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Graphene flakes have been grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method on Cu foils. The obtained graphene flakes have been characterized by optical microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and Raman spectroscopy. The graphene flakes grown on Cu foil comprise mainly single layer graphene and confirm that the nucleation for graphene growth starts very quickly. Moreover, KPFM has been found to be a valuable technique to differentiate between covered and uncovered portion of Cu foil by graphene flakes deposited for shorter duration. The results show that KPFM can be a very useful technique in understanding the mechanism of graphene growth.

An experimental study on co-pyrolysis of coal with biomass wastes to produce hybrid coal was conducted to investigate the effects of important process variables, namely biomass type (rice husk and sawdust), blend composition, and co-pyrolysis temperature on the quality of hybrid coal. The experiments were carried out using a vertical tubular furnace equipped with temperature controller to maintain the co-pyrolysis reactor at a given temperature. Nitrogen gas was introduced into the furnace to create an inert environment preventing the sample from burning. A known mass of solid sample consisting of manually granulated blend of coal and biomass with binder in spherical shape was contained in a basket made of stainless sieve. After a given residence time, the sample was taken from the furnace. The blend sample prior to experiment and the produced hybrid coal were then characterized for its proximate analysis, ultimate analysis and calorific value. Experimental findings suggested that by increasing co-pyrolys...

Iron and Manganese was examined from riverbank filtration (RBF) and river water in Sungai Kerian, Lubok Buntar, Serdang Kedah. Water from the RBF was influenced by geochemical and hydro chemical processes in the aquifer that made concentrations of iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn) high, and exceeded the standard values set by the Malaysia Ministry of Health. Therefore, in order to overcome the problem, the artificial barrier was proposed to improve the performance of the RBF. In this study, the capability and performance of granular activated carbon, zeolite and sand were investigated in this research. The effects of dosage, shaking speed, pH and contact time on removal of iron and manganese were studied to determine the best performance. For the removal of iron using granular activated carbon (GAC) and zeolite, the optimum contact time was at 2 hours with 200rpm shaking speed with 5g and 10g at pH 5 with percentage removal of iron was 87.81% and 83.20% respectively. The removal of manganese and zeolite arose sharply in 75 minutes with 90.21% removal, with 100rpm shaking speed. The GAC gave the best performance with 99.39% removal of manganese. The highest removal of manganese was achieved when the adsorbent dosage increased to 10g with shaking speed of 200rpm.

Depletion of petroleum and environmental problem have led to look for an alternative fuel sources In many ways, biomass is a potential renewable source. Among the many forms of biomass, oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) is a very attractive feedstock due to its abudance, low price and non-competitiveness with the food chain. EFB can be converted bio-oil by pyrolysis process. but this product can not be used directly as a transportation fuel, so it needs upgrading bio-oil through a catalytic cracking process. The catalyst plays an important role in the catalytic cracking process. The objective of this research is to study the effect of Ni concentrations (1,3,5 and 7 wt.%) on the characteristics of the catalyst Ni / Silica-Alumina and the performance test for the catalytic cracking of bio-oil. Preparation of the catalyst Ni / Silica-Alumina was done by impregnation at 80°C for 3 hours, then done to calcination and reduction at 500°C for 2 hours. The performance test was conducted on catalytic cracking temper...

In this work, graphene was exfoliated by introducing the constant Galvano Static Current (GSC) at the range of 300-600mA with the incremental of 100mA. The Graphene produced through this exfoliation technique was also investigated through optical characterization using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Ultraviolet Visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy to comprehend the quality behavior. To further understand the graphene characteristic, we applied the produced graphene on top of fabricated interdigitated electrode (IDE) device to investigate the electrical reaction.

Traditional additive-free graphene bulk materials based on mono- three dimensional(3D) graphene networks type are fragile in most cases, which is unfavorable for their potential applications. Here we present compressible graphene foams (CGF) with superior properties endowed by the hierarchical porous structure, which taking graphene sheets as an inorganic embedding material and polyurethane sponge (PUS) as a polymer open-framework. The preparation process utilized a dip-coating method associated with directional freezing followed by lyophilization. The as-synthesized CGF not only possess a combination of ultralow density and excellent electrical conductivity, but it also can withstand large strains (>99%) without permanent deformation or fracture. We believe that these sponge/graphene embeddable multifunctional nanocomposites will expand practical applications of graphene monolith in the future.

We report a simple technique for synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). In this technique ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) has been used to reduce the oxygen functional groups from the graphene oxide. The prepared rGOs have been characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Vis and Raman spectroscopy. The TEM and HRTEM reveal that the prepared rGOs are mostly double layers. This technique can be adopted to prepare rGO in large scale.

Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) are known to have superior properties for various applications. This work compares the properties of GO and RGO with graphite. GO was prepared by using Improved Hummer’s method whereas the produced GO was subjected to chemical reduction with the use of hydrazine hydrate. Graphite, GO and RGO had different morphologies, quality, functionalized groups, UV-Vis absorption peaks and crystallinity. With the removal of oxygen-containing functional group during reduction for RGO, the quality of samples was decreased due to higher intensity of D band than G band was seen in Raman results. In addition, platelet-like surface can be observed on the surface of graphite as compared to GO and RGO where wrinkled and layered flakes, and crumpled thin sheets were observed on GO and RGO surface respectively. Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) analysis showed the presence of abundant oxygen-containing functional groups in GO as compared to RGO and graphite. The characteris...

We compared thermal behavior and other properties of graphite oxide, thermally reduced graphene and chemically reduced graphene. Graphite was oxidized according to the Hofmann method using potassium chlorate as oxidizing agent in strongly acidic environment. In the next step, the formed graphite oxide was chemically or thermally reduced yielding graphene. The mechanism of thermal reduction was studied using STA-MS. Graphite oxide and both thermally and chemically reduced graphenes were analysed by SEM, EDS, elemental combustion analysis, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, XRD and BET. These findings will help for the large scale production of graphene with appropriate chemical composition.

In this study electrocoagulation method is used to treat slaughterhouse wastewaters. The aim of this study is to determine the efficiency of electrocoagulation method for the removal of colour, turbidity, oil and grease of slaughterhouse wastewaters. The factors of electrode types, and voltage applied during treatment are the study parameters. The types of electrode used are Aluminium (Al) grade 6082 and Iron (Fe) grade 1050. Meanwhile, the ranges of voltage applied are 2, 4, 6, 8 volts at a time interval of 10, 20 and 30 minutes respectively. The effect of these factors on the removal of fat oil and grease (FOG), colour and turbidity are analyzed. The results show maximum removal of FOG, colour and turbidity are recorded using Fe electrode at 8 V of applied voltage with 30 minutes of treatment time. The increase in treatment time of the cell will also increase the amount of hydrogen bubbles at the cathode which results in a greater upwards flux and a faster removal of FOG,, turbidity and colour. The removal of FOG, colour and turbidity are 98%, 92% and 91 % respectively. Meanwhile, by using Al electrodes in the same condition, the removal of FOG, colour and turbidity are 91%, 85% and 87 % respectively. Whereas by using Fe-Al as electrodes pairs, the removal of FOG, colour and turbidity are found to be at 90%, 87% and 76 % respectively. In this case, the Fe-Fe pair electrodes have been proven to provide better performance for FOG, colour and turbidity removals of slaughterhouse wastewaters. Therefore, it is feasible to be considered as an alternative method for wastewater treatment.In this study electrocoagulation method is used to treat slaughterhouse wastewaters. The aim of this study is to determine the efficiency of electrocoagulation method for the removal of colour, turbidity, oil and grease of slaughterhouse wastewaters. The factors of electrode types, and voltage applied during treatment are the study parameters. The types of electrode used are Aluminium (Al) grade 6082 and Iron (Fe) grade 1050. Meanwhile, the ranges of voltage applied are 2, 4, 6, 8 volts at a time interval of 10, 20 and 30 minutes respectively. The effect of these factors on the removal of fat oil and grease (FOG), colour and turbidity are analyzed. The results show maximum removal of FOG, colour and turbidity are recorded using Fe electrode at 8 V of applied voltage with 30 minutes of treatment time. The increase in treatment time of the cell will also increase the amount of hydrogen bubbles at the cathode which results in a greater upwards flux and a faster removal of FOG,, turbidity and colour. The remo...

Sweet orange peel (Citrus sinensis) is part of orange plant that contains essential oils. Generally, taking essential oil from orange peel is still using hydrodistillation and steam-hydrodistillation method which still needs solvent and takes a long time to produce high quality essential oil. Therefore, the objectives of this experiment are to study the process of orange peel’s essential oil extraction using Solvent Free Microwave Extraction (SFME) and to study the operating condition that effect an optimum yield and quality of the essential oil. In this experiment, extraction process with SFME method goes for 60 minutes at atmospheric pressure. Variables for SFME are: variation of orange peel condition (fresh and dry), ratio orange peel mass to distiller volume (0,1; 0,2; 0,3; 0,4 g/mL), orange peel size (±0,5; ±2; ±3,5 cm width), and microwave power (100, 264, 400 Watt). Moisture content of fresh peel is 71,4% and for dry peel is 17,37% which is obtained by sun drying. The result of this experiment will...

