Layered Nano-Sheets: Synthesis and Applications

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 March 2019) | Viewed by 20964

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Extraordinary physical and chemical properties are enabled by two dimensional (2D) anisotropy and confinement effects in layered nano-sheet materials. Layered nano-sheet materials are 2D crystals possessing properties useful in applications ranging from electronics and energy storage to structural load bearing nanocomposites.

Nanoscale phenomena of relevance include rudimentary steps such as charge transfer, molecular rearrangement, and chemical reactions, to deformation mechanisms via interaction with dislocations. Contributions are solicited in but not limited to top-down or bottom-up development of new nano-sheet materials, and the methods to characterize, manipulate, and assemble them, which enable the development of potent nanotechnologies.

Dr. Muralidharan Paramsothy
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Nano-sheet
  • Anisotropy
  • Confinement
  • Nanocomposite
  • Functional property
  • Mechanical property
  • Nanotechnology

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 164 KiB  
Editorial
Layered Nano-Sheets: Synthesis and Applications
by Muralidharan Paramsothy
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(3), 514; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10030514 - 12 Mar 2020
Viewed by 1595
Abstract
Extraordinary physical and chemical properties are enabled by two dimensional (2D) anisotropy and confinement effects in layered nano-sheet materials [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Layered Nano-Sheets: Synthesis and Applications)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

