The Efficiency Study of Graphene Synthesis on Copper Substrate via Chemical Vapor Deposition Method with Methanol Precursor.

Few-layer graphene was successfully synthesized on copper foil via chemical vapor deposition with methanol as a carbon source. This was confirmed by optical microscopy observation, Raman spectra measurement, I2D/IG ratio calculation, and 2D-FWHM value comparisons. Monolayer graphene was also found in similar standard procedures, but it required higher growth temperature and longer time periods. The cost-efficient growth conditions for few-layer graphene are thoroughly discussed via TEM observation and AFM measurement. In addition, it has been confirmed that the growth period can be shortened by increasing growth temperature. With the H2 gas flow rate fixed at 15 sccm, few-layer graphene was synthesized at the lower growth temperature of 700 °C in 30 min, and at 900 °C growth temperature in only 5 min. Successful growth was also achieved without adding hydrogen gas flow; this is probably because H2 can be induced from the decomposition of methanol. Through further defects study of few-layer graphene via TEM observation and AFM measurement, we tried to find possible ways for efficiency and quality management in graphene synthesis in industrial applications. Lastly, we investigated graphene formation after pre-treatment with different gas compositions, and found that gas selection is a crucial factor for a successful synthesis.

Enhanced Activity of Hierarchical Nanostructural Birnessite-MnO2-Based Materials Deposited onto Nickel Foam for Efficient Supercapacitor Electrodes.

Hierarchical porous birnessite-MnO2-based nanostructure composite materials were prepared on a nickel foam substrate by a successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method (SILAR). Following composition with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), the as-obtained MnO2, MnO2/rGO and MnO2/rGO-MWCNT materials exhibited pore size distributions of 2-8 nm, 5-15 nm and 2-75 nm, respectively. For the MnO2/rGO-MWCNT material in particular, the addition of MWCNT and rGO enhanced the superb distribution of micropores, mesopores and macropores and greatly improved the electrochemical performance. The as-obtained MnO2/rGO-MWCNT/NF electrode showed a specific capacitance that reached as high as 416 F·g-1 at 1 A·g-1 in 1 M Na2SO4 aqueous electrolyte and also an excellent rate capability and high cycling stability, with a capacitance retention of 85.6% after 10,000 cycles. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analyses showed a low resistance charge transfer resistance for the as-prepared MnO2/rGO-MWCNT/NF nanostructures. Therefore, MnO2/rGO-MWCNT/NF composites were successfully synthesized and displayed enhanced electrochemical performance as potential electrode materials for supercapacitors.

Investigation of extended-gate field-effect transistor pH sensors based on different-temperature-annealed bi-layer MWCNTs-In2O3 films.

In this paper, indium (In) films were deposited on glass substrates using DC sputtering method. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and dispersant were dissolved in alcohol, and the mixed solution was deposited on the In films using the spray method. The bi-layer MWCNTs-In2O3 films were annealed at different temperatures (from room temperature to 500°C) in O2 atmosphere. The influences of annealing temperature on the characteristics of the bi-layer MWCNTs-In2O3 films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction pattern, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. A separative extended-gate field-effect transistor (EGFET) device combined with a bi-layer MWCNTs-In2O3 film was constructed as a pH sensor. The influences of different annealing temperatures on the performances of the EGFET-based pH sensors were investigated. We would show that the pH sensitivity was dependent on the thermal oxygenation temperature of the bi-layer MWCNTs-In2O3 films.

Molecular dynamics investigations of liquid-vapor interaction and adsorption of formaldehyde, oxocarbons, and water in graphitic slit pores.

Formaldehyde exposure has been associated with several human cancers, including leukemia and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, motivating the present investigation on the microscopic adsorption behaviors of formaldehyde in multi-component-mixture-filled micropores. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used to investigate the liquid-vapor interaction and adsorption of formaldehyde, oxocarbons, and water in graphitic slit pores. The effects of the slit width, system temperature, concentration, and the constituent ratio of the mixture on the diffusion and adsorption properties are studied. As a result of interactions between the components, the z-directional self-diffusivity (D(z)) in the mixture substantially decreased by about one order of magnitude as compared with that of pure (single-constituent) adsorbates. When the concentration exceeds a certain threshold, the D(z) values dramatically decrease due to over-saturation inducing barriers to diffusion. The binding energy between the adsorbate and graphite at the first adsorption monolayer is calculated to be 3.99, 2.01, 3.49, and 2.67 kcal mol(-1) for CO2, CO, CH2O, and H2O, respectively. These values agree well with those calculated using the density functional theory coupled cluster method and experimental results. A low solubility of CO2 in water and water preferring to react with CH2O, forming hydrated methanediol clusters, are observed. Because the cohesion in a hydrated methanediol cluster is much higher than the adhesion between clusters and the graphitic surface, the hydrated methanediol clusters were hydrophobic, exhibiting a large contact angle on graphite.

Buckling instabilities in GaN nanotubes under uniaxial compression.

We report experimental observations of shell buckling instabilities in free-standing, vertically aligned GaN nanotubes subjected to uniaxial compression. Highly uniform arrays of the GaN nanotubes standing on a GaN template were fabricated and subjected to uniaxial compression using a nanoindenter. The buckling load was found to be of the order of 150 microN for the GaN nanotubes with an outer radius of 40 nm, an inner radius of 20 nm, and heights of 500 and 300 nm. Good agreement was found between the experimental observations, the stress-strain relation equation study findings and the predictions from the cylindrical shell buckling theory.