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Novel phenyl-modified magnetic graphene/mesoporous silica (MG-MS-Ph) composites with hierarchical bridge-pore structure were successfully synthesized. The magnetic graphene (MG) as bridge were obtained by one-step solvothermal approach and then phenyl-functionalized mesoporous silica (MS-Ph) as pore modified the MG surfaces through one-pot facile strategy. The resulting MG-MS-Ph exhibited large surface area (446.5 m 2 g −1 ), highly ordered mesopores with uniform pore size (2.8 nm) and pore volume (0.32 cm 3 g −1 ) and higher saturation magnetization (25 emu g −1 ). These wonderful features made MG-MS-Ph as a promising magnetic solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the removal of pesticides from wastewater. Batch adsorption studies indicated that the novel composites exhibited superior adsorption capacity of pesticides compared with other adsorbents including Activated carbon, Multi-walled carbon nanotube and Single-walled carbon nanotube. Therefore, MG-MS-Ph as a low cost and efficient adsorbents for the removal of toxic pesticides would be economically and technically feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-angle modulation properties of electrolyte gated graphene visible-infrared modulators with supercapacitor structures have been examined in both experiment and theory. Both transmission and reflection geometries have been studied, and the results show that all the modulations of these devices are gate voltage and wavelength dependent. Maximum modulation depths for transmission device ∼3% and reflection modulator ∼5% are obtained, which can be attributed to the electrolyte assistant considerable change of the Fermi energy with tunable gate voltage. Moreover, little incident angle dependency can be observed with a certain gate voltage. Theoretical analysis based on the different tangential and normal optical responses of the quartz/graphene/eletrolyte interface has been used to explain the phenomena, which indicated a common effect of p -polarized and s -polarized light. This work offers useful insight into a multi-angle application of the graphene-based optical modulator in visible-infrared region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilayer graphene (MLG) grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a promising material for electronic and optoelectronic devices. Understanding the stacking configuration and interlayer coupling of MLGs is technologically relevant and of importance for the device applications. Here, we reported a kind of twisted MLGs (tMLGs), in which only one twist angle was revealed from the twist-related modes, R and R'. With increasing the total layer number of N (N > 2), the observed interlayer shear modes in the tMLG flake always follow those of AB-stacked (N-1)LG, while the observed interlayer breathing modes always follow those of AB-stacked NLG, independent of its twist angle. The tMLGs are identified as t(1+ n )LGs, which are formed by stacking one graphene monolayer on the top of AB-stacked n layer graphenes by rotating a certain angle between them. The layer breathing coupling of the t(1+ n )LGs is almost identical to that of mechanically-exfoliated tMLGs, which demonstrates the high quality of MLGs grown by CVD. This study provides an applicable approach to probe the stacking configuration and interlayer coupling of MLGs grown by CVD or related methods. This work also demonstrates the possibility to grow MLG flakes with a fixed stacking configuration, e . g ., t(1+ n )LG, by the CVD method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistence of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) such as norfloxacin (NFX) poses a serious threat to the water environment, and the development of efficient and cost-effective advanced oxidation catalysts is an important step toward resolving this issue. Herein, Fe and N co-doped graphene (FeNGO) was synthesized from graphene oxide (GO), urea, and iron salt via simple impregnation pyrolysis, and applied for activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade NFX. FeNGO possessed a two-dimensional porous sheet structure and was rich in defects, nitrogen species, and active sites. Compared with the control catalyst doped with N or Fe alone, FeNGO/PMS system showed the best degradation performance with 97.7% removal of NFX after 30 min, the rate constant was 7.1 and 1.7 times than that for NGO and FeGO, respectively. Fe 3 N was the main active site of FeNGO, and it is confirmed that singlet oxygen (1O 2) and superoxide radical (O 2 •-) were the primary oxidation active species (ROS) during NFX degradation. The formation of 1O 2 came from the transformation of O 2 •- and PMS decomposition. FeNGO showed strong pH adaptability, and also exhibited stale degradation performance in saliferous water matrices. It is believed that this work will offer theoretical and practical guidance for PMS activation by non-radical pathways. [Display omitted] • The FeNGO was prepared and the Fe 3 N were the main active sites. • The FeNGO exhibited good pH flexibility and had low Fe leaching. • O 2.