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Carbon-Based Nanostructured Films

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A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "2D and Carbon Nanomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 27462

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Prof. Dr. Andrea Li Bassi

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Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, via Ponzio 34/3, 20133 Milano, Italy
Interests: growth of thin films and low-dimensional materials; optical and electronic properties of nanostructured oxides; nanomaterials for photoconversion and plasmonics; carbon nanostructures; vibrational spectroscopies; Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
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Prof. Dr. Carlo S. Casari

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Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, via Ponzio 34/3, 20133 Milano, Italy
Interests: nanostructured material growth; carbon nanostructures; structure, vibrational and electronic properties; nanostructured materials for energy applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon-based nanostructured films are being widely investigated for a range of possible applications in different fields, from energy, sensing, optoelectronics and nanomedicine to mechanical, structural and protective coatings, nuclear, plasma and high energy particle physics. Carbon is unique in its capability to form different structures and morphologies from the nano to the microscale, as well as to display a large specific surface, high mechanical strength and electrical or thermal conductivity. Besides graphitic and diamond-like carbon (DLC), carbon nanostructures such as fullerene, nanotubes and graphene represent an additional possibility to engineer the functional properties. The design of films, coatings and composites for targeted applications requires the control and understanding of structure–property relationships in all the development steps starting from the fabrication process and the characterization of the functional properties, to performance testing.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials aims at presenting cutting-edge research on the synthesis, investigation and application of nanostructured carbon-based films. Topics cover physical deposition methods (e.g. PVD, PLD) and chemical synthesis (e.g. CVD) for the fabrication of novel carbon-based materials as well as novel approaches. The Special Issue will report advanced studies on all types of films and nanocomposites including those assembled from or containing carbon-based nanostructures of different dimensionalities (e.g. fullerenes, nanotubes, graphene, nanohorns) and hybridization (sp³, sp² and sp).

Prof. Dr. Andrea Li Bassi
Prof. Dr. Carlo S. Casari
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Amorphous carbon and diamond-like carbon (DLC)
Graphene based films and coatings
Films and materials assembled from carbon-based nanostructures (clusters, fullerenes, nanotubes, nanohorns, graphene)
Carbon based nanocomposites
Mechanical, electronic and optical properties
Surface science studies and in situ investigations

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3128 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Fractal Carbon Nanotube Networks for Biophilic Neural Sensing Applications

by Leo A. Browning, William Watterson, Erica Happe, Savannah Silva, Roberto Abril Valenzuela, Julian Smith, Marissa P. Dierkes, Richard P. Taylor, Natalie O. V. Plank and Colleen A. Marlow

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(3), 636; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11030636 - 04 Mar 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1847

Abstract

We propose a carbon-nanotube-based neural sensor designed to exploit the electrical sensitivity of an inhomogeneous fractal network of conducting channels. This network forms the active layer of a multi-electrode field effect transistor that in future applications will be gated by the electrical potential associated with neuronal signals. Using a combination of simulated and fabricated networks, we show that thin films of randomly-arranged carbon nanotubes (CNTs) self-assemble into a network featuring statistical fractal characteristics. The extent to which the network’s non-linear responses will generate a superior detection of the neuron’s signal is expected to depend on both the CNT electrical properties and the geometric properties of the assembled network. We therefore perform exploratory experiments that use metallic gates to mimic the potentials generated by neurons. We demonstrate that the fractal scaling properties of the network, along with their intrinsic asymmetry, generate electrical signatures that depend on the potential’s location. We discuss how these properties can be exploited for future neural sensors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon-Based Nanostructured Films)

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18 pages, 50225 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Functionalized Reduced Graphene Oxide Thin Films for Ultrahigh CO₂ Gas Sensing Performance at Room Temperature

by Monika Gupta, Huzein Fahmi Hawari, Pradeep Kumar, Zainal Arif Burhanudin and Nelson Tansu

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(3), 623; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11030623 - 03 Mar 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3119

Abstract

The demand for carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas detection is increasing nowadays. However, its fast detection at room temperature (RT) is a major challenge. Graphene is found to be the most promising sensing material for RT detection, owing to its high surface area and electrical conductivity. In this work, we report a highly edge functionalized chemically synthesized reduced graphene oxide (rGO) thin films to achieve fast sensing response for CO₂ gas at room temperature. The high amount of edge functional groups is prominent for the sorption of CO₂ molecules. Initially, rGO is synthesized by reduction of GO using ascorbic acid (AA) as a reducing agent. Three different concentrations of rGO are prepared using three AA concentrations (25, 50, and 100 mg) to optimize the material properties such as functional groups and conductivity. Thin films of three different AA reduced rGO suspensions (AArGO25, AArGO50, AArGO100) are developed and later analyzed using standard FTIR, XRD, Raman, XPS, TEM, SEM, and four-point probe measurement techniques. We find that the highest edge functionality is achieved by the AArGO25 sample with a conductivity of ~1389 S/cm. The functionalized AArGO25 gas sensor shows recordable high sensing properties (response and recovery time) with good repeatability for CO₂ at room temperature at 500 ppm and 50 ppm. Short response and recovery time of ~26 s and ~10 s, respectively, are achieved for 500 ppm CO₂ gas with the sensitivity of ~50 Hz/µg. We believe that a highly functionalized AArGO CO₂ gas sensor could be applicable for enhanced oil recovery, industrial and domestic safety applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon-Based Nanostructured Films)

