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We report the improvement in the sensing performance of electrolyte-gated graphene field-effect transistor (FET) sensors capable of detecting tau protein through a simplified, linker-free, anti-tau antibody immobilization process. For most of the graphene-based immunosensor, linkers, such as pyrenebutanoic acid, succinimidyl ester (PSE) must be used to the graphene surface, while the other side of linkers serves to capture the antibodies that can specifically interact with the target biomarker. In this study, graphene was patterned into eight different types and linker-free patterned graphene FET sensors were fabricated to verify their detection performance. The linker-free antibody immobilization to patterned graphene exhibited that the antibody was immobilized to the edge defect and had a doping-like behaviors on graphene. As the tau protein concentration in the electrolyte increased from 10 fg/ml to 1 ng/ml, the performances, charge neutral point shift and current change rate of the patterned graphene sensors without linkers were enhanced 2-3 times compared to a pristine graphene sensor with the PSE linker. Moreover, tau protein in the plasma of five Alzheimer's disease patients was measured using a linker-free patterned graphene sensor. It shows a 3-4 times higher current change rate than that of pristine graphene sensor with the PSE linker. Since the antibody is immobilized directly without a linker, a patterned graphene sensor without a linker can operate more sensitively in higher ionic concentration electrolyte., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The application of pulsed and continuous wave (CW) lasers in nanomedicine has increased significantly over the last decade. Near infrared (NIR) lasers can be used for the precise control of drug release at the target site in a non-invasive manner. In this study, we have prepared nanographene oxide (nGO, size ~40nm) integrated liposomes (size ~900nm). The nGOs were not simply adsorbed onto the liposome surface but was embedded inside the liposomes as characterized by cryo-TEM, selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and fluorescence quenching studies. The embedded nGOs could act as a molecular switch for NIR light controlled drug release from the liposomes. Calcein was encapsulated into the liposome as a model drug to evaluate the efficiency of light controlled release. An on-demand pulsatile drug release was achieved by irradiation of CW/pulsed NIR lasers into the nGO-liposome suspension. Triggering with a pulsed laser resulted in larger release of calcein with a minimal temperature increase (~2°C) of the liposome solution, compared to lower release rate and a significant temperature increase (~8°C) by a CW laser with the same light energy, suggesting two separate mechanisms and different potential applications depending on the laser type., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sub-10 nm Graphene Nanoribbon Arrays are fabricated over large areas by etching CVD-grown graphene. A mask is used made by the directed self-assembly of a cylindrical PS-b-PDMS block copolymer under solvent annealing guided by a removable template. The optimized solvent annealing process, surface-modified removable polymeric templates, and high Flory-Huggins interaction parameters of the block copolymer enable a highly aligned array of nanoribbons with low line edge roughness to be formed. This leads to a higher on/off ratio and stronger temperature dependence of the current for nanoribbon FETs, and a photocurrent which is 30 times larger compared to unpatterned graphene., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

By using various types of black carbon (BC), including chemically converted graphene (CCG), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), and granular activated carbon (GAC), BC-mediated reduction was investigated with 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), a model nitroaromatic compound. We hypothesized that by providing sorption and electron transfer sites, BC can be used as a catalyst to accelerate DNT reduction by dithiothreitol (DTL), a thiol reductant. Results from batch experiments showed that CCG, MWCNT, and GAC could promote reduction of DNT by DTL. The yield ratio of the two aminonitro intermediates was approximately 1:1, which was consistent with that in a graphite system. However, fullerene did not significantly enhance the reduction of DNT, likely due to being a π acceptor. Kinetic data analysis showed that removal of DNT in the presence of BC and DTL was linearly proportional to the electrical conductivity of BC, suggesting that the graphitic structure of BC may be responsible for DNT removal. Our results indicate that the presence of BC materials may affect the fate of nitroaromatic compounds under electron-rich conditions., (Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.)