Jinghai Liu

Simple pyrolysis of urea into graphitic carbon nitride with recyclable adsorption and photocatalytic activity

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was produced on a large scale by the pyrolysis of urea under ambient pressure without additive assistance. The retainable pyrolysis-generated self-supporting atmosphere and the reaction temperature are two necessary conditions. This g-C3N4 as photocatalyst shows recyclable adsorption and photocatalytic activity under visible light.

Graphene‐Stabilized Silver Nanoparticle Electrochemical Electrode for Actuator Design

An electrochemical actuator based on a graphene-stabilized silver-nanoparticle (AgNP) electrode is presented. Owing to the actuation characteristics - persistence, fast strain rate, and wide frequency response - the strategy of hybridizing reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and AgNPs is believed to be of great value for developing more RGO/metal hybrid-based electrochemical actuators or sensors for various applications. Copyright

Reduced graphene oxide as capturer of dyes and electrons during photocatalysis: surface wrapping and capture promoted efficiency.

To elucidate the roles of graphene in photoelectric events and mass transfer during photocatalytic process is important for engineering graphene-semiconductor hybrid photocatalyst. Here, we demonstrated reduced graphene oxide (RGO) capturing dyes and photoinduced electrons during photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes in water. It captures dyes from water through adsorption and desorption irreversible hysteresis, and captures photoinduced electrons from semiconductor through surface junction. The RGO was attached to the surface of TiO(2) in the form of surface wrapping. After one-step photocatalytic reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and TiO(2) in ethanol-water solvent under UV irradiation, the RGO wrapped TiO(2) hybrid (graphene-w-TiO(2)) photocatalyst was obtained. Using visible absorption spectroscopy, we also demonstrated these captured dyes were degraded during photocatalysis. The photocatalytic test showed the RGO significantly improved the photocatalytic activity of this hybrid photocatalyst.

Highly Stable Air Working Bimorph Actuator Based on a Graphene Nanosheet/Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Electrode

A RGO/CNT hybrid electrode of porous structure is prepared through a surfactant-free solution method to construct a bimorph ionic actuator, showing wide frequency range responsive and highly repeatable (over a million times) and stable bending actuation performance.

Electromechanical Actuation with Controllable Motion Based on a Single- Walled Carbon Nanotube and Natural Biopolymer Composite

This paper reports novel electromechanical behavior for a natural biopolymer film due to the incorporation of a conductive carbon nanotube network. Through simple solution blending and casting, high weight fraction single-walled carbon nanotube-chitosan composite films were fabricated and exhibited electromechanical actuation properties with motion controlled by low alternating voltage stimuli in atmospheric conditions. Of particular interest and importance is that the displacement output imitated perfectly the electrical input signal in terms of frequency (<10 Hz) and waveform. Operational reliability was confirmed by stable vibration testing in air for more than 3000 cycles. Proposed electrothermal mechanism considering the alternating current-induced periodic thermal expansion and contraction of the composite film was discussed. The unique actuation performance of the carbon nanotube-biopolymer composite, coupled with ease of fabrication, low driven voltage, tunable vibration, reliable operation, and good biocompatibility, shows great possibility for implementation of dry actuators in artificial muscle and microsystems for biomimetic applications.

Dopamine‐Modified Trititanate Nanotubes with UV‐ and Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Activity: Coordinative Self‐Assembly into a Recyclable Absorber

The search for a simple method to bestow trititanate nanotubes with visible‐light activity for applications as solar‐driven photocatalysts remains a challenging task. Here, we report that self‐assembled surface modification by dopamine imparted trititanate nanotubes (TiNT) with stable, recyclable photocatalytic activity under UV and visible‐light illumination. The controlled surface modification shifted the absorption onset into the visible region. These dopamine‐modified trititanate nanotubes are expected to have applications in water treatment and in pollutant degradation.