•- and 1O 2 were primary cause of norfloxacin degradation. • Possible degradation pathway of norfloxacin was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study microwave-assisted reduction (MrGO) and direct reduction of graphene oxide (rGO) by Ti powders were established, and the effect of the reaction conditions on the reduction were discussed. The results showed that GO can be effectively reduced by both methods, however, microwave assistance can greatly shorten the reduction time. The produced Ti ions from the reaction of Ti powder with GO were transferred to TiO 2 by hydrolysis and formed MrGO/TiO 2 and rGO/TiO 2 . They were used as adsorbents for the removal of methylene blue (MB). MrGO/TiO 2 showed a higher adsorption capacity ( q max , 845.6 mg/g) than rGO/TiO 2 ( q max , 467.6 mg/g). Investigation on the adsorption MB onto MrGO/TiO 2 was conducted and demonstrated that adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo second-order kinetics model and the adsorption isotherm was well described by the Langmuir isotherm model. The recycling of MrGO/TiO 2 was achieved by photocatalytic degradation of MB catalyzed by MrGO/TiO 2 itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the present work, using copper as an etching agent, a novel and easy method to prepare porous graphene nanosheet (P-GR) was reported. With a large number of pores, more acidic groups and edge defect sites (EDSs) compared with graphene (GR), the prepared P-GR was used as an electrochemical biosensing platform for the first time. Using voltammetry and amperometry as detection methods, some important electroactive compounds, including dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA), epinephrine (EP), guanine (G), adenine (A), xanthine (XA), hypoxanthine (HX), hydrogen peroxide and β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) were employed to study their electrochemical responses on P-GR modified glassy carbon electrode (P-GR/GCE). The results show that P-GR/GCE exhibits better electrochemical performance to these substances compared with GR modified glassy carbon electrode (GR/GCE) and edge plane pyrolitic graphite electrode (PGE). The remarkable electrochemical advantage of P-GR makes it a promising material in electrochemical biosensing field. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The luminescent reduced graphene oxide small sheets (average diameter: 30–50nm) are prepared by using a simple and eco-friendly solvothermal process, and show an obvious excitation-dependent PL emission as the excitation wavelength varies from 300 to 500nm. In particular, under excitation at 340nm, a strongest blue emission occurs, whose quantum yield reaches ca. 3.2% as Rhodamine B is used as a reference. This offers a simple pathway to prepare the luminescent reduced graphene oxide small sheets. Furthermore, the emission exhibits a good resistance to the change of pH for the surroundings, which could be beneficial to the practical applications in the field of optoelectronics, and molecule detection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Incorporation of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in Co3O4 matrix is systematically investigated through a chemical route for supercapacitors. The α-Co(OH)2 supported by graphene oxide is first fabricated by a chemical precipitation approach. Thermal decompositions of these precursors at the given temperature (150°C) lead to rGO/Co3O4 composites. Measurement results show that the morphology and electrochemical activity of the rGO/Co3O4 composites are influenced significantly by the mass ratios of rGO to Co3O4. When used as electrode materials in supercapacitors, the composite with mass ratio of 0.22:1 (rGO:Co3O4) achieves the specific capacitance as high as 291Fg−1 at 1Ag−1 in the potential range of −0.4 to 0.55V, as compared with each individual counterpart (56 and 161Fg−1 for rGO and Co3O4, respectively). In addition, the excellent rate capability and well cycling ability are observed in the composite electrodes. The enhanced electrochemical performance is indicative of a positive synergistic effect between rGO and Co3O4. These results suggest the importance and great potential of graphene based composites in the development of high-performance energy-storage systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this work, a comparative study on the electrocatalytic activities of ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) and graphene (GR) is presented. Using voltammetry and amperometry as detection methods, four DNA bases, double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), six important electroactive compounds and various biomolecules were employed to investigate their electrochemical responses on OMC and GR modified glassy carbon electrodes (OMC/GCE and GR/GCE). The results show that OMC/GCE enhances the electron transfer kinetics of these compounds compared to GR/GCE. The discrepancy in electrochemical activities can be attributed to the different microstructures of OMC and GR, which were examined by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectra, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra and nitrogen adsorption–desorption. