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Graphene-related materials (GRMs) are subject to intensive investigations and considerable progress has been made in recent years in terms of safety assessment. However, limited information is available concerning the hazard potential of GRM-containing products such as graphene-reinforced composites. In the present study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation of the potential biological effects of particles released through an abrasion process from reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-reinforced composites of polyamide 6 (PA6), a widely used engineered thermoplastic polymer, in comparison to as-produced rGO. First, a panel of well-established in vitro models, representative of the immune system and possible target organs such as the lungs, the gut, and the skin, was applied. Limited responses to PA6-rGO exposure were found in the different in vitro models. Only as-produced rGO induced substantial adverse effects, in particular in macrophages. Since inhalation of airborne materials is a key occupational concern, we then sought to test whether the in vitro responses noted for these materials would translate into adverse effects in vivo. To this end, the response at 1, 7 and 28 days after a single pulmonary exposure was evaluated in mice. In agreement with the in vitro data, PA6-rGO induced a modest and transient pulmonary inflammation, resolved by day 28. In contrast, rGO induced a longer-lasting, albeit moderate inflammation that did not lead to tissue remodeling within 28 days. Taken together, the present study suggests a negligible impact on human health under acute exposure conditions of GRM fillers such as rGO when released from composites at doses expected at the workplace., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Graphene has been found to be an excellent heat-conductor due to the high speed of acoustic phonons in its lattice. In this work, we examine in depth a commercial graphene-based waist protector which uses graphene as a heating element. By employing thermal imaging in tandem with Raman microscopy, the thermal characteristics and performance of this device is fully assessed. It will be shown that no pronounced variation in its function is observed up to 3 hours of continuous operation and that the device seems to work effectively as an IR emitter at low power consumption. Temperature fluctuations, associated with a decrease of its electrical resistance are observed after 12 hours uptime and a temperature difference of 15 °C was recorded after 5 days of uninterrupted operation. These effects are thought to be due to the loss of graphene/polymer adhesion resulting from thermal fatigue. Overall, it is demonstrated that graphene can indeed be incorporated as an effective and operational thermal heating system in similar biomedical devices.

Graphene was successfully employed as a catalyst for the activation of sodium persulfate, towards the effective degradation of propylparaben, an emerging micro-pollutant, representative of the parabens family. A novel process is proposed which utilizes a commercial graphene nano-powder as the catalyst and sodium persulfate as the oxidizing agent. It was found that over 95% of micro-pollutant degradation occurs within 15 min of reaction time. The effects of catalyst loading (75 mg/L to 1 g/L), sodium persulfate (SPS) concentration (10 mg/L to 1 g/L), initial solution pH (3-9) and initial paraben concentration (0.5 mg/L to 5 mg/L) were examined. Experiments were carried out in different aqueous conditions, including ultrapure water, bottled water and wastewater in order to investigate their effect on the degradation rate. The efficiency of the process was lower at complex water matrices signifying the role of organic matter as scavenger of the oxidant species. The role of radical scavengers was also investigated through the addition of methanol and tert-butanol in several concentrations, which was found to be important only in relatively high values. An experiment in which propylparaben was substituted by methylparaben was conducted and similar results were obtained. The consumption of SPS was found to be high in all pH conditions tested, surpassing 80% in near neutral environment. However, the results indicate that the sulfate radicals formed react with water in alkaline conditions, which are the optimal for the reaction, producing hydroxyl radicals which appear to be the dominant species leading to the rapid degradation of propylparaben. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time pristine graphene has been implemented as an activator of sodium persulfate for the effective oxidation of micro-pollutants., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The mechanical properties of 2D materials such as monolayer graphene are of extreme importance for several potential applications. We summarize the experimental and theoretical results to date on mechanical loading of freely suspended or fully supported graphene. We assess the obtained axial properties of the material in tension and compression and comment on the methods used for deriving the various reported values. We also report on past and current efforts to define the elastic constants of graphene in a 3D representation. Current areas of research that are concerned with the effect of production method and/or the presence of defects upon the mechanical integrity of graphene are also covered. Finally, we examine extensively the work related to the effect of graphene deformation upon its electronic properties and the possibility of employing strained graphene in future electronic applications.

We present the first Raman spectroscopic study of Bernal bilayer graphene flakes under uniaxial tension. Apart from a purely mechanical behavior in flake regions where both layers are strained evenly, certain effects stem from inhomogeneous stress distribution across the layers. These phenomena such as the removal of inversion symmetry in bilayer graphene may have important implications in the band gap engineering, providing an alternative route to induce the formation of a band gap., (© 2011 American Chemical Society)

We present a systematic experimental and theoretical study of the two-phonon (2D) Raman scattering in graphene under uniaxial tension. The external perturbation unveils that the 2D mode excited with 785 nm has a complex line-shape mainly due to the contribution of two distinct double resonance scattering processes (inner and outer) in the Raman signal. The splitting depends on the direction of the applied strain and the polarization of the incident light. The results give new insight into the nature of the 2D band and have significant implications for the use of graphene as reinforcement in composites since the 2D mode is crucial to assess how effectively graphene uptakes an applied stress or strain.

Central to most applications involving monolayer graphenes is its mechanical response under various stress states. To date most of the work reported is of theoretical nature and refers to tension and compression loading of model graphenes. Most of the experimental work is indeed limited to the bending of single flakes in air and the stretching of flakes up to typically approximately 1% using plastic substrates. Recently we have shown that by employing a cantilever beam we can subject single graphenes to various degrees of axial compression. Here we extend this work much further by measuring in detail both stress uptake and compression buckling strain in single flakes of different geometries. In all cases the mechanical response is monitored by simultaneous Raman measurements through the shift of either the G or 2D phonons of graphene. Despite the infinitely small thickness of the monolayers, the results show that graphenes embedded in plastic beams exhibit remarkable compression buckling strains. For large length (l)-to-width (w) ratios (> or =0.2) the buckling strain is of the order of -0.5% to -0.6%. However, for l/w < 0.2 no failure is observed for strains even higher than -1%. Calculations based on classical Euler analysis show that the buckling strain enhancement provided by the polymer lateral support is more than 6 orders of magnitude compared to that of suspended graphene in air.

Abstract: The electrochemical modification of carbon nanotube films (buckypapers) in three different electrolytes consisting of two acids and a basic solvent at very low concentrations was studied. The electrolysis was performed at 1A up to a maximum of 12h. Four different characterization techniques have been employed for assessing the effectiveness of the proposed process. The results presented are very encouraging for the development of electrochemical oxidation as the main surface modification method for carbon nanotubes. It was found that the use of nitric acid electrolyte leads to scalable and controllable oxidation as compared to the basic electrolyte which was also effective but appeared to damage the graphitic structure of nanotubes during longer treatments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Carbon nanotubes have long been recognized as the stiffest and strongest man-made material known to date. In addition, their high electrical conductivity has roused interest in the area of electrical appliances and communication related applications. However, due to their miniscule size, the excellent properties of these nanostructures can only be exploited if they are homogeneously embedded into light-weight matrices as those offered by a whole series of engineering polymers. We review the present state of polymer nanocomposites research in which the fillers are carbon nanotubes. In order to enhance their chemical affinity to engineering polymer matrices, chemical modification of the graphitic sidewalls and tips is necessary. In this review, an extended account of the various chemical strategies for grafting polymers onto carbon nanotubes and the manufacturing of carbon nanotube/polymer nanocomposites is given. The mechanical and electrical properties to date of a whole range of nanocomposites of various carbon nanotube contents are also reviewed in an attempt to facilitate progress in this emerging area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]