In this work, we emphasize on the surface property modification involved during the strong interfacial adhesion of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets with poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix. Raman, x-ray diffraction spectrum and scanning Kelvin probe microscopic measurement were done to analyze the effect of graphene oxide on surface property of poly vinyl alcohol.

This study investigates the treatability of composite adsorbent made from waste materials and minerals which is widely available in Malaysia. The composite adsorbent was prepared based on wet attrition method which focuses on the determination of optimum dosage of each of raw materials amount by conventional design of experiment work. Zeolite, activated carbon, rice husk and limestone were ground to obtained particle size of 150 µm. 45.94% zeolite, 15.31% limestone, 4.38% activated carbon, 4.38% rice husk carbon and 30% of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The mixture was mixed together under pre-determined mixing time. About 60% (by weight) of water was added and the mixture paste was allowed to harden for 24 hours and then submersed in water for three days for curing. Batch experimental study was performed on synthetic dissolving a known amount of solid crystal phenol with distilled water into the volumetric flasks. From the batch experimental study, it was revealed that the optimum shaking speed for remo...

Vacuum filtration method was used in order to fabricate a homogeneous and uniform thin film of multi-layer graphene oxide on plastic substrate. This self-regulating technique allows the number of graphene oxide layer to be controlled thus controlling the film thickness by simply varying either the concentration of the graphene oxide in the suspension or the filtration volume. Measurement of the sheet resistance as a function of graphene oxide concentration in solution shows the percolation behavior of multi-layer films. The device was then exposed in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) environment at room temperature and 200 °C, under atmospheric pressure. Results demonstrate that the graphene oxide film shows good sensitivity and excellent recovery time using plastic substrate.

The efficient reduction of graphene oxide (rGO) was performed using Sodium Borohydride (NaBH4). These reduction approaches remove the majority of the oxygen-containing functional groups at the basal plane and surface of graphene oxide sheets. Structural and physiochemical properties of the GO were investigated with help of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Ultraviolet-Visible-Near infrared (UV-Vis-NIR). The effects of the chemical reduction on a GO surface were analyzed using a Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer (SPA) in order to obtain the electrical resistance measurement. It was found that the resistance of reduced graphene oxide was greatly reduced when compared to the condition of before reduction process. Then, the formation of uniform thin film of rGO sheets was produced using vacuum filtration method in order to fabricate a gas sensor. In this project, plastic was used as a substrate. The sensor was then being e...

Loss of expensive mud could lead to major financial problem in executing a drilling project and is one of the biggest problems that need to be tackled during drilling. Synthetic Based Mud (SBM) is the most stable state of the art drilling mud used in current drilling technologies. However, the problem with lost circulation is still inevitable. The focus of this project is to develop a new potential waste material from banana peel in order to combat lost circulation in SBM. Standard industrial Lost Circulation Material (LCM) is used to compare the performance of banana peel as LCM in SBM. The effects of different sizing of banana peels (600 micron, 300 micron and 100 micron) were studied on the rheological and filtration properties of SBM and the bridging performance of banana peel as LCM additive. The tests were conducted using viscometer, HTHP filter press and sand bed tester. Thermal analysis of banana peel was also studied using TGA. According to the results obtained, 300 and 100 micron size of banana peel LCM exhibited an improved bridging performance by 65% as compared to industrial LCM. However, banana peel LCM with the size of 600 micron failed to act as LCM due to the total invasion of mud into the sand bed.

In this work, Graphene nanosheets were prepared using probe assisted ultrasonication technique. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis confirmed the plane sheet like morphology of graphene. As of known, graphene is a two dimensional and nanometer thick layered structures, it is found to be phenomenal in its electrochemical characteristics and was found to be electrochemically active. It is highly stable for large number of charge-discharge cycles, and being a carbon derived nanostructure, it stores charges through capacitive mechanism. To wonder, graphene prepared through our method stores charges both physically and chemically as Capacitive-Nernstian mechanism and was evident through cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements. These combined phenomena can make graphene nanostructures as a potential candidate in various charge storage devices.

A green method and eco-friendly solution were used to chemically reduce graphene oxide (GO) to graphene using green reductant. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) were prepared by using Tours method. Then, reduced graphene oxides (rGO) were prepared by using three typical reduction agents: L-ascorbic acid (L-AA), formamidinesulfinic acid (FAS) and sodium sulfite (Na2SO3). The reduced materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Graphene based organic thin film transistor (G-OTFT) was prepared by a spin coating and thermal evaporation technique. The electrical characterization of G-OTFT was analyzed by using semiconductor parameter analyzer (SPA). The G-OTFT devices show p-type semiconducting behaviour. This article focuses on the synthesis and reduction of graphene oxide using three different reductants in order to maximise its electrical conductivity. The rGO product demonstrated a good electrical conductivit...