8 pages, 2208 KiB  
Communication
Modification of Layered Graphitic Carbon Nitride by Nitrogen Plasma for Improved Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
by Ming Gao, Danni Liu, Huanhuan Yang, Hao Huang, Qian Luo, Yifan Huang, Xue-Feng Yu and Paul K. Chu
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(4), 568; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9040568 - 08 Apr 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3030
Abstract
As a layered nano-sheet material, layered graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has attracted attention in multifunctional photocatalytic applications. However, g-C3N4 is electrochemically inert consequently hampering electrochemical applications. In this work, low-temperature nitrogen plasma processing was conducted to [...] Read more.
As a layered nano-sheet material, layered graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has attracted attention in multifunctional photocatalytic applications. However, g-C3N4 is electrochemically inert consequently hampering electrochemical applications. In this work, low-temperature nitrogen plasma processing was conducted to modify g-C3N4 to enhance the electrocatalytic performance in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The plasma produced significant morphological and chemical changes on the surface of g-C3N4 via active species, and nitrogen atoms were incorporated into the surface while the bulk properties did not change. The modification improved the surface hydrophilicity and electrocatalytic HER activity, as well as excellent stability in HER after 2000 cycles. Our results revealed that plasma treatment was a promising technique to improve the HER of carbon-based layered nano-sheet materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Layered Nano-Sheets: Synthesis and Applications)
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11 pages, 2198 KiB  
Article
Impact of pH on Regulating Ion Encapsulation of Graphene Oxide Nanoscroll for Pressure Sensing
by Weihao Zhao, Lin Wang, Chengjie Pei, Cong Wei, Hui You, Jindong Zhang and Hai Li
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(4), 548; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9040548 - 04 Apr 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2450
Abstract
Recently, graphene oxide nanoscroll (GONS) has attracted much attention due to its excellent properties. Encapsulation of nanomaterials in GONS can greatly enhance its performance while ion encapsulation is still unexplored. Herein, various ions including hydronium ion (H3O+), Fe3+ [...] Read more.
Recently, graphene oxide nanoscroll (GONS) has attracted much attention due to its excellent properties. Encapsulation of nanomaterials in GONS can greatly enhance its performance while ion encapsulation is still unexplored. Herein, various ions including hydronium ion (H3O+), Fe3+, Au3+, and Zn2+ were encapsulated in GONSs by molecular combing acidic graphene oxide (GO) solution. No GONS was obtained when the pH of the GO solution was greater than 9. A few GONSs without encapsulated ion were obtained at the pH of 5–8. When the pH decreased from 5 to 0.15, high-density GONSs with encapsulated ions were formed and the average height of GONS was increased from ~50 to ~190 nm. These results could be attributed to the varied repulsion between carboxylic acid groups located at the edges of GO nanosheets. Encapsulated metal ions were converted to nanoparticles in GONS after high-temperature annealing. The resistance-type device based on reduced GONS (rGONS) mesh with encapsulated H3O+ showed good response for applied pressure from 600 to 8700 Pa, which manifested much better performance compared with that of a device based on rGONS mesh without H3O+. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Layered Nano-Sheets: Synthesis and Applications)
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20 pages, 8718 KiB  
Article
Crosslinked Sulfonated Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Graphene Oxide Electrospun Nanofibers as Polyelectrolytes
by Oscar Gil-Castell, Diana Galindo-Alfaro, Soraya Sánchez-Ballester, Roberto Teruel-Juanes, José David Badia and Amparo Ribes-Greus
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(3), 397; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9030397 - 08 Mar 2019
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 3603
Abstract
Taking advantage of the high functionalization capacity of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), bead-free homogeneous nanofibrous mats were produced. The addition of functional groups by means of grafting strategies such as the sulfonation and the addition of nanoparticles such as graphene oxide (GO) were considered [...] Read more.
Taking advantage of the high functionalization capacity of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), bead-free homogeneous nanofibrous mats were produced. The addition of functional groups by means of grafting strategies such as the sulfonation and the addition of nanoparticles such as graphene oxide (GO) were considered to bring new features to PVA. Two series of sulfonated and nonsulfonated composite nanofibers, with different compositions of GO, were prepared by electrospinning. The use of sulfosuccinic acid (SSA) allowed crosslinked and functionalized mats with controlled size and morphology to be obtained. The functionalization of the main chain of the PVA and the determination of the optimum composition of GO were analyzed in terms of the nanofibrous morphology, the chemical structure, the thermal properties, and conductivity. The crosslinking and the sulfonation treatment decreased the average fiber diameter of the nanofibers, which were electrical insulators regardless of the composition. The addition of small amounts of GO contributed to the retention of humidity, which significantly increased the proton conductivity. Although the single sulfonation of the polymer matrix produced a decrease in the proton conductivity, the combination of the sulfonation, the crosslinking, and the addition of GO enhanced the proton conductivity. The proposed nanofibers can be considered as good candidates for being exploited as valuable components for ionic polyelectrolyte membranes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Layered Nano-Sheets: Synthesis and Applications)
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16 pages, 4004 KiB  
Article
Determination of Transport Properties of Glycol-Based NanoFluids Derived from Surface Functionalized Graphene
by Ebtisam Saeed, Manuel M. Piñeiro, Carolina Hermida-Merino and María José Pastoriza-Gallego
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(2), 252; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9020252 - 12 Feb 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2797
Abstract
Suspensions of nanometric-sized graphene platelets have been proposed recently as potential heat exchange working fluids, due to their remarkably enhanced thermal profile. Nevertheless, their use presents serious long-term stability issues. Due to this limitation, the nanoplatelets surface chemical functionalization has been postulated as [...] Read more.
Suspensions of nanometric-sized graphene platelets have been proposed recently as potential heat exchange working fluids, due to their remarkably enhanced thermal profile. Nevertheless, their use presents serious long-term stability issues. Due to this limitation, the nanoplatelets surface chemical functionalization has been postulated as a promising alternative to solve this problem. In this work, graphene nanoplatelets were functionalized following an oxidation-reduction process, and then dispersed in glycol as base fluid. The nanoparticles chemical profile was determined using XPS (x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). The thermo-physical properties characterization of these nanofluids was performed by determining their viscosity and thermal conductivity, because of their impact on practical applications related with fluid flow and heat transfer. The effect of temperature and shearing time on viscosity were analyzed. Viscosity was measured with a stress-controlled rheometer. All samples show shear-thinning behavior with a very remarkable influence of temperature in their viscoelastic profile. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Layered Nano-Sheets: Synthesis and Applications)
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17 pages, 2785 KiB  
Article
Layered-Expanded Mesostructured Silicas: Generalized Synthesis and Functionalization
by Pedro Burguete, José Manuel Morales, Lorenzo Fernández, Jamal El Haskouri, Julio Latorre, Carmen Guillem, Francisco Pérez-Pla, Ana Cros, Daniel Beltrán, Aurelio Beltrán and Pedro Amorós
Nanomaterials 2018, 8(10), 817; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano8100817 - 11 Oct 2018
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2214
Abstract
Mesostructured layered silicas have been prepared through a surfactant-assisted procedure using neutral alkylamines as templates and starting from atrane complexes as hydrolytic inorganic precursors. By adjusting the synthetic parameters, this kinetically controlled reproducible one-pot method allows for obtaining both pure and functionalized (inorganic [...] Read more.
Mesostructured layered silicas have been prepared through a surfactant-assisted procedure using neutral alkylamines as templates and starting from atrane complexes as hydrolytic inorganic precursors. By adjusting the synthetic parameters, this kinetically controlled reproducible one-pot method allows for obtaining both pure and functionalized (inorganic or organically) lamellar silica frameworks. These are easily deconstructed and built up again, which provides a simple way for expanding the interlamellar space. The materials present high dispersibility, which results in stable colloidal suspensions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Layered Nano-Sheets: Synthesis and Applications)
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22420 KiB  
Article
Fabrication of GO/Cement Composites by Incorporation of Few-Layered GO Nanosheets and Characterization of Their Crystal/Chemical Structure and Properties
by Shenghua Lv, Haoyan Hu, Jia Zhang, Xiaoqian Luo, Ying Lei and Li Sun
Nanomaterials 2017, 7(12), 457; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano7120457 - 18 Dec 2017
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 4529
Abstract
Original graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were prepared using the Hummers method and found to easily aggregate in aqueous and cement composites. Using carboxymethyl chitosan (CCS) as a dispersant, few-layered GO nanosheets (1–2 layers) were obtained by forming CCS/GO intercalation composites. The testing results [...] Read more.
Original graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were prepared using the Hummers method and found to easily aggregate in aqueous and cement composites. Using carboxymethyl chitosan (CCS) as a dispersant, few-layered GO nanosheets (1–2 layers) were obtained by forming CCS/GO intercalation composites. The testing results indicated that the few-layered GO nanosheets could uniformly spread, both in aqueous and cement composites. The cement composites were prepared with GO dosages of 0.03%, 0.05% and 0.07% and we found that they had a compact microstructure in the whole volume. A special feature was determined, namely that the microstructures consisted of regular-shaped crystals created by self-crosslinking. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicated that there was a higher number of cement hydration crystals in GO/cement composites. Meanwhile, we also found that partially-amorphous Calcium-Silicate-Hydrate (C-S-H) gel turned into monoclinic crystals. At 28 days, the GO/cement composites reached the maximum compressive and flexural strengths at a 0.05% dosage. These strengths were 176.64 and 31.67 MPa and, compared with control samples, their increased ratios were 64.87% and 149.73%, respectively. Durability parameters, such as penetration, freeze-thaw, carbonation, drying-shrinkage value and pore structure, showed marked improvement. The results indicated that it is possible to obtain cement composites with a compact microstructure and with high performances by introducing CCS/GO intercalation composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Layered Nano-Sheets: Synthesis and Applications)
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