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This work demonstrates a novel and facile route for preparing graphene-based composites comprising of metal oxide nanoparticles and graphene. A graphene nanosheet–bismuth oxide composite as electrode materials of supercapacitors was firstly synthesized by thermally treating the graphene–bismuth composite, which was obtained through simultaneous solvothermal reduction of the colloidal dispersions of negatively charged graphene oxide sheets in N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) solution of bismuth cations at 180°C. The morphology, composition, and microstructure of the composites together with pure graphite oxide, and graphene were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), thermogravimetry and differential thermogravimetry (TG–DTG). The electrochemical behaviors were measured by cyclic voltammogram (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The specific capacitance of 255Fg−1 (based on composite) is obtained at a specific current of 1Ag−1 as compared with 71Fg−1 for pure graphene. The loaded-bismuth oxide achieves a specific capacitance as high as 757Fg−1 even at 10Ag−1. In addition, the graphene nanosheet–bismuth oxide composite electrode exhibits the excellent rate capability and well reversibility. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Adsorption and advanced oxidation technology are important means to remove organic pollutants, and the combination of adsorption and catalytic degradation to construct a multi-field coupled system can realize valid adsorption and degradation of organic contaminants. In this paper, CuBi 2 O 4 supported by a nonmetallic element-modified graphene hydrogel composite structure CuBi 2 O 4 /X-rGH (X = N, P, S, B) was synthesized and applied to the efficient removal of organic pollutants. We found that the doping of nonmetallic elements enhances the graphene conjugated large π-bond system, which not only improves the adsorption performance of pollutants but also increases the graphene conductivity and builds more carrier transport channels, which is beneficial to the photocatalytic Fenton synergistic degradation activity. Among them, CuBi 2 O 4 /P-rGH could achieve 90 % degradation of phenol (50 ppm) after 20 min of turning on the light, which was nearly 2 times more than the degradation activity of CuBi 2 O 4 /rGH. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and quenching experiments proved that ·OH was the main active species in the synergistic degradation process, and the mechanism of adsorption of nonmetallic modified graphene hydrogel hybrid catalysts and in situ photocatalytic Fenton degradation of pollutants was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorption and advanced oxidation technology are important means to remove organic pollutants, and the combination of adsorption and catalytic degradation to construct a multi-field coupled system can realize valid adsorption and degradation of organic contaminants. In this paper, CuBi 2 O 4 supported by a nonmetallic element-modified graphene hydrogel composite structure CuBi 2 O 4 /X-rGH (X = N, P, S, B) was synthesized and applied to the efficient removal of organic pollutants. We found that the doping of nonmetallic elements enhances the graphene conjugated large π-bond system, which not only improves the adsorption performance of pollutants but also increases the graphene conductivity and builds more carrier transport channels, which is beneficial to the photocatalytic Fenton synergistic degradation activity. Among them, CuBi 2 O 4 /P-rGH could achieve 90 % degradation of phenol (50 ppm) after 20 min of turning on the light, which was nearly 2 times more than the degradation activity of CuBi 2 O 4 /rGH. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and quenching experiments proved that ·OH was the main active species in the synergistic degradation process, and the mechanism of adsorption of nonmetallic modified graphene hydrogel hybrid catalysts and in situ photocatalytic Fenton degradation of pollutants was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A CoO/3D graphene composite synthesized via hydrothermal method was used as an anode material for Li-ion batteries. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and charge/discharge measurement were conducted to evaluate the physical and electrochemical properties of the CoO/3D graphene composite. Results showed that the composite delivered high rate capacities of 1481.1, 657.7, 472.5, 423.8, and 391.2 mAh g −1 , at 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 mA g −1 , respectively. The capacity after 100 cycles was 860 mAh g −1 at 50 mA g −1 , thereby indicating excellent cycle stability. The excellent electrochemical performance was ascribed to 3D graphene sheets that were formed in the composite structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) graphene aerogels–mesoporous silica (GAs–MS) frameworks were successfully fabricated. The interconnected macropores were obtained from hydrothermally assembled 3D GAs, while the mesopores were generated by the silica uniformly grown on the surface of graphene. The resulting GAs–MS exhibited narrow mesopore size distribution (1.87 nm), high surface area (1000.80 m 2 g −1 ), and hierarchical macro- and mesoporous structures. These wonderful features made GAs–MS as a promising adsorbent for the removal of hazardous phenols from wastewater. The adsorption study implied that the novel materials exhibited superior adsorption capacity of phenols to such as phenol, catechol, resorcinol and hydroquinone, with removal efficiencies of 68.6%, 86.6%, 91.1% and 94.7%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and reduced graphene oxide (graphene) composites were synthesized via a simple one-pot approach in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Further, the Au–PVP–graphene nanocomposite was used as a new sensing material for the electrochemical detection of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). Because of the greatly enlarged surface area, the enhanced electron transfer rate, and