Natural flake Graphite was used as the starting material for the graphene synthesis. In the first step flake graphite was treated with oxidizing agents under vigorous conditions to obtain graphite oxide. Layered graphite oxide decorated with oxygen has large inter-layer distance leading easy exfoliation into single sheets by ultrasonication giving graphene oxide. In the last step exfoliated graphene oxide sheets were reduced slowly with the help of reducing agent to obtain fine powder which is labeled as reduced graphene oxide (rGO). This rGO was further characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman Spectroscopy techniques. XRD pattern shows peaks corresponding to (002) graphitic lattice planes indicating the formation of network of sp2 like carbon structure. SEM images show the ultrathin, wrinkled, paper-like morphology of graphene sheets. IR study shows that the graphite has been oxidized to graphite oxide with the presence of various absorption bands confirming the presence of oxidizing groups. The FTIR spectrum of rGO shows no sharp peaks confirming the efficient reduction of rGO. The Raman spectrum shows disorder in the graphene sheets.

Graphene is a 2D form of carbon. Due to its wonderful physical and chemical properties has attracted wide interest in recent years. Graphene majorly made by two completely different approches i.e. top-down and bottom up. The top-down approach depends on exfoliation of carbon to provide graphene. Liquid phase exfoliation is more classified in to primarily two categories one is surfactant free and another is surfactant aided Liquid part exfoliation. In this paper we have reportable the liquid phase exfoliation of surfactant aided graphene via probe tip sonication followed by centrifugation. The yield of graphene obtained has been exaggerated and it is easy technique to provide films and graphene composites for photovoltaic applications.

Charge transfer techniques have been extensively used as knobs to tune electronic properties of two- dimensional systems, such as, for the modulation of conductivity \ mobility of single layer graphene and for opening the bandgap in bilayer graphene. The charge injected into the graphene layer shifts the Fermi level away from the minimum density of states point (Dirac point). In this work, we study charge transfer in rotated double-layer graphene achieved by the use of organic dopant, Tetracyanoquinodimethane. Naturally occurring bilayer graphene has a well-defined A-B stacking whereas in rotated double-layer the two graphene layers are randomly stacked with different rotational angles. This rotation is expected to significantly alter the interlayer interaction. Double-layer samples are prepared using layer-by-layer assembly of chemical vapor deposited single-layer graphene and they are identified by characteristic resonance in the Raman spectrum. The charge transfer and distribution of charges between th...

A novel method of creating new lightweight aluminum-metallic composite materials in halide melts at temperatures of 973–1073 К in air atmosphere is proposed. The method for synthesizing aluminum-based metallic composite materials containing up to 2 wt. % graphene sheets uniformly distributed in a metal matrix is entirely new, having no analogies in current science and practice. The synthesis of graphene nanosheets in a metal matrix is a one-step simultaneous process taking place directly in molten aluminum in alkali halide melt without the necessity of a separate stage of synthesis and introduction of graphene. This has the potential to facilitate the inexpensive synthesis of aluminum-graphene composites with a high concentration of graphene. Aluminum-graphene composites formed according to this method are characterized by a high uniformity of graphene films with linear dimensions from 100 nm to 50 µm and a thickness from 1 nm to 3 nm in the metal bulk. No aluminum carbide forms under synthesis; aluminum-graphene and aluminum-graphite composites are resistant to corrosion in a NaCl solution. The hardness, strength and ductility of aluminum-graphene composites are at least 2–3 times as high as the initial aluminum material, proportional to the concentration of graphene.

Graphene Oxide (GO) is analogous to graphene, but presence of many functional groups makes its physical and chemical properties essentially different from those of graphene. GO is found to be a promising material for low cost fabrication of highly versatile and environment friendly gas sensors. Selectivity, reversibility and sensitivity of GO based gas sensor have been improved by hybridization with Zinc Oxide nanoparticles. The device is fabricated by spin coating of deionized water dispersed GO flakes (synthesized using traditional hummer’s method) doped with Zinc Oxide on standard glass substrate. Since GO is an insulator and functional groups on GO nanosheets play vital role in adsorbing gas molecules, it is being used as an adsorber. Additionally, on being exposed to certain gases the electric and optical characteristics of GO material exhibit an alteration in behavior. For the conductivity, we use Zinc Oxide, as it displays a high sensitivity towards conduction. The effects of the compositions, structural defects and morphologies of graphene based sensing layers and the configurations of sensing devices on the performances of gas sensors were investigated by Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction(XRD) and Keithley Sourcemeter.

