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Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is considered to be a fundamental solution for procuring clean energy. Palladium is one of the most catalytically active metals toward HER. Here, an electrocatalyst is designed where palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) are immobilized on the surface of nitrogen‐doped reduced graphene oxide. A comparative study of two different nitrogen doping strategies is employed wherein covalent incorporation of nitrogen (N) source and noncovalent attachment of 1‐aminopyrene to graphene lattice is carried out. The morphological and physicochemical characteristic studies confirmed that the doping is successful over the carbon lattice, followed by nucleation of Pd NPs over N sites. Electrocatalytic activity of these two different catalysts toward HER is examined using the linear sweep voltammetry technique. It is found that Pd anchored covalently N modified carbon outperforms the 1‐aminopyrene based catalyst. These findings will have a profound impact upon the designing of application specific electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanomedicine has been used as a precise treatment for many diseases. The advantage of using nanodrugs is that they have more permeability and less toxicity to cells, which enhances the drug delivery system. Graphene is well known for its potential biological applications in drug, food, and pharma industries. This study aimed to assess the productivity and potentiality of nitrogen-doped graphene (NDG) and to evaluate their anticancer, antimicrobial, and biofilm inhibition activity. Nitrogen-doped graphene was synthesized by using a one-pot facile synthesis of NDG, wherein the NDG was prepared by the reduction of graphene oxide (GO) in the presence of hydrazine hydrate as a reducing agent, while ammonium hydroxide was used as a source of nitrogen on the surface of graphene. As-synthesized NDG was characterized by various characterization techniques such as UV-Vis, FT-IR, XRD, XPS, TEM, and N2 sorption studies analysis. Antimicrobial, anticancer, and biofilm inhibition assays were performed by standard protocols. N-doped graphene (NDG) showed better activity against Gram-positive bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Bacillus subtillis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Streptococcus mutans (p ≤ 0.05), whereas there was no activity against Gram-negative strains in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Biofilm inhibition was also improved with NDG compared to the standard ampicillin. NDG showed better results in both MCF-7 and Hela cell lines with IC50 of 27.15 µg/mL and 30.85 µg/mL, respectively. In conclusion, NDG has the best ability for use as a biomolecule, and research studies focusing on proteomics, metabolomics, and in vivo studies are needed to increase the impact of NDG in the drug and pharma industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene‐based nanocomposites with inorganic (metal and metal oxide) nanoparticles leads to materials with high catalytic activity for a variety of chemical transformations. Graphene and its derivatives such as graphene oxide, highly reduced graphene oxide, or nitrogen‐doped graphene are excellent support materials due to their high surface area, their extended π‐system, and variable functionalities for effective chemical interactions to fabricate nanocomposites. The ability to fine‐tune the surface composition for desired functionalities enhances the versatility of graphene‐based nanocomposites in catalysis. This review summarizes the preparation of graphene/inorganic NPs based nanocomposites and their use in catalytic applications. We discuss the large‐scale synthesis of graphene‐based nanomaterials. We have also highlighted the interfacial electronic communication between graphene/inorganic nanoparticles and other factors resulting in increased catalytic efficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene–metal nanocomposites have been found to remarkably enhance the catalytic performance of metal nanoparticle‐based catalysts. In continuation of our previous report, in which highly reduced graphene oxide (HRG)‐based nanocomposites were synthesized and evaluated, we present nanocomposites of graphene oxide (GRO) and ZnO nanoparticle‐doped MnCO3 ([ZnO–MnCO3/(1%)GRO]) synthesized via a facile, straightforward co‐precipitation technique. Interestingly, it was noticed that the incorporation of GRO in the catalytic system could noticeably improve the catalytic efficiency compared to a catalyst (ZnO–MnCO3) without GRO, for aerial oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BzOH) employing O2 as a nature‐friendly oxidant under base‐free conditions. The impacts of various reaction factors were thoroughly explored to optimize reaction conditions using oxidation of BzOH to benzaldehyde (BzH) as a model substrate. The catalysts were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, Energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET), and Raman spectroscopy. The (1%)ZnO–MnCO3/(1%)GRO exhibited significant specific activity (67 mmol.g−1.hr−1) with full convversion of BzOH and >99% BzH selectivity within