Disclosed is a tunneling diode, which includes a graphene-silicon quantum dot hybrid structure, having improved performance and electrical characteristics by controlling the sizes of silicon quantum dots and the doping concentration of graphene. The ideal tunneling diode of the present disclosure may be utilized in diode-based optoelectronic devices.

Amorphous two-dimensional graphene-like carbon films provide benefits to a variety of applications due to advantageous electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties. Methods are provided to efficiently and cheaply create high-quality amorphous two-dimensional carbon films with embedded graphene-like nanocrystallites using coal as a precursor. These methods employ solution-phase deposition of coal-derived graphene-containing quantum dots followed by relatively low-temperature annealing/crosslinking of the quantum dots to form a single two-dimensional layer of carbon that includes a plurality of randomly-oriented discrete graphene domains connected to each other via amorphous carbon regions. Multi-layer films can be easily created by repeating the deposition and annealing processes. Two-dimensional carbon films formed in this manner exhibit improved properties when compared to crystalline graphene sheets and have properties especially suited to use as the storage medium of memristors. Further processing can result in large free-standing two-dimensional graphene-like carbon thin films that can be used as membranes or for other applications.

A graphene nanostructure has a nanographene, a π conjugated functional group bonded to the nanographene via a pyrazine skeleton, and at least one Br group and/or at least one CN group introduced into the π conjugated functional group. A graphene nanostructure preferably has an average size of 1 nm or larger to 100 nm or smaller, a band gap of 0.01 eV or higher to 1.2 eV or lower, and/or a HOMO level of −6.0 eV or higher to −4.0 eV or lower. As the π conjugated functional group into which the Br group(s) and/or the CN group(s) are/is introduced, a 4-bromobenzene group, a 4,5-dibromobenzene group, a 5-bromopyridine group, a 5-bromopyrazine group, a benzonitrile group, a phthalonitrile group, or a 2,3-dicyanopyrazine group is desirable.

A method of forming a graphene nanoribbon includes: 1) providing monomeric precursors each including an alkyne moiety and at least one aromatic moiety bonded to the alkyne moiety; 2) polymerizing the monomeric precursors to form a polymer; and 3) converting the polymer to a graphene nanoribbon.

The present invention provides an anode material for a lithium-ion battery comprising a carbon particle having a particle size of 5 μm to 30 μm, and including defective portions on a surface of the carbon particle, the defective portions being grooves formed by cathodically exfoliating graphene layers from the carbon particle.

A material that can be used in a wide temperature range is provided. A graphene compound includes graphene or graphene oxide and a substituted or unsubstituted chain group, the chain group includes two or more ether bonds, and the chain group is bonded to the above graphene or graphene oxide through a Si atom. Alternatively, a method for forming a graphene compound includes a first step and a second step after the first step. In the first step, graphene oxide and a base are stirred under a nitrogen stream. In the second step, the mixture is cooled to room temperature, a silylating agent that has a group having two or more ether bonds is introduced into the mixture, and the obtained mixture is stirred. The base is butylamine, pentylamine, hexylamine, diethylamine, dipropylamine, dibutylamine, triethylamine, tripropylamine, or pyridine.

The invention provides a method for preparing graphene which method comprises the steps of: (a) forming a graphite/water mixture; and (b) introducing the graphite/water mixture into a cavitation reactor using at least two offset nozzles; a cavitation reactor for use in the method wherein the cavitation reactor has a cavitation chamber wherein the cavitation chamber has at least two offset inlet nozzles which are directed towards the centre of the cavitation chamber and at least one outlet; and graphene having a carbon content of at least about 98 wt %.

Methods and devices for detecting a target agent of interest, e.g., a pathogen, in a sample are described herein. In some embodiments, a sensor is provided that can include a substrate, a graphene layer disposed on a surface of said substrate, and a protein bound to said graphene layer. The protein can be capable of binding to one or more target agents of interest, e.g., pathogens, etc. The binding of the protein to the one or more target agents of interest can generate a change in an electrical property of the graphene layer.

This disclosure provides a composition of matter nucleated from a homogenous nucleation to form a self-assembled binder-less mesoporous carbon-based particle. In some implementations, the composition includes: a plurality of electrically conductive 3D aggregates formed of graphene sheets and sintered together to define a 3D hierarchical open porous structure comprising mesoscale structuring with micron-scale fractal structuring and configured to provide an electrical conduction between contact points of the graphene sheets. A porous arrangement is formed in the 3D hierarchical open porous structure and is arranged to contain a liquid electrolyte configured to provide ion transport through a plurality of interconnected porous channels in the 3D hierarchical open porous structure. A respective porous channel of the plurality of porous channels includes: a first portion configured to provide tunable ion conduits; a second portion configured to facilitate rapid ion transport; and, a third portion configured to at least partially confine active material.

Disclosed herein are methods and compositions directed to a promising class of nanomaterials called organic nanoparticles, or carbon nanodots. The present disclosure provides a facile method for the conversion of biomolecule-based carbon nanodots into high surface area three-dimensional graphene networks with excellent electrochemical properties.