(1-x)Cobalt ferrite-(x)reduced graphene oxidenanocomposites with x=0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 were prepared by the ultrasonic method. The crystal symmetry modification due to reduced graphene oxide and cobalt ferrite interaction has been studied by employing the X-ray diffraction technique. Morphology of the samples was studied by the Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Study on electrical properties of the cobalt ferrite-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites explores the possible application of these composites as anode material. Impedance decreases with an increase in frequency as well as temperature, which supports an increase in ac electrical conductivity. The modified Debye relaxation model can explain the behavior of impedance in cobalt ferrite-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites.

Combination of the highly ordered monolayers to form the multilayer interconnected graphene is essential to produce robust and free standing graphene unlike its counterpart 2D monolayers. Here, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique is employed to produce highly flexible and high mobility 3D graphene. In this study, the 3D graphene is grown via direct carbon deposition on sacrificial template. With the use of polymer coating such as poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA), it is observed that the graphene is bendable without any degradation. Great potential in term of electrical conductivity and flexibility can be exploited for future work for this CVD grown 3D graphene.

Few layer graphene was deposited on p-type Si (I00) substrates by pulsed laser deposition of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) target at a relatively low temperature of 700 °C, without any catalytic layer. Effect of laser energy on the ability to produce the crystalline graphene was studied. It was observed that a laser energy of 220 mJ/pulse lead to form few layer graphene while higher laser energy of 440 mJ/pulse was detrimental to precipitation process. The reasons behind this observation are also discussed. Graphene samples were analyzed using Raman spectroscopy and surface morphology of graphene samples was confirmed using field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM).

The challenges on carbon nanotubes and graphene are still the subject of many research works due to its unique properties. There are three main methods to synthesis carbon nanotubes in which chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method can use for large scale production. The principle of CVD is the decomposition of various hydrocarbons over transition metal supported catalyst. KIT-6 molecular sieve was used as a support to prepare cobalt catalyst for CVD method using metal impregnation method to produce cobalt loadings of 2, 4 and 6 wt%. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, FTIR &TEM. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) synthesized on Co-KIT-6 was also characterized by XRD, TGA, SEM & Raman spectra. Graphene was synthesized by Hummers method, which is the most common method for preparing graphene oxide. Graphene oxide was prepared by oxidation of graphite using some oxidizing agents like sulphuric acid, sodium nitrate and potassium permanganate. This graphene oxide is further treated with hydrazine solution to convert it into chemically converted graphene and also decorated with nickel metal and characterized. Hummer’s method is important for large scale production of graphene. Both Graphene and carbon nanotubes are used in different fields due to its unique properties. Both Graphene and carbon nanotubes are fabricated in counter electrode of Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC). By cyclic voltammetry study, it confirms that both materials are good and efficient to replace platinum in the DSSC.

Graphite oxide has attracted much interest as a possible route for preparation of natural graphite in the large-scale production and manipulation of graphene as a material with extraordinary electronic properties. Graphite oxide was prepared by modified Hummers method from purified natural graphite sample from West Kalimantan. We demonstrated that natural graphite is well-purified by acid leaching method. The purified graphite was proceed for intercalating process by modifying Hummers method. The modification is on the reaction time and temperature of the intercalation process. The materials used in the intercalating process are H2SO4 and KMNO4. The purified natural graphite is analyzed by carbon content based on Loss on Ignition test. The thermo gravimetricanalysis and the Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy are performed to investigate the oxidation results of the obtained GO which is indicated by the existence of functional groups. In addition, the X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy are also applied to characterize respectively for the crystal structure and elemental analysis. The results confirmed that natural graphite samples with 68% carbon content was purified into 97.68 % carbon content. While the intercalation process formed a formation of functional groups in the obtained GO. The results show that the temperature and reaction times have improved the efficiency of the oxidation process. It is concluded that these method could be considered as an important route for large-scale production of graphene.

The fabrication and characterization on reduced graphene oxide field effect transistor (RGO-FET) were demonstrated using a spray deposition method for biological sensing device purpose. A spray method is a fast, low-cost and simple technique to deposit graphene and the most promising technology due to ideal coating on variety of substrates and high production speed. The fabrication method was demonstrated for developing a label free aptamer reduced graphene oxide field effect transistor biosensor. Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was obtained by heating on hot plate fixed at various temperatures of 100, 200 and 300°C, respectively. The surface morphology of RGO were examined via atomic force microscopy to observed the temperature effect of produced RGO. The electrical measurement verify the performance of electrical conducting RGO-FET at temperature 300°C is better as compared to other temperature due to the removal of oxygen groups in GO. Thus, reduced graphene oxide was a promising material for biosensor application.