just 6 min. The catalytic efficiency of the (1%)ZnO–MnCO3/(1%)GRO nanocomposite was significantly better than the (1%)ZnO–MnCO3/(1%)HRG and (1%)ZnO–MnCO3 catalysts, presumably due to the existence of oxygen‐possessing groups on the GRO surface and as well as a very high surface area that could have been instrumental in uniformly dispersing the active sites of the catalyst, i.e., ZnO–MnCO3. Under optimum circumstances, various kinds of alcohols were selectively transformed to respective carbonyls with full convertibility over the (1%)ZnO–MnCO3/(1%)GRO catalyst. Furthermore, the highly effective (1%)ZnO–MnCO3/(1%)GRO catalyst could be successfully reused and recycled over five consecutive runs with a marginal reduction in its performance and selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile and chemical specific method to synthesize highly reduced graphene oxide (HRG) and Pd (HRG@Pd) nanocomposite is presented. The HRG surfaces are tailored with amine groups using 1-aminopyrene (1-AP) as functionalizing molecules. The aromatic rings of 1-AP sit on the basal planes of HRG through π–π interactions, leaving amino groups outwards (similar like self-assembled monolayer on 2D substrates). The amino groups provide the chemically specific binding sites to the Pd nucleation which subsequently grow into nanoparticles. HRG@Pd nanocomposite demonstrated both uniform distribution of Pd nanoparticles on HRG surface as well as excellent physical stability and dispersibility. The surface functionalization was confirmed using, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis), Fourier transform infra-red and Raman spectroscopy. The size and distribution of Pd nanoparticles on the HRG and crystallinity were confirmed using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The catalytic efficiency of highly reduced graphene oxide-pyrene-palladium nanocomposite (HRG-Py-Pd) is tested towards the Suzuki coupling reactions of various aryl halides. The kinetics of the catalytic reaction (Suzuki coupling) using HRG-Py-Pd nanocomposite was monitored using gas chromatography (GC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Silver oxide nanoparticles doped manganese (IV) oxide along with varying percentages of highly reduced graphene oxide (HRG) [Ag 2 O(1%)–MnO 2 /(X%)HRG] nanocomposites were fabricated through a simple co-precipitation method followed by calcination at 400 °C. The as-prepared nanocomposite upon calcination at 300 °C and 500 °C temperatures, yields the manganese carbonate (MnCO 3) and manganese (III) oxide (Mn 2 O 3) composites i.e. Ag 2 O(1%)–MnCO 3 /(X%)HRG and Ag 2 O(1%)–Mn 2 O 3 /(X%)HRG, correspondingly. The structural composition of the prepared nanocomposites has confirmed by several characterization techniques. The nanocomposites have successfully utilized as a catalyst for liquid-phase oxidation of aromatic alcohols in presence of O 2 as a green oxidant under alkali-free conditions. In addition, a comparative study was performed to assess the activity of the manganese carbonates and manganese oxides for aerial oxidation of benzyl alcohol into benzaldehyde as a model reaction. Effects of various parameters have thoroughly examined in detail and the Ag 2 O(1%)–MnO 2 /(5%)HRG catalyst exhibited the highest activity in the aerial oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde with a 100% conversion and >99% selectivity in a remarkably short reaction time (35 min) than the undoped precursor i.e. Ag 2 O(1%)–MnO 2. The presence of HRG dopant greatly enhanced the catalytic performance of Ag 2 O–MnO 2 nanocatalysts could be attributed to the presence of carbon vacancies and topological defects as well as oxygen carrying functionalities on the HRG surface and increase in the surface area. The as-prepared catalyst could be efficiently recycled and reused up to five times without a discernible drop in its catalytic performance and the product selectivity remained unchanged. The prepared catalyst i.e. Ag 2 O(1%)–MnO 2 /(5%)HRG was employed as oxidation catalyst for a series of various substituted benzylic and aliphatic alcohols into their respective aldehydes and yielded complete conversion with excellent product selectivity with no further oxidation to acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An affordable co-precipitation procedure has employed for the preparation of ZnOx nanoparticles doped MnCO3 supported on different percentages of highly reduced graphene oxide (HRG) nanocomposites (X%)HRG/MnCO3-(1%)ZnOx (where x = 0-7) calcined at 300°C. Upon calcination at 400 and 500°C, manganese carbonate is converted to different manganese oxides, i.e. manganese dioxide (MnO2) and manganic trioxide (Mn2O3), respectively. A comparative catalytic study was performed to assess the catalytic efficiency of the manganese carbonates and manganese oxides for the selective oxidation of secondary alcohols in the presence of molecular O2 as a clean oxidant under base-free condition. Effects of several parameters were systematically studied using oxidation of 1-phenyl-ethanol into acetophenone as a reaction model. It was found that the efficiency of the catalytic system has improved significantly after doping the catalyst with graphene for the aerial oxidation of