the immunogenicity of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and will finally lead to the inhibition of cancer progression and metastasis. Here, we report the development of transferrin immobilized graphene oxide (Tfn@GOAPTES) nanocomposite as a therapeutic strategy toward cancer cell killing. The electrostatic immobilization of Tfn on the GOAPTES surface was confirmed by different spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. The Tfn immobilization was found to be ∼74 ± 4%, whereas the stability of the protein on the GO surface suggested a robust nature of the nanocomposite. The MTT assay suggested that Tfn@GOAPTES exhibited cytotoxicity toward HeLa cells via increased lipid peroxidation and DNA damage. Western blot studies resulted in decreased expression of acetylation on lysine 40 of α-tubulin and increased expression of LC3a/b for Tfn@GOAPTES treated HeLa cells, suggesting autophagy to be the main cause of the cell death mechanism. Overall, we predict that the present approach can be used as a therapeutic strategy for cancer cell killing via selective induction of a high concentration of intracellular iron.

Polyarylene ether nitrile dielectric composites with good formability and processability

High dielectric constant polymer matrix composites are widely used in the domain of dielectric energy storage and electric field regulation depending on their high energy density, easy processing and light weight. Nevertheless, high dielectric constants are often achieved by adding fillers to the polymer, which increase the viscosity of the resin and make processing difficult. In this work, a novel filler GO coated with silicone powder (GO-silicone) was designed and prepared. The silicone powder on the surface of GO acts as a lubricant and improves the dispersion of GO in the polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN) resin, thus enhancing the dielectric properties of the PEN-based composite. The dielectric constant of the PEN/GO-silicone composite film with 4 wt% filler loading reaches 15.9 at 1 kHz, which is 4.3 times greater than that of the pure PEN film and 1.1 times greater than that of PEN composite simply filled with GO and silicone powder. Besides, the incorporation of GO-silicone declines the viscosity, which is very favorable for the processing and shaping of high dielectric composites. This work provides a novel technical route for the large-scale production of high dielectric composites.

Polypyrrole/Fe3O4 nanocomposites anchored on graphene toward efficient electromagnetic wave absorption performance

The ternary nanocomposites of polypyrrole/Fe3O4/graphene (PPy/Fe3O4/RGO) have been prepared via a two-step method. PPy/Fe3O4 composites have been initially anchored on GO surface by chemical one-step method following by reducing GO. The electromagnetic wave absorption (EMWA) performance of composites can be tuned by adjusting the amount of pyrrole monomers. The maximum reflection loss of the PPy/Fe3O4/RGO-0.5 (pyrrole:0.5 mL) composite is up to −66.0 dB at 14.88 GHz and the absorption bandwidths exceeding −10 dB were 5.76 GHz with absorber thickness of 2.5 mm. The investigation of the electromagnetic absorb-ability reveals that PPy/Fe3O4/RGO exhibits enhanced electromagnetic absorption properties compared to Fe3O4/RGO, which is mainly ascribed to the improved impedance matching, the enhanced interfacial effects and geometric effect. Furthermore, this strategy expands the scope of the electromagnetic wave absorption materials. It confirms that modification of graphene with PPy and Fe3O4 makes the ternary nanocomposites have a promising future in electromagnetic wave absorption materials.

A DFT Study of CO Hydrogenation on Graphene Oxide: Effects of Adding Mn on Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis

The hydrogenation of carbon monoxide (CO) offers a promising avenue for reducing air pollution and promoting a cleaner environment. Moreover, by using suitable catalysts, CO can be transformed into valuable hydrocarbons. In this study, we elucidate the mechanistic aspects of the catalytic conversion of CO to hydrocarbons on the surface of manganese-doped graphene oxide (Mn-doped GO), where the GO surface includes one OH group next to one Mn adatom. To gain insight into this process, we have employed calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) to explore both the thermodynamic properties and reaction energy barriers. The Mn adatoms were found to significantly activate the catalyst surface by providing stronger adsorption geometries. Our study concentrated on two mechanisms for CO hydrogenation, resulting in either CH4 production via the reaction sequence CO → HCO → CH2O → CH2OH → CH2 → CH3 → CH4 or CH3OH formation through the CO → HCO → CH2O → CH2OH → CH3OH pathway. The results reveal that both products are likely to be formed on the Mn-doped GO surface on both thermodynamic grounds and considering the reaction energy barriers. Furthermore, the activation energies associated with each stage of the synthesis show that the conversion reactions of CH2 + OH → CH3 + O and CH2O + OH → CH2OH + O with energy barriers of 0.36 and 3.86 eV are the fastest and slowest reactions, respectively. The results also indicate that the reactions: CH2OH + OH → CH2 + O + H2O and CH2OH + OH → CH3OH + O are the most exothermic and endothermic reactions with reaction energies of −0.18 and 1.21 eV, respectively, in the catalytic pathways.

