http://staff.ulsu.ru/moliver/ref/polymers/pott11.pdf

Graphene-based polymer nanocomposites

The halogen bond occurs when there is evidence of a net attractive interaction between an electrophilic region associated with a halogen atom in a molecular entity and a nucleophilic region in another, or the same, molecular entity. In this fairly extensive review, after a brief history of the interaction, we will provide the reader with a snapshot of where the research on the halogen bond is now, and, perhaps, where it is going. The specific advantages brought up by a design based on the use of the halogen bond will be demonstrated in quite different fields spanning from material sciences to biomolecular recognition and drug design.

The Halogen Bond

The stability of two-dimensional (2D) layers and membranes is subject of a long standing theoretical debate. According to the so called Mermin-Wagner theorem, long wavelength fluctuations destroy the long-range order for 2D crystals. Similarly, 2D membranes embedded in a 3D space have a tendency to be crumpled. These dangerous fluctuations can, however, be suppressed by anharmonic coupling between bending and stretching modes making that a two-dimensional membrane can exist but should present strong height fluctuations. The discovery of graphene, the first truly 2D crystal and the recent experimental observation of ripples in freely hanging graphene makes these issues especially important. Beside the academic interest, understanding the mechanisms of stability of graphene is crucial for understanding electronic transport in this material that is attracting so much interest for its unusual Dirac spectrum and electronic properties. Here we address the nature of these height fluctuations by means of straightforward atomistic Monte Carlo simulations based on a very accurate many-body interatomic potential for carbon. We find that ripples spontaneously appear due to thermal fluctuations with a size distribution peaked around 70 \AA which is compatible with experimental findings (50-100 \AA) but not with the current understanding of stability of flexible membranes. This unexpected result seems to be due to the multiplicity of chemical bonding in carbon.

Intrinsic ripples in graphene

Sustainable solvents are a topic of growing interest in both the research community and the chemical industry due to a growing awareness of the impact of solvents on pollution, energy usage, and contributions to air quality and climate change. Solvent losses represent a major portion of organic pollution, and solvent removal represents a large proportion of process energy consumption. To counter these issues, a range of greener or more sustainable solvents have been proposed and developed over the past three decades. Much of the focus has been on the environmental credentials of the solvent itself, although how a substance is deployed is as important to sustainability as what it is made from. In this Review, we consider several aspects of the most prominent sustainable organic solvents in use today, ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents, supercritical fluids, switchable solvents, liquid polymers, and renewable solvents. We examine not only the performance of each class of solvent within the context of the...

Green and Sustainable Solvents in Chemical Processes

Electrochemistry of graphene and related materials.

Covalent binding of polymers to graphene represents an interesting alternative for the development of novel composite materials with a compendium of interfacial interactions. Through covalent linking, the concept of interface changes from a traditional view of interactions between components, such as van der Waals, hydrogen bonding, and so on, that is to say, at a polymer-filler interface, to a single compound concept where graphene forms an integral part of the polymeric chains. This feature article provides an overview of the strategies currently employed to functionalize graphene with polymers. We focus on the grafting-from and grafting-to methods used to bind polymers to graphene. The advantages and drawbacks, as well as the influence of each method on the final properties, are highlighted.

Gary Ellis

Papers

Recent advances in the covalent modification of graphene with polymers.

High-performance nanocomposites based on polyetherketones

Development and characterization of PEEK/carbon nanotube composites

Opportunities and challenges in the use of inorganic fullerene-like nanoparticles to produce advanced polymer nanocomposites

High-quality few layer graphene produced by electrochemical intercalation and microwave-assisted expansion of graphite