secondary alcohols. Furthermore, the promotion role of HRG support in the adsorption of reactant alcohol and oxygen near the ZnOx NPs as well as graphene support possesses extremely high surface area. The as-fabricated catalysts were characterised by EDX, SEM, XRD, TGA, Raman, FTIR and BET techniques. (1%)HRG/MnCO3-(1%)ZnOx nanocomposite exhibited outstanding specific activity (66.67 mmol g-1 h-1) with complete conversion along with <99% acetophenone selectivity within only 6 min. Notably, the achieved specific activity is much higher than the specific activity of the previously reported catalytic systems. The scope of the oxidation reaction is expanded to different types of alcohols such as benzylic, aliphatic, allylic and heteroatomic alcohols with 100% convertibility without over-oxidation to the carboxylic acids under mild conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their excellent physicochemical properties and synergistic effect, graphene metallic NPs based nanocomposites have gained significant attention in various technological fields including catalysis. Here we demonstrate a single pot, facile and environmental friendly synthesis of catalytically active palladium(Pd)@graphene nanocomposites (SP-HRG-Pd) by the simultaneous reduction of graphene oxide (GRO) and PdCl 2 using Salvadora persica L. (miswak) root extract (RE) as bioreductant. The synthesis of SP-HRG-Pd was confirmed by various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, including ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), Raman and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The polyphenolic (flavonoids) and terpenoids rich contents of the miswak RE not only facilitated the reduction of graphene oxide and PdCl 2 but also ensured the homogeneous binding of the Pd NPs on graphene, and through stabilization of the surface of SP-HRG-Pd nanocomposites. This also led to the enhanced dispersibility of as synthesized nanocomposites in aqueous solutions. The as-prepared SP-HRG-Pd nanocomposites also demonstrated excellent catalytic activity toward the selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols. Furthermore, in order to study the effect of calcination temperature and concentration of Pd NPs on the catalytic activities of nanocomposites, different samples of SP-HRG-Pd nanocomposites containing different amounts of Pd using various concentrations of Pd precursor were prepared and calcined at various temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current energy crisis and environmental issues, including depletion of fossil fuels, rapid industrialization, and undesired CO 2 emission resulting in global warming has created havoc for the global population and significantly affected the quality of life. In this scenario the environmental problems in the forefront of research priorities. Development of renewable energy resources particularly the efficient conversion of solar light to sustainable energy is crucial in addressing environmental problems. In this regard, the synthesis of semiconductors-based photocatalysts has emerged as an effective tool for different photocatalytic applications and environmental remediation. Among different photocatalyst options available, graphene and graphene derivatives such as, graphene oxide (GO), highly reduced graphene oxide (HRG), and doped graphene (N, S, P, B-HRG) have become rising stars on the horizon of semiconductors-based photocatalytic applications. Graphene is a single layer of graphite consisting of a unique planar structure, high conductivity, greater electron mobility, and significantly very high specific surface area. Besides, the recent advancements in synthetic approaches have led to the cost-effective production of graphene-based materials on a large-scale. Therefore, graphene-based materials have gained considerable recognition for the production of semiconducting photocatalysts involving other semiconducting materials. The graphene-based semiconductors photocatalysts surpasses electron-holes pairs recombination rate and lowers the energy band gap by tailoring the valence band (VB) and conduction band (CB) leading to the enhanced photocatalytic performance of hybrid photocatalysts. Herein, we have summarized the latest developments in designing and fabrication of graphene-based semiconducting photocatalysts using a variety of commonly applied methods such as, post-deposition methods, in-situ binding methods, hydrothermal and/or solvothermal approaches. In addition, we will discuss the photocatalytic properties of the resulting graphene-based hybrid materials for various environmental remediation processes such as; (i) clean H 2 fuel production, photocatalytic (ii) pollutants degradation, (iii) photo-redox organic transformation and (iv) photo-induced CO 2 reduction. On the whole, by the inclusion of more than 300 references, this review possibly covered in detail the aspects of graphene-based semiconductor photocatalysts for environmental remediation processes. Finally, the review will conclude a short summary and discussion about future perspectives, challenges and new directions in these emerging areas of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A green, one-step approach for the preparation