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Recent Advances in Graphene and Other Two-Dimensional Materials

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A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Crystalline Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2024 | Viewed by 9034

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Grazia Giuseppina Politano

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Guest Editor

Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci CUBO 44A, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy
Interests: graphene; ellipsometry; thin films; optical properties

Dr. John Parthenios

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Guest Editor

Foundation for Research, Technology Hellas-Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (FORTH/ICE-HT), GR 26504 Patras, Greece
Interests: graphene; 2D materials; mechanical properties of 2D materials; raman and tip Enhanced raman spectroscopy of 2D materials; CVD growth of 2D materials; laser patterning of 2D materials; graphene inks and RFID tags; low friction nanocomposites; device design for nanomechanics of 2D materials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Graphene and other 2D materials are promising for several applications, including flexible nanoelectronics, sensors, and photodetectors, due to their unique properties.

The scope of this Special Issue ranges from the synthesis and modification of 2D materials to properties and practical applications. This issue seeks to publish recent advances in the field of 2D materials, including graphene, graphene oxide, 2D chalcogenides, 2D oxides, 2D perovskites, silicene, germanene, borophene, phosphorene, and others. Both experimental and theoretical articles will be published in this Special Issue.

This Special Issue offers the opportunity for researchers in this area to publish their recent results in full open access.

Dr. Grazia Giuseppina Politano
Dr. John Parthenios
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

two-dimensional materials
graphene
graphene oxide
transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs)
graphene-based composites
2D advanced devices and applications
functionalization of graphene
characterization techniques: electrical, electronic, optical, and mechanical properties

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2971 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Unleashing the Power of Graphene-Based Nanomaterials for Chromium(VI) Ion Elimination from Water

by Keloth Paduvilan Jibin, Silpa Augustine, Prajitha Velayudhan, Jesiya Susan George, Sisanth Krishnageham Sidharthan, Sylas Variyattel Paulose and Sabu Thomas

Crystals 2023, 13(7), 1047; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13071047 - 01 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1705

Abstract

Graphene-oxide-based nanomaterials have gained attention in recent years in the field of heavy metal removal. In this work, graphene oxide (GO) and graphene-oxide-coated silica nanoparticles (GO/SiO₂) were synthesized for the efficient removal of Cr(VI) ions from water. Synthesized nanosorbents were characterized by FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The effects of the pH and the concentration of Cr(VI) ions in adsorption, using GO and GO/SiO₂, was studied using the batch process. The results of the study indicated that the maximum removal percentage was shown at pH 3 for both adsorbents. Comparatively, GO/SiO₂ showed a higher removal percentage (92.28%) than GO (86.15%) for Cr(VI) at a concentration of 50 ppm. The results validate that the removal of Cr(VI) ions is highly concentration-dependent and pH-dependent. This study shows that GO and GO/SiO₂ are efficient adsorbents and that GO/SiO₂ has great potential over GO for the removal of Cr(VI) ions from water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Graphene and Other Two-Dimensional Materials)

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12 pages, 2652 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modelling the Structure and Optical Properties of Reduced Graphene Oxide Produced by Laser Ablation: Insights from XPS and Time-Dependent DFT

by Igor V. Ershov, Anatoly A. Lavrentyev, Igor V. Bazhin, Olga M. Holodova, Natalia V. Prutsakova, Tatiana P. Zhdanova and Dmitry L. Romanov

Crystals 2023, 13(4), 600; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13040600 - 01 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1211

Abstract

Graphene derivatives such as reduced graphene oxide and graphene-based composites are regarded as highly promising materials for optoelectronics and photodetection applications. Recently, considerable interest has arisen in using facile and environmentally friendly methods of graphene production. Despite significant progress in experimental studies of graphene and graphene-based composites, some fundamental questions about their structures, and the interaction between components in these systems, remain open. In the present work, several atomistic models of oxidized graphene fragments have been proposed based on XPS compositional analysis and DFT calculations, representing reduced graphene oxide produced by laser irradiation. The composition of the oxygen-containing functional groups, their equilibrium configuration and influence on the electronic and optical properties of graphene sheets were determined. The nature of the low-lying excited states, as well as the photoactive regions, has also been studied for the proposed models. The calculated absorption spectra of the graphene sheets were compared with experimental UV-Vis spectrum of rGO produced by laser ablation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Graphene and Other Two-Dimensional Materials)

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13 pages, 8482 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Double-Heterostructure Resonant Tunneling Transistors of Surface-Functionalized Sb and Bi Monolayer Nanoribbons

by Qi Gong and Guiling Zhang

Crystals 2023, 13(3), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13030379 - 23 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1128