The possibility to prepare thermal reduced graphene oxide (Tr-GO) colloidal suspensions by microwave heating of graphene oxide (GO) suspensions in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) has been investigated. According to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and absorption and emission spectroscopy characterization, such a type of thermal reduction does not lead to graphene quantum dots formation because only mono-functional oxygen-containing groups are removed.

Graphene has attracted a tremendous attention in recent years due to its unique properties such as mechanical, thermal, optical and electrical properties. However, a large scale production of this material is still an issue and subjected to intense research efforts. Here, we show a simple and green approach of the graphene synthesis from graphene oxide using ascorbic acid as reduction agent. A facile synthesis of graphene (rGO) through chemical oxidation of graphite into graphene oxide (GO) was described using modified Hummers method (Improved Tour Method/ITM). The ITM method does not produce toxic gas and the temperature of the oxidation is easily controlled using ice bath. The synthesized of graphene oxide was highly soluble and stable in water. The reduction of graphene oxide into graphene was performed using ascorbic acid (AA) in mild condition. The combined ITM method and green reduction using ascorbic acid open the avenue of replacing hydrazine in the reduction of graphite oxide into graphene and ma...

The improvement of LiFePO4 (LFP) cathode performance has been performed by addition of Graphene (LFP+Graphene). The cathode was prepared from the active material with 5 wt % graphene and 10 wt % polyvinylidene fluoride in an n-methyl pyrrolidone solvent. Another cathode material used only 5% artificial graphite for comparison (LFP+Graphite). The crystal structure, microstructure, electronic conductivity, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of the cathodes were characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM, and Impedance spectroscopy, respectively. Two half cell coin batteries were assembled using a lithium metal as an anode and LiPf6 as an electrolyte, and two cathodes (LFP+Graphene) and (LFP+Graphite). Charge discharge performance of battery was characterized by Battery analyser (BTS 8). The electronic conductivity of cathode with grapheme increased of about one order magnitude compared with the only cathode with graphite, namely from 1.97E-7S/cm (LFP+Graphite) to 1.92E-6S/cm (LFP+Graphene). The charge-discharge capacity after 10th cycles of LiFePO4 with graphene decreased of about 0.68% from 114.3 mAh/g to113.1 mAh/g, while LFP with graphite decreased of about 2.84% from 110.2 mAh/g to 107.1 mAh, at 0.1C-rates. It could be concluded that the addition of graphene has increased the ionic conductivity, and improved performance of the LFP lithium ion battery, such as higher capacity and better efficiency.

In the present work, we report the use of graphene as multi-functional nanofiller for natural rubber (NR). Dispersion of reduced graphene into natural rubber (NR) was found to enhance the mechanical and electrical properties of NR. Through a facile approach rubber molecules are successfully grafted onto the surface of graphene. Stable graphene suspension with NR afforded a weblike morphology consisting of platelet networks between the rubber particles, while internal mixer processing broke down this structure, yielding a homogeneous and improved dispersion. The resulting graphene can be dispersed in NR via dry mixing. It is found that graphene is prominent in improving the mechanical properties of NR at low filler loading. The percolation point of graphene in the nanocomposites takes place at a content of less than 0.1 wt%. With incorporation of as low as 0.1 wt% of graphene, an increase in the tensile strength and improvement in the tensile modulus achieved. The improvement in the mechanical properties of NR nanocomposites at such low filler loading is attributed to the strong interfacial interaction and the molecular-level dispersion of graphene in the NR matrix. .

Graphene, due to its unique properties arising from the single carbon layer, is a potential candidate for applications in a variety of fields including sensors, photovoltaics and energy storage. The atomic structure and morphology of the carbon nanomaterials especially graphene can be tailored by energetic ionic irradiation. As graphene sheet is very stable, the surface have less reactivity as compared to the edges of the sheets. By surface modification with energetic ion-beams additional dangling bonds can be formed to enhance the surface activity of the graphene film which could be exploited in a variety of applications. In the present work, graphene oxide was synthesized by improved Hummers’ Method. The irradiation was done with Ag+ ions carrying energy 100 MeV with the fluence of 3×1013. Raman spectrum of graphene irradiated by Ag+ beam shows additional disordered peaks of D´ and D+G bands. There is also a decrease in the intensity of D band. AFM images depict the increase in the surface roughness of ...

This paper describes hundreds of pendulum tests examining the beamed energy conversion efficiency of different metal targets coated with multiple liquid enhancers. Preliminary testing used a local laser with photographic paper targets, with no liquid, water, canola oil, or methanol additives. Laboratory experimentation was completed at Wright‐Patterson AFB using a high‐powered laser, and ballistic pendulums of aluminum, titanium, or copper. Dry targets, and those coated with water, methanol and oil were repeatedly tested in laboratory conditions. Results were recorded on several high‐speed digital video cameras, and the conversion efficiency was calculated. Paper airplanes successfully launched using BEP were likewise recorded.

