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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Oil spill accidents have urged scientists across the world to develop an immediate cleanup technology because the spilled oil significantly affects the ecological and environmental system.

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Microstructural evolution as a function of substrate temperature (T S) for conducting ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) films is systematically studied. Variation of the sp2 graphitic and sp3 diamond content with T S in the films is analysed from the Raman and near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectra. Morphological and microstructural studies confirm that at T S = 700 °C well-defined acicular structures evolve. These nanowire structures comprise sp3 phased diamond, encased in a sheath of sp2 bonded graphitic phase. T S causes a change in morphology and thereby the various properties of the films. For T S = 800 °C the acicular grain growth ceases, while that for T S = 700 °C ceases only upon termination of the deposition process. The grain-growth process for the unique needle-like granular structure is proposed such that the CN species invariably occupy the tip of the nanowire, promoting an anisotropic grain-growth process and the formation of acicular structure of the grains. The electron field emission studies substantiate that the films grown at T S = 700 °C are the most conducting, with conduction mediated through the graphitic phase present in the films.

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In recent years, the utilization of nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the field of neuroscience has forever changed the approach to nerve-related research. The array of novel properties CNTs possess allows them to interact with neurons at the nanodimensional scale. In this study, a CNT rope substrate is developed to allow the electrical stimulation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in culture medium and the in situ observation of the response of these stem cells after stimulation. CNTs are synthesized by chemical vapor deposition and prepared into a ropelike structure with a diameter of 1 mm and length of 1.5 cm. NSCs are differentiated on the CNT rope substrate while the direction of neurite outgrowth, phenotype, and maturity of the NSCs are analyzed. Fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy demonstrate that neurite extension favors the direction of the spiral topography on the CNT rope. NSCs plated on CNT ropes are boosted towards differentiated neurons in the early culture stage when compared to conventional tissue culture plates via the analysis of neuronal gene and protein expressions by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunostaining, respectively. Furthermore, a set of electrical stimulation parameters (5 mV, 0.5 mA, 25 ms intermittent stimulation) promotes neuronal maturity while also increasing the speed of neurite outgrowth. These results indicate that an electroconductive CNT rope substrate along with electrical stimulation may have a synergistic effect on promoting neurite elongation and boosting effects on the differentiation of NSCs into mature neuronal cells for therapeutic application in neural regeneration.