There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

There is intense interest in graphene in fields such as physics, chemistry, and materials science, among others. Interest in graphene's exceptional physical properties, chemical tunability, and potential for applications has generated thousands of publications and an accelerating pace of research, making review of such research timely. Here is an overview of the synthesis, properties, and applications of graphene and related materials (primarily, graphite oxide and its colloidal suspensions and materials made from them), from a materials science perspective.

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Graphene and Graphene Oxide: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications

Graphene has attracted tremendous research interest in recent years, owing to its exceptional properties. The scaled-up and reliable production of graphene derivatives, such as graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), offers a wide range of possibilities to synthesize graphene-based functional materials for various applications. This critical review presents and discusses the current development of graphene-based composites. After introduction of the synthesis methods for graphene and its derivatives as well as their properties, we focus on the description of various methods to synthesize graphene-based composites, especially those with functional polymers and inorganic nanostructures. Particular emphasis is placed on strategies for the optimization of composite properties. Lastly, the advantages of graphene-based composites in applications such as the Li-ion batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, photovoltaic devices, photocatalysis, as well as Raman enhancement are described (279 references).

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Graphene-based composites

Materials with good flexibility and high conductivity that can provide electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding with minimal thickness are highly desirable, especially if they can be easily processed into films. Two-dimensional metal carbides and nitrides, known as MXenes, combine metallic conductivity and hydrophilic surfaces. Here, we demonstrate the potential of several MXenes and their polymer composites for EMI shielding. A 45-micrometer-thick Ti3C2Tx film exhibited EMI shielding effectiveness of 92 decibels (>50 decibels for a 2.5-micrometer film), which is the highest among synthetic materials of comparable thickness produced to date. This performance originates from the excellent electrical conductivity of Ti3C2Tx films (4600 Siemens per centimeter) and multiple internal reflections from Ti3C2Tx flakes in free-standing films. The mechanical flexibility and easy coating capability offered by MXenes and their composites enable them to shield surfaces of any shape while providing high EMI shielding efficiency.

Electromagnetic interference shielding with 2D transition metal carbides (MXenes)

Graphene based materials: Past, present and future

AFM nanomechanical mapping and nanothermal analysis reveal enhanced crystallization at the surface of a semicrystalline polymer

Flexible and lightweight supercapacitors with satisfactory energy density and long-term stability are urgently required to provide power for flexible, foldable, and wearable electronic devices. Her...

Ultraflexible Reedlike Carbon Nanofiber Membranes Decorated with Ni–Co–S Nanosheets and Fe2O3–C Core–Shell Nanoneedle Arrays as Electrodes of Flexible Quasi-Solid-State Asymmetric Supercapacitors

A reactive extrusion process was developed to toughen an amorphous copolyester (PETG) of ethylene glycol, terephthalic acid and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol using either a maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene–octene elastomer (POEg), or a maleic anhydride grafted mixture (TPEg) of the polyethylene–octene elastomer and a semicrystalline polyolefin plastic as the impact modifier. TPEg showed an important toughening effect on the PETG. A sharp ductile-brittle transition was observed when the TPEg content was about 10 wt %. For POEg toughened PETG, the ductile–brittle transition required a higher content in POEg, ∼15 wt %. Evolution of the topography and morphology of the blends and the relationship between impact strength and topography were discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 2801–2809, 2000

Toughening of a copolyester with a maleated core‐shell toughener

2D Ferrous Ion-Crosslinked Ti3C2Tx MXene Aerogel Evaporators for Efficient Solar Steam Generation

Silver phosphate/graphene oxide aerogel microspheres (SGAMs) with radially oriented microchannels are constructed by electrostatically spraying the as-prepared silver phosphate/graphene oxide/chito...

Silver Phosphate/Graphene Oxide Aerogel Microspheres with Radially Oriented Microchannels for Highly Efficient and Continuous Removal of Pollutants from Wastewaters

Zhong-Zhen Yu

Papers

AFM nanomechanical mapping and nanothermal analysis reveal enhanced crystallization at the surface of a semicrystalline polymer

Ultraflexible Reedlike Carbon Nanofiber Membranes Decorated with Ni–Co–S Nanosheets and Fe2O3–C Core–Shell Nanoneedle Arrays as Electrodes of Flexible Quasi-Solid-State Asymmetric Supercapacitors

Toughening of a copolyester with a maleated core‐shell toughener

2D Ferrous Ion-Crosslinked Ti3C2Tx MXene Aerogel Evaporators for Efficient Solar Steam Generation

Silver Phosphate/Graphene Oxide Aerogel Microspheres with Radially Oriented Microchannels for Highly Efficient and Continuous Removal of Pollutants from Wastewaters