Superhydrophobic and superoleophilic graphene-based sponges are demonstrated as efficient absorbents for a broad range of oils and organic solvents with high selectivity, good recyclability, and excellent absorption capacities up to 165 times their own weight. The findings show promise for large-scale removal of organic contaminants, especially in the field of oil spillage cleanup.

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We report a versatile synthetic process based on rapid heating and cooling chemical vapor deposition for the growth of carbon nanotube (CNT)-graphene hybrid materials where the thickness of graphene and density of CNTs are properly controlled. Graphene films are demonstrated as an efficient barrier layer for preventing poisoning of iron nanoparticles, which catalyze the growth of CNTs on copper substrates. Based on this method, the opto-electronic and field emission properties of graphene integrated with CNTs can be remarkably tailored. A graphene film exhibits a sheet resistance of 2.15 kΩ sq(-1) with a transmittance of 85.6% (at 550 nm), while a CNT-graphene hybrid film shows an improved sheet resistance of 420 Ω sq(-1) with an optical transmittance of 72.9%. Moreover, CNT-graphene films are demonstrated as effective electron field emitters with low turn-on and threshold electric fields of 2.9 and 3.3 V μm(-1), respectively. The development of CNT-graphene films with a wide range of tunable properties presented in this study shows promising applications in flexible opto-electronic, energy, and sensor devices.

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The development of efficient therapies for ocular diseases remains a significant challenge because of the static and dynamic barriers in the eye. A variety of pharmaceutical strategies have been explored...

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In this work, we present efficient, robust, and transparent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding by a hybrid material comprised of a nickel (Ni) mesh and a conformal graphene coating. We demonstrate that a 20 nm-thick graphene/Ni hybrid mesh can provide EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) exceeding 12.1 dB (∼93.6% power attenuation) in the decimeter band while retaining a high visible transmittance of ∼83%. Its maximum achieved SE value was 26.6 dB (∼99.5% power attenuation) at 0.75 GHz. Furthermore, the thicker Ni mesh exhibited a higher EMI SE. Compared to a conventional Ni mesh, the hybrid mesh exhibits a higher SE and a greatly improved corrosion resistance. The graphene coating is directly grown on a Ni mesh via rapid annealing of solid carbon precursors under low vacuum. Scalable fabrication of the mesh was achieved by a self-formed TiO2 crack network template. Our results not only provide a promising material for high-performance EMI shielding in optoelectronics devices but also enable applications of EMI shielding in harsh environments.