Synthesis of reusable graphene oxide based nickel-iron superparamagnetic nanoadsorbent from electronic waste for the removal of doxycycline in aqueous media

Graphene oxide-based nickel-iron superparamagnetic nanoadsorbent (GO/Ni-Fe) was synthesized from electronic waste to effectively remove doxycycline (DXC) in aqueous media. The GO/Ni-Fe nanoadsorbent has been characterized using a number of instrumental techniques, including X-ray diffractometer, Zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analyzer, vibrating sample magnetometer, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These techniques showed that nickel-iron (Ni-Fe) nanoparticles with an average size of 4.26 nm were successfully fabricated on GO surfaces. The batch experiments were conducted under different conditions, including contact time, adsorption dosage, pH, concentration, and temperature, to determine the optimal conditions of the adsorption process. The maximum adsorption (90% removal) was established within 20 min, while the adsorbent dose was only 0.1 g/L at pH 5. The adsorption process was best fitted with the pseudo-second-order model, which suggests the interaction of doxycycline with the GO/Ni-Fe nanoadsorbent is mainly controlled by the chemisorption process. This may be due to hydrogen bonding as well as electrostatic interaction and π-π interaction between adsorbates and adsorbents. The isotherm data of the adsorption process was best fitted with Langmuir isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 13.02 mg g−1 at 25 °C, indicating that the adsorption is a monolayer adsorption to heterogeneous surfaces with electrostatic interaction. The superparamagnetic properties of GO/Ni-Fe nanoadsorbent can be easily separated by external magnetic field and regenerated with methanol washing. The findings unambiguously demonstrated that magnetically separable GO/Ni-Fe nanoadsorbent could be a good choice to remove DXC from wastewater sources.

Scalable one-step synthesis of reduced graphene oxide: Towards flexible transparent conductive films and active supercapacitor electrodes

The reduced graphene oxide (rGO) thin films have attracted much attention in flexible electronic devices and supercapacitors (SCs). However, the chemical reduction mechanism of GO needs to be clarified, and the one-step process at low temperatures for preparing high-quality rGO thin films from GO dispersions is still blank in the research field. Here, we propose a one-step operation to spray GO dispersions onto substrate or current collector under a hydroiodic acid (HI) atmosphere while simultaneously achieving the preparation of rGO thin films. This pioneering metal-free, transfer-free, fast, low-temperature, environmentally friendly, and scalable spraying technology enables large-scale production of high-quality rGO. This method realizes the preparation of highly conductive and high transmittance rGO thin films on flexible polyimide and polyethylene terephthalate substrates, as well as the preparation of rGO thin films on current collectors as SCs electrodes. Density functional theory calculations show that oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of GO exhibit a stronger adsorption energy for HI, and have a low energy barrier during reduction by HI. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulated the possible reduction reaction path between GO and HI at 90 °C, demonstrating that HI molecules can effectively reduce GO. Furthermore, the sheet resistance of the transparent conductive film created using the method developed in this study reaches approximately 1000 Ω/sq (80 % transparency), and the specific capacitance of the SCs electrode film created in this method is 433.2 F/g (5 mV/s, 1 M H2SO4). Our study not only validates the efficacy of the one-step synthesis method for rGO thin films but also provides theoretical insights into the underlying reaction mechanism. This work holds significant promise for advancing applications in various electronics by facilitating large-scale production of high-quality rGO thin films.

Efficient removal of toxic azo dyes from contaminated water by adsorption on the GO surface.

The purpose of this study is to examine the possibility of GO to be used as an adsorbent for five novel potentially hazardous azo-dyes for their removal from aqueous solution. Adsorption characteristics of GO for azo-dyes removal were investigated by means of experimental and computational DFT as well as Monte Carlo approaches. Experimental studies include the effect of adsorbent dose, contact time, and initial concentration, while computational investigation involves DFT and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Through DFT studies geometric, electronic, and thermodynamic parameters were explored and possible mechanism of interactions and adsorption energies by predicted through MC by searching lowest possible adsorption complexes. Experimental data were evaluated by Langmuir models in order to describe the equilibrium isotherms. Equilibrium data fitted well to the Langmuir model. Thermodynamic parameters i.e., free energy change, enthalpy change, and entropy change revealed that the removal of azo-dyes by adsorption on the surface of GO molecular sieves was spontaneous. Nature of the process was found to be physiosorption involving non-covalent interaction. The study unveiled that GO can be used as an efficient adsorbent material for the adsorption of azo-dyes from aqueous solution.