In this paper we have shown enhanced supercapacitive property of electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) and manganese dioxide (MnO2) based heterostructure over single MnO2 thin film grown by electrochemical deposition on indium tin oxide (ITO). ERGO improves the electrical conduction leading to decrease of the internal resistance of the heterostructure.

This paper presents the preliminary transport measurements obtained using graphene quantum dots. Graphene quantum dots of 4.5 nm average diameter size prepared by electrochemical method are found to be of p-type nature under ambient condition. The p-type nature obtained is attributed to the physisorption of water molecules which acts a hole dopant.

Using plane wave pseudo potential density functional theory, we studied the electronic properties of graphene with different C:O ratio. In this work, we discussed the changes that occur in electronic band structure of graphene functionalized with different amount of epoxy group. Electronic band gap depends on C:O ratio in graphene oxide containing epoxy group. The present work will have its implication for making devices with tunable electronic properties by oxidizing graphene.

Development and innovation of ethanol food grade production are becoming the reasearch priority to increase economy growth. Moreover, the government of Indonesia has established regulation for increasing the renewable energy as primary energy. Sorghum is cerealia plant that contains 11-16% sugar that is optimum for fermentation process, it is potential to be cultivated, especially at barren area in Indonesia. The purpose of this experiment is to learn about the effect of microorganisms in fermentation process. Fermentation process was carried out batchwise in bioreactor and used 150g/L initial sugar concentration. Microorganisms used in this experiment are Zymomonas mobilis mutation (A3), Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mixed of Pichia stipitis. The yield of ethanol can be obtained from this experiment. For ethanol purification result, distillation process from fermentation process has been done to search the best operation condition for efficiency energy consumption. The experiment for purification was divided into two parts, which are distillation with structured packing steel wool and adsorption (dehydration) sequencely. In distillation part, parameters evaluation (HETP and pressure drop) of distillation column that can be used for scale up are needed. The experiment was operated at pressure of 1 atm. The distillation stage was carried out at 85 °C and reflux ratio of 0.92 with variety porosities of 20%, 40%, and 60%. Then the adsorption process was done at 120°C and two types of adsorbent, which are starch – based adsorbent with ingredient of cassava and molecular sieve 3A, were used. The adsorption process was then continued to purify the ethanol from impurities by using activated carbon. This research shows that the batch fermentation process with Zymomonas mobilis A3 obtain higher % yield of ethanol of 40,92%. In addition to that, for purification process, the best operation condition is by using 40% of porosity of stuctured packing steel wool in distillation stage and starch-based adsorbent in adsorption stage, which can obtain ethanol content of 92,15% with acetic acid percentage of 0,001% and the rest is water. This result is qualified for ethanol food grade specification which is between 90 - 94 % of ethanol with maximum percentage of acetic acid is 0,003%, and passes in fusel oil and isopropyl alcohol test.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation with simulated annealing method is used to study the growth process of bi- and tri-layered graphene on a 6H-SiC (0001) substrate via molecular dynamics simulation. Tersoff-Albe-Erhart (TEA) potential is used to describe the inter-atomic interactions among the atoms in the system. The formation temperature, averaged carbon-carbon bond length, pair correlation function, binding energy and the distance between the graphene formed and the SiC substrate are quantified. The growth mechanism, graphitization of graphene on the SiC substrate and characteristics of the surface morphology of the graphene sheet obtained in our MD simulation compare well to that observed in epitaxially grown graphene experiments and other simulation works.

The composite of reduced graphene oxide-Cu2S was synthesized by facile and cost effective one-step hydrothermal process. Powder XRD reveals the formation of Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO) and Cu2S composite nanostructures. Average crystallite size of 16.5 nm was estimated for composite material from XRD measurement. Raman and FTIR analysis confirm the formation of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide-Cu2S composites. Origin of strong electrostatic interaction between Cu2S and RGO was also inferred from FTIR and Raman investigations. UV absorption spectral analysis illustrates the wide optical absorption region of the prepared composite material. The band gap of the composite was also calculated using the absorbance spectra. The obtained band gap of the composite was 1.64 eV which was much lower expected for copper sulphide particles in nano regime.

Graphene was synthesized and used as a counter electrode in place of platinum in dye sensitized solar cells. This study reveals that the graphene synthesized by reduction of graphene oxide still contains functional groups even after reduction. The synthesized graphene counter electrodes were prepared by screen printing fabrication techniques. The influence of temperature variation on the films morphology, crystallinity, and its interfacial adhesiveness to the fluorine doped tin oxide coated glass were studied. Screen printing technique has shown uniform surface, decreased agglomeration of nanoparticles and high film adhesiveness. The screen printed film annealed at 400°C reveals best surface morphology.