Abstract

Zigzag nanoribbons tailored from chemically surface-modified Sb or Bi monolayers by methyl, amino or hydroxyl are investigated through first-principles electronic-structure calculations to explore their potential applications in topological transport nanoelectronics. It is verified by Dirac-point-like energy dispersion of band-edges near Fermi level that the scattering-forbidden edge-states of these nanoribbons can give a topological conductive channel with extremely high electron mobility. Accordingly, Sb/SbXH_n/Sb and Bi/BiXH_n/Bi nanoribbon double-heterostructures (SbXH_n or BiXH_n: XH_n = CH₃, NH₂, OH) are designed as resonant tunneling transistors and modeled by bipolar transport devices with their electron transport characteristics being calculated by nonequilibrium Green’s function combined first-principles schemes. Ballistic equilibrium conduction spectra and current-voltage characteristics prove that quantum conductance currents of these nanoribbon double heterostructures originate from the electron resonant tunneling between the topological edge-states of the two constituent Sb or Bi monolayer nanoribbons through the central barrier of SbXH_n or BiXH_n nanoribbon segment. This renders a high resonant current peak with strong negative differential conductance, thus being competent for zero-loss and ultrahigh-frequency resonant tunneling nanotransistors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Graphene and Other Two-Dimensional Materials)

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20 pages, 5222 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling 2D Arrangements of Graphene Nanoribbons

by Talia Tene, Marco Guevara, Nataly Bonilla García, Myrian Borja and Cristian Vacacela Gomez

Crystals 2023, 13(2), 311; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13020311 - 14 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1321

Abstract

In the last two decades, interest in graphene has grown extensively due to its extraordinary properties and potential for various applications such as sensing and communication. However, graphene is intrinsically a semimetal with a zero bandgap, which considerably delays its use where a suitable bandgap is required. In this context, quasi-one-dimensional counterparts known as graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have demonstrated sizeable bandgaps and versatile electronic properties, which make them promising candidates for photonic and plasmonic applications. While progress has recently been made toward the synthesis of GNRs, theoretical models to envisage their electronic and optical properties have been restricted to ab initio approaches, which are not feasible for wide systems because of the large number of atoms tangled. Here, we use a semi-analytical model based on Dirac cone approximation to show the adjustable electronic and plasmonic characteristics of wide and experimental GNRs, both freestanding and non-freestanding. This approach utilizes the group velocity of graphene, which is calculated using density functional computations (

v_{F} = 0.829 \times 10^{6}

m s⁻¹), as the primary input. Importantly, our research reveals that at the terahertz level, the plasmon-momentum dispersion is highly responsive to changes by varying the ribbon width or charge carrier concentrations, the other involved parameters can be manipulated by setting values from experiments or more sophisticated predictions. In particular, this model can replicate the electronic properties of GNRs on Ge(001) and GNRs on Au(111). From the plasmonic side, the plasmon spectrum of graphene microribbon arrays of 4 μm wide on Si/SiO₂ and GNR arrays on Si are found in good agreement with experiments. The potential use of GNRs in sensing molecules such as chlorpyrifos-methyl is also discussed. Chlorpyrifos-methyl is chosen as the test molecule because it is a commonly used insecticide in agriculture, but its high toxicity to organisms and humans makes it a concern. It has been established that the plasmon resonances of all the studied GNRs occur at the same frequency as chlorpyrifos-methyl, which is 0.95 THz. Our findings can serve as a useful guide for future experiments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Graphene and Other Two-Dimensional Materials)

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7 pages, 2277 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cyclic Voltammetry and Impedance Measurements of Graphene Oxide Thin Films Dip-Coated on n-Type and p-Type Silicon

by Grazia Giuseppina Politano, Stefano Burza and Carlo Versace

Crystals 2023, 13(1), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13010073 - 01 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1290

Abstract

Despite the increasing interest in graphene, a less studied aspect is the enhancement of silicon (Si) performances due to the interaction with graphene-based materials. In this study, cyclic voltammetry and electric impedance measurements are performed on graphene oxide (GO) dip-coated on n-type and p-type Si samples. The electrical properties of GO on n-type Si samples are dramatically enhanced: The conductivity and the photocurrent meaningfully increase in comparison to bare n-type Si. Such findings could be used in a wide variety of optoelectronic applications, improving GO future applicability in the Si semiconductor industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Graphene and Other Two-Dimensional Materials)

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Review

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19 pages, 3517 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Advances in the Raman Investigation of Structural and Optical Properties of Graphene and Other Two-Dimensional Materials

by Grazia Giuseppina Politano and Carlo Versace

Crystals 2023, 13(9), 1357; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13091357 - 08 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1180

Abstract

This research work presents our recent advancements in the study of graphene and other two-dimensional (2D) materials. This review covers studies on graphene oxide (GO) thin films deposited on various substrates, including titanium and silver thin films. The analysis reveals the role of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and the influence of film thickness and laser intensity on the observed Raman peaks. Investigations of a silver/GO/gold sandwich structure demonstrate the presence of sharp Raman modes attributed to localized surface plasmon resonances. This review also discusses the characterization of exfoliation-synthesized graphene nanoplatelet (GNPs) thin films and of single-layer graphene deposited via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The optical properties of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) films are also explored. The utilization of micro-Raman spectroscopy provides valuable insights into the structural and optical properties of graphene and other 2D materials. These results hold the potential to drive advancements in various applications, such as electronics, photonics, and nanocomposites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Graphene and Other Two-Dimensional Materials)

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