of graphene/Ag nanocomposites (PE-HRG-Ag) via simultaneous reduction of both graphene oxide (GRO) and silver ions using Pulicaria glutinosa plant extract (PE) as reducing agent is reported. The plant extract functionalizes the surfaces of highly reduced graphene oxide (HRG) which helps in conjugating the Ag NPs to HRG. Increasing amounts of Ag precursor enhanced the density of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on HRG. The preparation of PE-HRG-Ag nanocomposite is monitored by using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The as-prepared PE-HRG-Ag nanocomposities display excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity, and significantly increased the intensities of the Raman signal of graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen-doped graphene (NDG)-palladium (Pd)-based nanocatalysts (NDG@Pd) can be potentially applied as an efficient catalyst for the preparation of biaryls in a Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction. Herein, we report the one-pot facile synthesis of an NDG@Pd nanocatalyst, wherein the nanocatalyst was prepared by the simultaneous reduction of graphene oxide (GRO) and PdCl2 in the presence of hydrazine hydrate as a reducing agent, while ammonium hydroxide was used as a source of "N" on the surface of graphene. The as-synthesized NDG@Pd nanocatalyst, consisting of smaller-sized, spherical-shaped palladium nanoparticles (Pd-NPs) on the surface of NDG, was characterized by several spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, including high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). The nanocatalyst displayed outstanding catalytic activity in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions of phenyl halides with phenyl boronic acids under facile conditions in water. The catalytic activity of NDG@Pd was found to be a more efficient catalyst when compared to pristine highly reduced graphene oxide (HRG) based Pd nanocatalyst (HRG@Pd). Furthermore, the reusability of the catalyst was also tested by repeatedly performing the same reaction using the recovered catalyst. The N-doped catalyst displayed excellent reusability even after several reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single-step solvothermal approach to prepare stabilized cubic zirconia (ZrO2) nanoparticles (NPs) and highly reduced graphene oxide (HRG) and ZrO2 nanocomposite (HRG@ZrO2) using benzyl alcohol as a solvent and stabilizing ligand is presented. The as-prepared ZrO2 NPs and the HRG@ZrO2 nanocomposite were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), which confirmed the formation of ultra-small, cubic phase ZrO2 NPs with particle sizes of ~2 nm in both reactions. Slight variation of reaction conditions, including temperature and amount of benzyl alcohol, significantly affected the size of resulting NPs. The presence of benzyl alcohol as a stabilizing agent on the surface of ZrO2 NPs was confirmed using various techniques such as ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), Raman and XPS spectroscopies and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Furthermore, a comparative electrochemical study of both as-prepared ZrO2 NPs and the HRG@ZrO2 nanocomposites is reported. The HRG@ZrO2 nanocomposite confirms electronic interactions between ZrO2 and HRG when compared their electrochemical studies with pure ZrO2 and HRG using cyclic voltammetry (CV). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ag2O nanoparticles-doped MnO2 decorated on different percentages of highly reduced graphene oxide (HRG) nanocomposites, i.e., (X%)HRG/MnO2–(1%)Ag2O (where X = 0–7), were fabricated through straight-forward precipitation procedure, and 400 °C calcination, while upon calcination at 300 °C and 500 °C temperatures, it yielded MnCO3 and manganic trioxide (Mn2O3) composites, i.e., [(X%)HRG/MnCO3–(1%)Ag2O] and [(X%)HRG/Mn2O3–(1%)Ag2O], respectively. These nanocomposites have been found to be efficient and very effective heterogeneous catalysts for selective oxidation of secondary alcohols into their respective ketones using O2 as a sole oxidant without adding surfactants or nitrogenous bases. Moreover, a comparative catalytic study was carried out to investigate the catalytic efficiency of the synthesized nanocomposites for the aerobic oxidation of 1-phenylethanol to acetophenone as a substrate reaction. Effects of several factors were systematically studied. The as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized by TGA, XRD, SEM, EDX, HRTEM, BET, Raman, and FTIR. The catalyst with structure (5%)HRG/MnO2–(1%)Ag2O showed outstanding specific activity (16.0 mmol/g·h) with complete conversion of 1-phenylethanol and >99% acetophenone selectivity within short period (25 min). It is found that the effectiveness of the catalyst has been greatly improved after using graphene support. A broad range of alcohols have selectively transformed to desired products with 100% convertibility and no over-oxidation products have been detected. The recycling test of (5%)HRG/MnO2–(1%)Ag2O catalyst for oxidation of 1-phenylethanol suggested no obvious decrease in its performance and selectivity even after five subsequent runs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]