Acidity-dependent self-rolling of graphene oxide nanoscrolls via metal cation-π interaction

Abstract

Graphene nanoscrolls with one-dimensional topological structure obtained by Archimedean-type spirals of graphene, inherit the intrinsic properties of the pristine graphene. They have some unique advantages, including open edges/ends, adjustable internal volume, and diameter. Notably, the accommodation of functionalized components in their open interlayer is potentially a fantastic strategy to promote the epoch-making progress in nanotechnology areas, including energy storage, environmental remediation, biotechnology, and smart devices. However, it could destroy the driving forces for the self-rolling of graphene nanosheets and thus it is still a challenge to prepare functionalized graphene nanoscrolls.Here, based on density functional theory prediction, we reported a feasible method to fabricate graphene oxide nanoscrolls with carbon nanotubes as the template. The method was driven by cation-π interactions, which were caused by metal cations that also acted as the adsorption center. Most importantly, the distinct mechanism and an acidity-dependent rule for the formation of graphene nanoscrolls were identified. Benefiting from the introduced metal cations and the macro three-dimensional hierarchical structure, the produced nanoscroll aerogel exhibited significantly improved adsorption performance toward different organic solvents with the adsorption capacities from 129.9 to 265.7 g g −1 . This work demonstrates a simple and efficient strategy to fabricate functionalized component-accommodated graphene nanoscroll, which could find important applications in various fields.

Scrolling reduced graphene oxides to induce room temperature magnetism via spatial coupling of defects

“…1, to address the issues of the controllable fabrication of nanoscrolls and easy regulation of defects. In detail, graphene oxide (GO) were rolled along the surface of CNTs driven by the cation–π interactions 24 of sodium ions with both GO and CNTs in an alkaline environment (NaOH, pH ∼ 10.7). After sequential freezing and freeze-drying processes, GO nanoscrolls with needle sodium carbonate crystals were formed.…”

Nanoengineered Fe3O4–GO nanoscrolls: exploring the biofunctional applications through magnetic, optical, structural, and morphological analyses

“…This increased stability will be critical in biological situations where the nanohybrid's integrity is necessary for its performance and safety. Scroll formation is possible through a variety of processes, including lyophilization, 36 high-temperature molten salt, 37 ultrasonication, 38,39 microexplosion, 40 refluxing, 41 cold quenching, 42 or by decorating with magnetic nanoparticles, [43][44][45][46][47][48][49] exfoliating graphite nanoplatelets, etc. [43][44][45][46][47][48][49] Different carbon nanoscroll morphologies, such as cylinder and fusiform, can be created by partial rolling or multiple rolling of graphene sheets.…”

“…Scroll formation is possible through a variety of processes, including lyophilization, 36 high-temperature molten salt, 37 ultrasonication, 38,39 microexplosion, 40 refluxing, 41 cold quenching, 42 or by decorating with magnetic nanoparticles, [43][44][45][46][47][48][49] exfoliating graphite nanoplatelets, etc. [43][44][45][46][47][48][49] Different carbon nanoscroll morphologies, such as cylinder and fusiform, can be created by partial rolling or multiple rolling of graphene sheets. For the synthesis of GONS at room temperature, there are also several straightforward techniques available, such as adding silver nitrate to an ethanol solution or in situ chemical methods.…”