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12 pages, 3091 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Nanostructured Carbon Coating Inhibits Bacterial Growth, but Does Not Influence on Animal Cells

by Eduard M. Barkhudarov, Igor A. Kossyi, Andrey M. Anpilov, Petr I. Ivashkin, Konstantin V. Artem’ev, Igor V. Moryakov, Mamikon A. Misakyan, Nick Christofi, Dmitry E. Burmistrov, Veronika V. Smirnova, Veronika V. Ivanyuk, Nikolay F. Bunkin, Valery A. Kozlov, Nikita V. Penkov, Mars G. Sharapov, Mikhail Yu. Volkov, Mikhail A. Sevostyanov, Andrey B. Lisitsyn, Anastasia A. Semenova, Maksim B. Rebezov and Sergey V. Gudkov Show full author list Hide full author list

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(11), 2130; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10112130 - 27 Oct 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2498

Abstract

An electrospark technology has been developed for obtaining a colloidal solution containing nanosized amorphous carbon. The advantages of the technology are its low cost and high performance. The colloidal solution of nanosized carbon is highly stable. The coatings on its basis are nanostructured. They are characterized by high adhesion and hydrophobicity. It was found that the propagation of microorganisms on nanosized carbon coatings is significantly hindered. At the same time, eukaryotic animal cells grow and develop on nanosized carbon coatings, as well as on the nitinol medical alloy. The use of a colloidal solution as available, cheap and non-toxic nanomaterial for the creation of antibacterial coatings to prevent biofilm formation seems to be very promising for modern medicine, pharmaceutical and food industries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon-Based Nanostructured Films)

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12 pages, 9692 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Innovative Method Using Adhesive Force for Surface Micromachining of Carbon Nanowall

by Hyeokjoo Choi, Seokhun Kwon, Seokwon Lee, Yonghyeon Kim, Hyunil Kang, Jung Hyun Kim and Wonseok Choi

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(10), 1978; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10101978 - 06 Oct 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1838

Abstract

The application of a carbon nanowall (CNW) via transfer is very demanding due to the unusual structure of vertically grown wall-shaped that easily collapses. In addition, direct growth on a device cannot obtain a precision-patterned shape because of the temperature limit of the photoresist (PR). Therefore, in this paper, we demonstrate a new CNW surface micromachining technology capable of direct growth. In order to reduce unexpected damage caused by chemical etching, a physical force was used to etch with the adhesive properties of CNWs that have low adhesion to silicon wafer. To prevent compositing with PR, the CNW was surface modified using oxygen plasma. Since there is a risk of surface-modified CNW (SMCNW) collapse in an ultrasonic treatment, which is a physical force, the CNW was coated with PR. After etching the SMCNW grown on PR uncoated area, PR was lifted off using an acetone solution. The effect on the SMCNW by the lift-off process was investigated. The surface, chemical, and structural properties of PR-removed SMCNW and pristine-SMCNW were compared and showed a minimal difference. Therefore, the CNW surface micromachining technique was considered successful. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon-Based Nanostructured Films)

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13 pages, 1846 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dual Amplified Spontaneous Emission and Lasing from Nanographene Films

by Rafael Muñoz-Mármol, Víctor Bonal, Giuseppe M. Paternò, Aaron M. Ross, Pedro G. Boj, José M. Villalvilla, José A. Quintana, Francesco Scotognella, Cosimo D’Andrea, Samim Sardar, Guglielmo Lanzani, Yanwei Gu, Jishan Wu and María A. Díaz-García

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(8), 1525; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10081525 - 04 Aug 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3609

Abstract

Chemically synthesized zigzag-edged nanographenes (NG) have recently demonstrated great success as the active laser units in solution-processed organic distributed feedback (DFB) lasers. Here, we report the first observation of dual amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from a large-size NG derivative (with 12 benzenoid rings) dispersed in a polystyrene film. ASE is observed simultaneously at the 685 and 739 nm wavelengths, which correspond to different transitions of the photoluminescence spectrum. Ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy has been used to ascertain the underlying photophysical processes taking place in the films. DFB lasers, based on these materials and top-layer nanostructured polymeric resonators (i.e., one or two-dimensional surface relief gratings), have been fabricated and characterized. Lasers emitting close to either one of the two possible ASE wavelengths, or simultaneously at both of them, have been prepared by proper selection of the resonator parameters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon-Based Nanostructured Films)

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7 pages, 1760 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Analytical Multiple-Temperature Model for Flash Laser Irradiation on Single-Layer Graphene

by Anca M. Bucă, Mihai Oane, Ion N. Mihăilescu, Muhammad Arif Mahmood, Bogdan A. Sava and Carmen Ristoscu

