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.

/pdf/graphene-and-graphene-oxide-synthesis-properties-and-2q80uaujok.pdf

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).

/pdf/graphene-based-composites-540z2xd3o0.pdf

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

The invention relates to a magnesium oxide/iron composite material modified diaphragm and a preparation method thereof. Magnesium oxide is used as an adsorption matrix, iron particles loaded on the surfaces of magnesium oxide particles are used as a catalytic matrix, blended carbon nanotubes are used as a conductive matrix, and a lithium-sulfur battery diaphragm is synergistically modified. The magnesium oxide particles are prepared through a solvothermal synthesis method, and then iron particles are loaded on the surfaces of the particles through a hydrogen thermal reduction method. Finally,carbon nanotubes are loaded on the surface of the diaphragm by an ethanol dispersion blending filtering method to obtain the modified diaphragm. According to the magnesium oxide/iron composite material modified diaphragm, the physical barrier effect of the carbon nanotubes, the adsorption effect of magnesium oxide and the catalytic effect of iron particles are integrated, and the performance of alithium-sulfur battery is synergistically improved.

Magnesium oxide/iron composite material modified diaphragm and preparation method thereof

The invention discloses a catalyst for polyurea anticorrosive paint in seawater desalination engineering. The catalyst comprises an organic acid salt solution, wherein an organic acid salt is zinc naphthenate and/or zinc isooctanoate, and a solvent is solvent oil No. 200 and/dimethyl carbonate. The catalyst is applied in the field of the polyurea anticorrosive paint in seawater desalination engineering. The additive amount of the catalyst for the polyurea anticorrosive paint in seawater desalination engineering is 1%-7% (mass percent). The catalyst is a high-efficiency environmental-friendly catalyst for the polyurea anticorrosive paint in seawater desalination engineering.

Catalyst for polyurea anticorrosive paint in seawater desalination engineering

A Photo-Promoted Reversible Lithium-Sulfur Battery

:
In this follow-up to our previous chapter on “Wear and Scratch Damage in Polymer Nanocomposites” (Chapter 16 of first edition), we will review and discuss the advancements made in this field in the past 5 years. Since this is only intended as an update, we will not go through the fundamentals or early tribological literature on polymer nanocomposites, which were part of our previous contribution. Specifically, here, we have grouped the literature to delineate the effects of friction (or ways to reduce friction), surface roughness, and anisotropic properties of polymers (and nanocomposites). We have also short sections reviewing the different ways to evaluate the wear/scratch mechanisms and tribological behavior of coatings.

Zhong-Zhen Yu

Papers

Magnesium oxide/iron composite material modified diaphragm and preparation method thereof

Catalyst for polyurea anticorrosive paint in seawater desalination engineering

A Photo-Promoted Reversible Lithium-Sulfur Battery

Chapter 16 – Wear and scratch damage in polymer nanocomposites

Spontaneously Super-Hygroscopic Mof-Gel Microreactors for Efficient Detoxification of Nerve Agent Simulant in Atmospheric Environments