A novel heterogeneous biocatalyst based on graphene oxide for synthesis of pyran derivatives

Graphene oxide modified with tryptophan (GO-Trp) has been introduced as a new heterogeneous acid-base biocatalyst for synthesis of some pyran derivatives. GO was prepared according to the Hummer’s method and tryptophan as a low-cost green amino acid is covalently bonded to the surface of GO without any organic or toxic reagents in a green way. The new catalyst was characterized by different spectroscopic methods such as Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction (XRD), etc. …. The results of XRD patterns showed an increase in the distance between the GO plates in the presence of the modifying agent which specifies the presence of amino acid between the GO layers. XPS analysis also confirmed successful modification through the presence of C–N bonds in the structure of the catalyst. In addition, improvements in thermal stability and changes in the morphology of the samples were observed using thermogravimetric analysis and Field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis respectively. Evaluation of the catalyst performance in the synthesis of some benzo[b]pyran and pyrano[3,2-c] chromene derivatives showed presentable results. Seven benzo[b]pyran (4a–4g) and five pyrano[3,2-c] chromene (4h–4l) derivatives were synthesized. GO-Trp as a safe, natural and efficient catalyst, could be reused up to 5 runs for synthesis of pyran derivatives without any significant decrease in its potency. High purity of the products and desirable yields are other points that make the present work more attractive.

Antitumor efficiency and photostability of newly green synthesized silver/graphene oxide nanocomposite on different cancer cell lines

It is crucial to enhance new compounds for the treatment of most malignancies, and graphene oxide/silver nanocomposite (GO/Ag NC) has been paying attention to biomedical applications such as malignancies. In this work, green synthesized Ag@Cht NPs were successfully produced using chitosan for reduction and stabilization and added on GO sheet forming novel GO/Ag NC. Then, the produced anticancer nanomaterials GO, Ag@Cht NPs, and GO/Ag NC were assessed for their cytotoxicity against four distinct cancer cell lines: H460, HCT116, MDA-MB-468, and FaDu cells, at varying concentrations, using SRP assay after 48 h. The prepared nanomaterials were characterized by TEM, UV–Vis spectrophotometry, FTIRs, Raman spectroscopy and XRD. TEM images showed a regular spread of Ag@Cht NPs on the GO sheets with an average particle size of 15 nm. UV–Vis spectrophotometry shows two main characteristic peaks for GO/Ag NC, one close to 230 nm corresponds to GO, while the other peak at 425 nm due to Ag@Cht decorating the GO surface was blue shifted by few nanometers from 427 nm for Ag@Cht. Results of the laser irradiation by DPSS (diode-pumped solid state) confirm the photothermal stability of the prepared nanocomposite as there is no change in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with varying exposure time. FTIRs measurements indicate that Ag ions interact with a hydroxyl group. This interaction shifts the O–H wavenumber and decreases the bond stretching intensity. In addition, Ag@Cht NPs and Ag/GO NC showed enhanced activity against cancerous cells. Results showed that GO, Ag@Cht NPs, and GO/Ag NC at (200, 400, and 600 µg/ml) had an impact on all evaluated cell lines. In MDA-MB-468, HCT116, H460, and FaDu cells, Ag@Cht NPs had the most effect across all employed cell lines, with IC50 values of 5.5, 9, 6, and 7.75 µg/ml, respectively. In conclusion, the produced novel nanocomposite may be an effective way to treat different cell lines, and future work is to use the prepared nanomaterials as anticancer drug delivery in photothermal chemotherapy combination treatment.

Synthesis and characterization of CeO2 modified graphene oxide with improved wettability

In this paper, CeO2 nanoparticles coated graphene oxide (CeO2@GO) nanocomposites were synthesized by a modified hydrothermal method. The morphology and structure of CeO2@GO nanocomposites were characterized systematically. Moreover, the wettability behavior of GO before and after coating CeO2 nanoparticles was investigated. It was found that the CeO2 nanoparticles with an average diameter of ~10 nm were successfully loaded on the GO surface. TEM investigations showed that the CeO2 nanoparticles loaded on the GO surface were dominated by an octahedral shape, and the main exposed surfaces of CeO2 nanoparticles were {111} facets. This was because the closed-packed plane CeO2 {111} had the lowest surface energy. After loading CeO2 on the GO surface, the contact angle between Al drop and CeO2@GO substrate was reduced from 166° to 70° by calculation, attributing to that the CeO2 coating increased the surface free energy of GO. This work provides a feasible method to prepare the rare earth oxides coated GO nanocomposites and shows potential applications in the field of graphene reinforced aluminum matrix composites (AMCs).