Atomic force microscopy (AFM) force measurements have been used to study the solvate ionic liquid (IL) double layer nanostructure at highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and Au(111) electrode surfaces as a function of potential. Two solvate ILs are investigated, [Li(G4)] TFSI and [Li(G4)] NO3. Normal force versus apparent separation data indicates that both solvate ILs adopt a multilayered morphology at the electrode interface, similar to conventional ILs. Calculations of adsorption free energies indicate that at 0 V the ion layer in contact with the electrode surface is enriched in the more surface active cations. When a positive or negative surface bias is applied, the concentration of counterions in the innermost layer increases, and higher push-through forces are required to displace near surface layers, indicating a stronger interfacial structure. Generally, [Li(G4)] TFSI has a better defined structure than [Li(G4)] NO3 on both electrode surfaces due to stronger cohesive interactions within layers. Interfacial structure is also better defined for both solvate ILs on HOPG than Au(111) due to the greater surface roughness of Au(111). Further, at all negative potentials on both surfaces, a small final step is observed, consistent with either compression of the complex cation adsorbed structure or desolvation of the glyme from the Li(+).

Atomic force microscopy (AFM), density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and contact angle measurements have been used to investigate the liquid–highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) electrode interface for three deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as a function of applied potential. The DESs examined are 1:2 mixtures of choline chloride and urea (ChCl:urea), choline chloride and ethylene glycol (ChCl:ethylene glycol), and choline chloride and glycerol (ChCl:glycerol). DFT calculations reveal that in all cases the molecular component is excluded from the graphite interface at all potentials, while chloride and choline are attracted into the Stern layer at positive and negative potentials, respectively. AFM force curves confirm these trends and also show that the first near surface liquid layer in contact with the Stern layer is rich in the molecular component. The extent of near surface layering increases with potential and the hydrogen bonding capacity of the molecular component. The variation in the macroscopic contact angle with potential is consistent with changes in the Stern layer composition.

Low-dimensional carbon and boron nitride nanomaterials - hexagonal boron nitride, graphene, boron nitride nanotubes and carbon nanotubes - remain at the forefront of advanced materials research. Catalytic chemical vapour deposition has become an invaluable technique for reliably and cost-effectively synthesising these materials. In this review, we will emphasise how a synergy between experimental and theoretical methods has enhanced the understanding and optimisation of this synthetic technique. This review examines recent advances in the application of CVD to synthesising boron nitride and carbon nanomaterials and highlights where, in many cases, molecular simulations and quantum chemistry have provided key insights complementary to experimental investigation. This synergy is particularly prominent in the field of carbon nanotube and graphene CVD synthesis, and we propose here it will be the key to future advances in optimisation of CVD synthesis of boron nitride nanomaterials, boron nitride - carbon composite materials, and other nanomaterials generally.

All reported methods of graphene exfoliation require energy input, most commonly from sonication, 1 shaking, 2 or stirring. 3 The reverse process-aggregation of single or few layer graphene sheets-occurs spontaneously in most solvents. This makes producing, and especially storing, graphene in economic quantities challenging, 4,5 which is a significant barrier to widespread commercialisation. Here we show that the ionic liquids (ILs) can spontaneously exfoliate graphene from graphite at room temperature. The process is thermally activated and follows an Arrhenius-type behaviour, resulting in thermodynamically stable IL / graphene suspensions. Using atomic force microscopy, the kinetics of the exfoliation could be followed in situ and with sub-nanometre resolution, showing that both the size and the charge of the constituent IL ions play a key role. Our results provide a general molecular mechanism underpinning spontaneous graphene exfoliation at room temperature in electrically conducting ILs, paving the way for their adoption in graphene-based technology. Currently, graphene is typically produced via two approaches. Bottom-up methods fabricate graphene from organic precursors via chemical vapour deposition, organic synthesis, or catalysed substrate growth, but the graphene produced has variable quality and limited sheet