a stronger enrichment of BHA, the sensor based on Au–PVP–graphene modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) displayed highly sensitive electrochemical responses to BHA. Applying linear sweep voltammetry, a good linear relationship of the oxidation peak current with respect to concentrations of BHA across the range of 0.2–100.0 µM and a detection limit of 0.04 µM was achieved. The practical analytical performance of the Au–PVP–graphene/GCE was examined by evaluating detection of BHA in soybean oil and the flour samples. Satisfactory results revealed that this work offered a new way for the sensitive and simple determination of BHA in complex samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel aptamer/graphene interdigitated gold electrode piezoelectric sensor was developed for the rapid and specific detection of Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) by employing S. aureus aptamer as a biological recognition element. 4-Mercaptobenzene-diazonium tetrafluoroborate (MBDT) salt was used as a molecular cross-linking agent to chemically bind graphene to interdigital gold electrodes (IDE) that are connected to a series electrode piezoelectric quartz crystal (SPQC). S. aureus aptamers were assembly immobilized onto graphene via the π – π stacking of DNA bases. Due to the specific binding between S. aureus and aptamer, when S. aureus is present, the DNA bases interacted with the aptamer, thereby dropping the aptamer from the surface of the graphene. The electric parameters of the electrode surface was changed and resulted in the change of oscillator frequency of the SPQC. This detection was completed within 60 min. The constructed sensor demonstrated a linear relationship between resonance frequency shifts with bacterial concentrations ranging from 4.1×10 1 −4.1×10 5 cfu/mL with a detection limit of 41 cfu/mL. The developed strategy can detect S. aureus rapidly and specifically for clinical diagnosis and food testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, nickel tailings were utilized to prepare electrothermal coatings composited with nano-graphite/multilayer graphene, and the effects of heat treatment temperature and time of nickel tailings on the performance of electrothermal coatings were investigated. The experimental results show that the addition of nickel tailings can significantly enhance the performance of the composite electrothermal coatings. Using nickel tailings treated at 60 °C for 2 h caused the temperature response time of the coatings to decrease by 57%, and the maximum temperature was 55.4 °C. However, as the treatment temperature was increased to 100 °C, a large amount of oxygen was introduced into the system, which led to a weakening of the ferric ion conduction in the ferromagnesian olivine, resulting in only a 28.6% reduction in the temperature response time at the maximum temperature of 45.4 °C. Meanwhile, it was established that the multidimensional stabilized conductive network formed by nickel tailings and nano-graphite/multilayer graphene enhanced the comprehensive performance of the coating. In addition, the study on the coating work stability revealed that the electrothermal coating prepared by adding nickel tailings treated at 60 °C for 2 h can maintain the maximum stable temperature above 55 °C for a long period of time, which is significantly better than the samples without nickel tailings and with nickel tailings heat-treated at 100 °C. This electrothermal composite coating is particularly suitable for low-pressure and low-power high-efficiency heating equipment, energy saving and environmental protection. Compared with the existing work, this experiment uses nickel tailings solid waste as auxiliary filler, which has the advantages of low cost, simple fabrication process, energy saving, environmental protection, low energy consumption, etc. It provides a more sustainable and eco-friendly solution for heating needs in a variety of fields. The material will be developed in the direction of higher conversion efficiency and higher temperature threshold in the future. It can be widely used in the fields of intelligent heating of houses, intelligent electric heating of clothes, and de-icing of wings of aircrafts. • Incorporation of waste nickel tailings into nano-graphite/multilayer graphene composite powders to improve the performance of composite electrothermal coatings. • Temperature response time of the electrothermal coating by 57%. • The fluctuation of each performance in the cycling stability test lasting 10 days was less than 1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel graphene-like nanosheets stacked carbon nanotube structure was synthesized for the first time. • It was found for the first time that hydrogen peroxide has not only reducing property but also decomposing and stripping function. • Lamellar carbon nanotubes are bonded to transition metal alloys. • Large specific surface area plays a greater positive role in product transport and electron transport. • The novel structural catalyst is highly active in HER and OER. In this study, we prepared a novel graphene-like stacked carbon nanotube-supported Fe-Ni alloy nanometer composite material. The cubic structure of nickel dimethylglyoxime was synthesized as the base material. Under hydrothermal condition, FePc was adsorbed on the surface of the nickel dimethylglyoxime cube. In addition, hydrogen peroxide not only decomposes FePc into Pc and Fe2+, but also reduces Fe2+ to Fe. On