Recently, there have been enormous efforts to tailor the properties of graphene.These improved properties extend the prospect of graphene for a broad range of applications. Plasmas find applications in various fields including materials science and have been emerging in the field of nanotechnology. This review focuses on different plasma functionalization processes of graphene and its oxide counterpart. The review aims at the advantages of plasma functionalization over the conventional doping techniques. Selectivity and controllability of the plasma techniques opens up future pathways for large scale, rapid functionalization of graphene for advanced applications. We also emphasize on atmospheric pressure plasma jet as the future prospect of plasma based functionalization processes.

Transparent conductors and charge transport layers play a key role in the design and fabrication of efficient renewable energy and electronic devices. Over the years, Indium tin oxide (ITO), is...

Vacuum hydrogen annealing of TiO2 leads to increased visible light absorption. The origin thereof was revealed by ab initio calculations and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Most probable number (MPN) test was done to detect the coliform in water samples collected from mobile vendors, sweet shops and tap water supplied from Burdwan municipality. The study revealed that the number of coliforms was very high ( 1600) in water samples collected from mobile vendors. The bacteria were identified as Escherichia coli. Bacteriological examination of water samples collected from different sources showed that the water of mobile vendors and sweet shops of Burdwan market area was not potable while the municipal tap water was found to be safe for drinking.

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Herein, we report a simple hydrothermal method to synthesize CeO 2 /Ce 2 O 3 quantum dots anchored on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets of different weight fractions for application as supercapacitor electrode. Of all the tested samples, the one containing 7 wt% RGO (CRGO3) as measured by thermogravimetry, exhibited the highest specific capacitance of 1027 F/g at 1 A/g along with good cycling stability. At current density of 4A/g, the CRGO3 sample showed charge retention of 79% after 5000 cycles, whereas at 20A/g, it showed 85% charge retention after 3000 cycles. The values obtained for CRGO3 electrode are better than all previous ceria and RGO based electrode suggesting its potential use in supercapacitor. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed well crystalline CeO 2 nanoparticles (~5 nm) uniformly distributed on the RGO sheets as well as few lattice planes indicative of presence of some Ce 2 O 3 mixed with CeO 2 . X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed presence of a mixed oxides containing mostly CeO 2 with some Ce 2 O 3 phase on the surface. The enhanced performance of the CRGO3 electrode was attributed to the optimized weight fraction and large surface area of electrically conducting RGO combined with enhanced electrocatalytic activity of CeO 2 /Ce 2 O 3 mixed oxides.

Miniaturization of electronic devices and the advancement of Internet of Things pose exciting challenges to develop technologies for patterned deposition of functional nanomaterials. Printed and flexible electronic devices and energy storage devices can be embedded onto clothing or other flexible surfaces. Graphene oxide (GO) has gained much attention in printed electronics due its solution processability, robustness, and high electrical conductivity in the reduced state. Here, we introduce an approach to print GO films from highly acidic suspensions with in situ reduction using an atmospheric pressure plasma jet. Low-temperature plasma of a He and H mixture was used successfully to reduce a highly acidic GO suspension (pH < 2) in situ during deposition. This technique overcomes the multiple intermediate steps required to increase the conductivity of deposited GO. X-ray spectroscopic studies confirmed that the reaction intermediates and the concentration of oxygen functionalities bonded to GO have been reduced significantly by this approach without any additional steps. Moreover, the reduced GO films showed enhanced conductivity. Hence, this technique has a strong potential for printing conducting patterns of GO for a range of large-scale applications.

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