Hummer's method was used for the chemical synthesis of graphite oxide from graphite flakes. Simultaneous exfoliation and reduction of graphite oxide to Graphene was achieved through focused solar light irradiation using a convex lens. The morphological characteristics were studied using SEM and TEM. Layered morphology of Graphene was observed through TEM. Raman spectra and FTIR were used for the structural characterization of Graphene. EDAX analysis showed the drop in oxygen content during exfoliation. The method offered a faster, easier and environmental friendly method to produce Graphene for potential applications.

Interest in graphene on its excellent mechanical, electrical, thermal and optical properties, it’s very high specific surface area, and our ability to influence these properties through chemical functionalization. Chemical reduction of graphene oxide is one of the main routes of preparation for large quantities of graphenes. Hydrazine hydrate used as reducing agent to prepare for the reduced graphene oxide (RGO). There are a number of methods for generating graphene and chemically modified graphene from natural graphite flakes, graphite derivative (such as graphite oxide) and graphite interaction compounds (i.e. expandable graphite). Here we review the use of colloidal suspensions of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with large scalable, and is adaptable to a wide variety of applications. The graphene oxide (GO) and the reduced material (RGO) were characterized by XRD, UV-Vis spectroscopy, Thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectroscopy and Field emission Scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) etc.

Graphene has been proposed as a promising two-dimensional nanomaterial with outstanding electronic, optical, thermal and mechanical properties for many applications. In present work a process of dispersion of graphene oxide with ZnO nanoparticles in ethanol solution with different pH values, have been studied. Samples have been characterized by XRD, SEM, PL, UV-visible spectroscopy and particles size measurement. The results analysis indicates overall improved emission spectrum. It has been observed that the average diameter of RGO (Reduced Graphene Oxide) decreases in presence of ZnO nanoparticles from 3.8μm to 0.41μm.

Being an excellent electronic material graphene is a very poor candidate for optoelectronic applications. One of the major strategies to develop the optical property in GO is the functionalization of graphene oxide (GO). In the present work GO sheets are functionalized by o-phenylenediamine to achieve diaminobenzene functionalized GO composite (DAB-GO). Formation of DAB-GO composite is further characterized by FTIR, UV, Raman studies. Excellent photoluminescence is observed in DAB-GO composite via passivation of the surface reactive sites by ring-opening amination of epoxides of GO.

Graphene is considered to be a very promising material for applications in nanotechnology. The properties of graphene are strongly dependent on defects that occur during growth and processing. These defects can be either detrimental or beneficial to device performance depending on defect type, location and device application. Here we present experimental results on formation of few-layered graphene by carbon ion implantation into nickel films and characteristics of graphene devices formed by graphene transfer and lithographic patterning. Micro-Raman spectroscopy was used to determine the number of graphene layers formed and identify defects arising from the device processing. The graphene films were cleaned by annealing in vacuum. Transport properties of cleaned graphene films were investigated by fabrication of back-gated field-effect transistors, which exhibited high hole and electron mobility of 1935 and 1905 cm2/Vs, respectively.

In this study we report on optical sensor, based on the sorption properties of graphene film reduced on the tip of a standard single mode optical fiber. Reflectance measurements will be carried out to investigate the changes in the graphene refractive index due to sorption when the sensor probe was exposed to gas molecules. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

Manganese oxide (Mn3O4) nanoparticles are prepared in a facile one pot reaction using oleylamine as solvent reducing and surface functionalizing agent. A simple mixture of as synthesized Mn3O4 nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide are tested as potential supercapacitor using cyclic voltammetry. The voltammograms are nearly perfect rectangular which indicates excellent capacitive nature of the nanoparticles-grapheme composite. A maximum specific capacitance of 170 Fg−1 is obtained in a potential range from-0.1 to 0.7 V which is higher than both reduced graphene oxide and Mn3O4 nanoparticles.

Graphene is synthesized by microwave irradiation (MWI) of graphene oxide (GO) and subsequent sonication. MWI of GO is carried in a household microwave oven without using any reducing agents. Sonication of microwave irradiated GO is carried out in distilled water using a probe type sonicator. This method does not evolve any unsafe by-product gases which is otherwise the case when reducing agents are used in the reduction of GO to graphene. Moreover, due to its intrinsic nature, the method is scalable and cost effective. The synthesized product has been characterized as graphene using micro Raman scattering, x-ray diffraction and electron diffraction. Diffraction results show that the synthesized graphene is highly oriented.