the other hand, hydrogen peroxide was first found could decompose and peel the cube of nickel dimethylglyoxime into a novel type of nanotubes with graphene-like nanosheet stacking structure. After the final calcination, the Fe2+ and Ni2+ were converted to FeNi alloy, and the dimethylglyoxime carrier with its loaded Pc was converted to carbon material. The novel structure has a large BET, which is conducive to electron transport, product transport and provides a large active site for Fe-Ni3 alloy. The composite has high electro-catalysis performance for OER and ORR, which provides a new idea for the study of new energy reserves, energy conversion and reserve materials. This study provides a new idea for preparing novel carbon nanotube-loaded transition metal composites in the field of electrocatalysis. The reducing and weak oxidizing decomposition of hydrogen peroxide was first found could peel off the dimethylglyoxime cube to a new graphene-like nanolayer stacking structure carbon nanotube structure. The prepared materials have high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the present study, a facile method is developed for the synthesis of graphene oxide-Ag nanocomposite (GOAg). The method involves the application of in situ photochemical deposition and growth processes under certain alkaline environments in the absence of chemical reductants and surfactants. Silver nanoparticles with monodisperse size are well dispersed on the surface of graphene oxide (GO). The roles of GO and NaOH in the formation of GOAg are discussed. A corresponding formation mechanism of GOAg is proposed. Fluorescence quenching and Raman enhancement are examined as well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Graphene oxide (GO) is one of the promising two-dimensional nanomaterials for the development of fluorescent aptasensors. Its limitations are related to the inevitable negative effect of GO on the fluorescence. Here this challenge was explored and solved by ssDNA adsorption on GO and centrifugal separation of GO from the ensembled solution. On this basis, a fluorescent aptasensor was constructed for the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA), in which GO assisted the separation of free aptamers to achieve cDNA-induced structure-switching from SEA/aptamer complex to dsDNA, and GO was added again to separate free cDNA and reduce the background signal. SYBR Green I was inserted into dsDNA as the fluorescent signal to achieve the quantitative analysis. It displayed a wide linear range (1–8000 ng/mL), low detection limit (0.899 ng/mL), and satisfactory application in milk and milk powder. Notably, the method was low-cost, general, and instructive for other two-dimensional nanomaterials. [Display omitted] • A label-free, low-background fluorescent aptasensor for staphylococcal enterotoxin A. • Graphene oxide-assisted ssDNA separation to reduce the background and interference. • The cDNA-induced structure-switching formed dsDNA and amplified the signal. • The method was low-cost, general, and instructive for two-dimensional nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The development of high-performance noble metal-free electrochemical catalyst for effective water splitting is a key factor to achieve low-cost and sustainable renewable energy production. Herein, for the first time, highly dispersed cobalt nanoparticles decorated uniform nitrogen doped graphene (CoNPs-N-GR) was design synthesized. In the preparation procedure, graphene oxide (GO) was employed as supporting material, polydopamine as nitrogen source, location reagent as well as connecting agent for uploading cobalt metal ion, and then cobalt metal-organic frameworks (ZIF-67) in situ grew on GO. During the calcining process, GO reduction, nitrogen doping and cobalt nanoparticles forming were finished in one step. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were applied to characterize the as-prepared CoNPs-N-GR. Moreover, owing to the presence of dopamine, high dispersed cobalt nanoparticles were obtained, leading to high electrocatalytic activity of CoNPs-N-GR for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media. HER reaches 10 mA cm−2 at the over-potential of 0.453 V with a Tafel slope of 67 mV dec−1. OER reaches 10 mA cm−2 at the over-potential of 1.63 V with a Tafel slope of 65 mV dec−1. And the as-prepared CoNPs-N-GR shows excellent durability in the long-term stability for HER and OER. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Highly dispersed CoNPs decorated uniform nitrogen doped graphene was prepared. • Polydopamine as nitrogen source, location reagent as well as connecting agent. • In situ grow of cobalt metal-organic frameworks (ZIF-67) as cobalt precursor. • High electrocatalytic performance for both HER and OER in alkaline media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing electrochemical biosensor, particularly for high sensitive recognizing and detecting tumor marker at low level under benign conditions, is highly desired, but still remains a severe challenge. In this communication, we report a dual-signaling ratiometric method for sensitive detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) based on gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) functionalized Cu 2 S-CuS/graphene composite (Au-Cu 2 S-CuS/graphene) as the matrix material and carboxyl-Au nanoparticles (Au-COOH) functionalized mesoporous CeO 2 nanoparticles (Au-CeO 2 ) supported toluidine blue (TB) complex