The possibility of a graphene bilayer nanosensor for the detection of explosive molecules was modeled using computational chemistry. A pore was designed on a graphene bilayer structure with three strategically placed perimeter hydroxyl (OH) groups built around the edge of an indented, two-dimensional hexagonal pore. This hydroxylated pore and models of various explosive molecules were optimized using MM2 molecular mechanics parameters. Values were calculated for the molecule-surface interaction energy (binding energy), E, for 22 explosive molecules on a flat graphene bilayer and on the specially designed hydroxylated pore within the bilayer. The molecule-surface binding energy for trinitrotoluene (TNT) increased from 17.9 kcal/mol on the flat graphene bilayer to 42.3 kcal/mol on the hydroxylated pore. Due to the common functionality of nitro groups that exist on many explosive molecules, the other explosive molecules studied gave similar enhancements based on the specific hydrogen bonding interactions formed within the pore. Each of the 22 explosive adsorbate molecules showed increased molecule-surface interaction on the bilayer hydroxylated pore as compared to the flat bilayer. For the 22 molecules, the average E for the flat graphite surface was 15.8 kcal/mol and for the hydroxylated pore E was 33.8 kcal/mol. An enhancement of adsorption should make a detection device more sensitive. Nanosensors based on a modified graphene surface may be useful for detecting extremely low concentrations of explosive molecules or explosive signature molecules.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.