Graphene oxide nanosheet with high proton conductivity.

We measured the proton conductivity of bulk graphite oxide (GO'), a graphene oxide/proton hybrid (GO-H), and a graphene oxide (GO) nanosheet for the first time. GO is a well-known electronic insulator, but for proton conduction we observed the reverse trend, as it exhibited superionic conductivity. The hydrophilic sites present in GO as -O-, -OH, and -COOH functional groups attract the protons, which propagate through hydrogen-bonding networks along the adsorbed water film. The proton conductivities of GO' and GO-H at 100% humidity were ∼10(-4) and ∼10(-5) S cm(-1), respectively, whereas that for GO was amazingly high, nearly 10(-2) S cm(-1). This finding indicates the possibility of GO-based perfect two-dimensional proton-conductive materials for applications in fuel cells, sensors, and so on.

Modulating the Work Function of Graphene by Pulsed Plasma Aided Controlled Chlorination.

Chlorine on graphene (G) matrices was doped by pulsed plasma stimulation on graphite electrode submerged in organochlorine solvents (CH2Cl2, CHCl3, CCl4). The study of work function by Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) measurement clearly indicates that Cl-doped G behave like semiconductor and GG@CHCl3 exhibits the lowest value for the work function. We propose that this report not only represents a new route for tuning the semiconductivity of G but also indicates that doping level of halogen on G based carbon framework can be controlled by pulsed plasma treatment of carbon materials on various organohalogen derivatives.

Synthesis of mesoporous materials as nano-carriers for an antimalarial drug.

An antimalarial drug artesunate (ATS) was encapsulated in both functionalized MCM-41 and ordinary MCM-41 with an excellent loading capacity and sustained release behavior for possible biomedical applications.

Thermally Stable Super Ionic Conductor from Carbon Sphere Oxide.

A highly stable proton conductor has been developed from carbon sphere oxide (CSO). Carbon sphere (CS) generated from sucrose was oxidized successfully to CSO using Hummers' graphite oxidation technique. At room temperature and 90 % relative humidity, the proton conductivity of thin layer CSO on microsized comb electrode was found to be 8.7×10(-3)  S cm(-1) , which is higher than that for a similar graphene oxide (GO) sample (3.4×10(-3)  S cm(-1) ). The activation energy (Ea ) of 0.258 eV suggests that the proton is conducted through the Grotthuss mechanism. The carboxyl functional groups on the CSO surface are primarily responsible for transporting protons. In contrast to conventional carbon-based proton conductors, in which the functional groups decompose around 80 °C, CSO has a stable morphology and functional groups with reproducible proton conductivity up to 400 °C. Even once annealed at different temperatures at high relative humidity, the proton conductivity of CSO remains almost unchanged, whereas significant change is seen with a similar GO sample. After annealing at 100 and 200 °C, the respective proton conductivity of CSO was almost the same, and was about ∼50 % of the proton conductivity at room temperature. Carbon-based solid electrolyte with such high thermal stability and reproducible proton conductivity is desired for practical applications. We expect that a CSO-based proton conductor would be applicable for fuel cells and sensing devices operating under high temperatures.

Coexistence of electrical conductivity and ferromagnetism in a hybrid material formed from reduced graphene oxide and manganese oxide.

The coexistence of electrical conductivity and ferromagnetism has been achieved in a reduced graphene oxide/manganese oxide hybrid (rGO-Mn) synthesized by chemical reduction of a graphene oxide and Mn(2+) (as its GO-Mn(2+) complex) using hydrazine. The rGO-Mn and GO-Mn(2+) complexes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In rGO-Mn the Mn was present as manganese oxide nanoparticles located on the rGO nanosheets. This rGO-Mn exhibits both electrical conductivity and ferromagnetism. The synthesis of hybrids incorporating rGO and metal oxides is proposed as a useful strategy for generation of new multifunctional nano-composite materials.