as signal label. The oxidation peak current of Cu 2 S-CuS decreases with the increase of CEA concentration, while the oxidation peak current of TB increases. The change of dual signals “Δ I = Δ I TB + |Δ I Cu2S-CuS |” (Δ I TB and |Δ I Cu2S-CuS | are the change values of the oxidation peak currents of TB and Cu 2 S-CuS, respectively) is used as the response signal for quantitative determination of CEA. Notably, the linear range is 0.001 ∼ 100 ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.78 pg/mL (S/N = 3). The ratiometric electrochemical system provides an extremely simple strategy for detecting tumor markers in a reliable, facile, sensitive, and specific manner, which has a promising application for quantitative detection of other tumor markers in clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bimetallic palladium–silver nanoparticles (NPs) supported on reduced oxide graphene (RGO) with different Pd/Ag ratios (Pd–Ag/RGO) were prepared by an easy green method which did not use any additional reducing agents or a dispersing agent. During the process, simultaneous redox reactions between AgNO3, K2PdCl4 and graphene oxide (GO) led to bimetallic Pd–Ag NPs. The morphology and composition of the Pd–Ag/RGO were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and Raman spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry were used to investigate the electrochemical activities and stabilities of these Pd–Ag/RGO catalysts for the electro-oxidation of methanol and ethanol in alkaline media. Among the different Pd/Ag ratios, the Pd–Ag (1:1)/RGO had the best catalytic activities and stability. So it is a promising catalyst for direct alcohol fuel cell applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Graphene aerogel prepared at different freeze-casting temperatures yield unequal electromagnetic properties. • Modulate absorption/reflection shielding performance through the introduction of new skeleton. • Graphene aerogel with different pore structures reveal different mechanical properties. We report a comprehensive analysis of the Electromagnetic (EM) properties of graphene aerogel-based shielding materials prepared by freeze casting. Controlling the freeze casting temperature allows for tailoring the pore sizes of graphene aerogels, which further affects the permittivity and EM shielding properties. To protect the aerogel structures from collapsing during high temperature heat-treatment, we used Melamine sponge (MS) as a supporting strut. Through a comparison with bare aerogels, we find that the presence of MS can significantly modify both the reflection and absorption performances and that an absorption-dominated shielding material can be obtained. After heat-treatment at 1000 °C for two hours, the MS-supported aerogel sample (MS-aero) showed a shielding efficiency of 55.8 dB. Our work shows that the material composition and the microstructural architecture of aerogels crucially influence their electromagnetic shielding efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A rapid, environmental friendly, and sensitive biosensor for detection of zearalenone (ZEN) was developed at glassy carbon electrode (GCE) using nanoporous bimetallic alloy as label of secondary antibody (Ab2). The biosensor was prepared by immobilizing nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (N-GS) captured primary antibody (Ab1) on GCE. The analytes were then bound to Ab1 for further capture of antibodies, labeled by the nanoporous bimetallic alloy, nanoporous PtCo alloy (NP-PtCo). NP-PtCo with three-dimensional bicontinuous spongy structures and various hollow channels was prepared by corrosion of PtCoAl alloy, and exhibited remarkably improved electrocatalytic activity toward H2O2. Within ZEN concentration range (0.005–25ngmL−1), the biosensor exhibited a highly sensitive response to ZEN with a detection limit of 2.1pgmL−1. Several factors that would affect the performance of the biosensor were studied, such as erosion time of NP-PtCo, concentration of NP-PtCo, pH of buffer solution, and concentration of N-GS. After H2O2 was injected into the buffer solution, the amperometric response of the biosensor can be used to detect ZEN by chronoamperometry. The developed biosensor shows good selectivity and sensitivity to ZEN and is promising in feed safety analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Reduced graphene oxide/cadmium sulfide (RGO/CdS) hybrid material was synthesized by a one-step solvothermal method, wherein graphene oxide (GO) was a supporting material on which CdS nanoparticles were distributed homogeneously, and cadmium acetate (Cd(Ac)2·2H2O) was used as the CdS precursor. The supporting material RGO for CdS nanoparticles effectively enhanced their photocatalytic activities for the photodegradation of methylene blue in the aqueous solution. The optimum weight ratio of the GO to CdS in the hybrid material was 5.0%, which exhibited an excellent photodegradation efficiency (94%) and a better removal efficiency of total organic carbon (TOC) (57%), about 2.5 times and 5.1 times higher than that of pure CdS nanoparticles, respectively, under visible light (VL) irradiation. This improved photodegradation efficiency could be attributed to the increased adsorbability for methylene blue molecules, light absorption levels located in visible region, high charge transfer and separation ability, due to the introduction of a two-dimensional RGO network. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]