Jun Tan

Fabrication of Graphene/Polyaniline Composite Paper via In Situ Anodic Electropolymerization for High- Performance Flexible Electrode

Freestanding and flexible graphene/polyaniline composite paper was prepared by an in situ anodic electropolymerization of polyaniline film on graphene paper. This graphene-based composite paper electrode, consisting of graphene/polyaniline composite sheets as building blocks, shows a favorable tensile strength of 12.6 MPa and a stable large electrochemical capacitance (233 F g(-1) and 135 F cm(-3) for gravimetric and volumetric capacitances), which outperforms many other currently available carbon-based flexible electrodes and is hence particularly promising for flexible supercapacitors.

Anisotropic electronic conduction in stacked two-dimensional titanium carbide

Stacked two-dimensional titanium carbide is an emerging conductive material for electrochemical energy storage which requires an understanding of the intrinsic electronic conduction. Here we report the electronic conduction properties of stacked Ti3C2T2 (Tu2009=u2009OH, O, F) with two distinct stacking sequences (Bernal and simple hexagonal). On the basis of first-principles calculations and energy band theory analysis, both stacking sequences give rise to metallic conduction with Ti 3d electrons contributing most to the conduction. The conduction is also significantly anisotropic due to the fact that the effective masses of carriers including electrons and holes are remarkably direction-dependent. Such an anisotropic electronic conduction is evidenced by the I−V curves of an individual Ti3C2T2 particulate, which demonstrates that the in-plane electrical conduction is at least one order of magnitude higher than that vertical to the basal plane.

Ultrahigh-performance transparent conductive films of carbon-welded isolated single-wall carbon nanotubes

A single-wall carbon nanotube network with welded tube-tube junctions shows excellent transparent conductive performance. Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are ideal for fabricating transparent conductive films because of their small diameter, good optical and electrical properties, and excellent flexibility. However, a high intertube Schottky junction resistance, together with the existence of aggregated bundles of SWCNTs, leads to a degraded optoelectronic performance of the films. We report a network of isolated SWCNTs prepared by an injection floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition method, in which crossed SWCNTs are welded together by graphitic carbon. Pristine SWCNT films show a record low sheet resistance of 41 ohm □−1 at 90% transmittance for 550-nm light. After HNO3 treatment, the sheet resistance further decreases to 25 ohm □−1. Organic light-emitting diodes using this SWCNT film as anodes demonstrate a low turn-on voltage of 2.5 V, a high current efficiency of 75 cd A−1, and excellent flexibility. Investigation of isolated SWCNT-based field-effect transistors shows that the carbon-welded joints convert the Schottky contacts between metallic and semiconducting SWCNTs into near-ohmic ones, which significantly improves the conductivity of the transparent SWCNT network. Our work provides a new avenue of assembling individual SWCNTs into macroscopic thin films, which demonstrate great potential for use as transparent electrodes in various flexible electronics.

Substitutional Carbon‐Modified Anatase TiO2 Decahedral Plates Directly Derived from Titanium Oxalate Crystals via Topotactic Transition

Changing the composition and/or structure of some metal oxides at the atomic level can significantly improve their performance in different applications. Although many strategies have been developed, the introduction of heteroatoms, particularly anions to the internal part of metal oxide particles, is still not adequate. Here, an effective strategy is demonstrated for directly preparing polycrystalline decahedral plates of substitutional carbon-doped anatase TiO2 from titanium (IV) oxalate by a thermally induced topotactic transition in an inert atmosphere. Because of the carbon concentration gradient introduced in side of the plates, the carbon-doped TiO2 (TiO2-x Cx ) shows an increased visible light absorption and a two orders of magnitude higher electrical conductivity than pure TiO2 . Consequently, it can be used as a photocatalyst and an active material for lithium storage and shows much superior activity in generating hydroxyl radicals under visible light and greatly increased electrical-specific capacity at high charge-discharge rates. The strategy developed could also be applicable to the atomic-scale modification of other metal oxides.