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(7), 1319; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10071319 - 05 Jul 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2535

Abstract

A Multiple-Temperature Model is proposed to describe the flash laser irradiation of a single layer of graphene. Zhukovsky’s mathematical approach is applied to solve the Fourier heat equations based upon quantum concepts, including heat operators. Easy solutions were inferred with respect to classical mathematics. Thus, simple equations were set for the electrons and phonon temperatures in the case of flash laser treatment of a single layer of graphene. Our method avoids the difficulties and extensive time-consuming nonequilibrium green function method or quantum field theories when applied in a condensed matter. Simple expressions were deduced that could prove useful for researchers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon-Based Nanostructured Films)

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17 pages, 1608 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Probing the Nanostructure of Neutron-Irradiated Diamond Using Raman Spectroscopy

by Andrey A. Khomich, Roman A. Khmelnitsky and Alexander V. Khomich

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(6), 1166; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10061166 - 15 Jun 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3748

Abstract

Disordering of crystal lattice induced by irradiation with fast neutrons and other high-energy particles is used for the deep modification of electrical and optical properties of diamonds via significant nanoscale restructuring and defects engineering. Raman spectroscopy was employed to investigate the nature of radiation damage below the critical graphitization level created when chemical vapor deposition and natural diamonds are irradiated by fast neutrons with fluencies from 1 × 10¹⁸ to 3 × 10²⁰ cm⁻² and annealed at the 100–1700 °C range. The significant changes in the diamond Raman spectra versus the neutron-irradiated conditions are associated with the formation of intrinsic irradiation-induced defects that do not completely destroy the crystalline feature but decrease the phonon coherence length as the neutron dose increases. It was shown that the Raman spectrum of radiation-damaged diamonds is determined by the phonon confinement effect and that the boson peak is present in the Raman spectra up to annealing at 800–1000 °C. Three groups of defect-induced bands (first group = 260, 495, and 730 cm⁻¹; second group = 230, 500, 530, 685, and 760 cm^–1; and third group = 335, 1390, 1415, and 1740 cm⁻¹) were observed in Raman spectra of fast-neutron-irradiated diamonds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon-Based Nanostructured Films)

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14 pages, 5634 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mode II Interfacial Fracture Toughness of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Reinforced Nanocomposite Film on Aluminum Substrate

by Shiuh-Chuan Her and Pao-Chu Chien

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(5), 904; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10050904 - 08 May 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1946

Abstract

In this investigation, various loadings of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) ranging from 0.3–1.0 wt % were incorporated into the epoxy to fabricate the nanocomposites. Nanocomposite film with a thickness of 0.2 mm was deposited on an aluminum substrate through a hot-pressing process. Theoretical expression of the model II strain energy release rate for the film/substrate composite structure was derived. End-notched flexure (ENF) tests were performed to characterize the mode II fracture energy of the composite structure. Experimental results indicate that the elastic modulus, ultimate strength, and mode II fracture energy increase as the MWCNT loading in the nanocomposite increases. In the case of nanocomposite film with 1.0 wt % of MWCNTs, the elastic modulus, ultimate strength, and mode II interfacial fracture toughness are increased by 20.6%, 21.1%, and 54.4%, respectively in comparison with neat epoxy. In addition, the dispersion of MWCNTs in the epoxy-based matrix was investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM images depict that MWCNTs are well dispersed leading to the enhancement of the mechanical properties of the nanocomposite. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon-Based Nanostructured Films)

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17 pages, 6165 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Functionalized Cellulose for the Controlled Synthesis of Novel Carbon–Ti Nanocomposites: Physicochemical and Photocatalytic Properties

by Hesham Hamad, Esther Bailón-García, Sergio Morales-Torres, Francisco Carrasco-Marín, Agustín F. Pérez-Cadenas and Francisco J. Maldonado-Hódar

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(4), 729; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10040729 - 11 Apr 2020

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 3138

Abstract

Carbon–Ti nanocomposites were prepared by a controlled two-step method using microcrystalline cellulose as a raw material. The synthesis procedure involves the solubilization of cellulose by an acid treatment (H₃PO₄ or HNO₃) and the impregnation with the Ti precursor followed of a carbonization step at 500 or 800 °C. The type of acid treatment leads to a different functionalization of cellulose with phosphorus- or oxygen-containing surface groups, which are able to control the load, dispersion and crystalline phase of Ti during the composite preparation. Thus, phosphorus functionalities lead to amorphous carbon–Ti composites at 500 °C, while TiP₂O₇ crystals are formed when prepared at 800 °C. On the contrary, oxygenated groups induce the formation of TiO₂ rutile at an unusually low temperature (500 °C), while an increase of carbonization temperature promotes a progressive crystal growth. The removal of Orange G (OG) azo dye in aqueous solution, as target pollutant, was used to determine the adsorptive and photocatalytic efficiencies, with all composites being more active than the benchmark TiO₂ material (Degussa P25). Carbon–Ti nanocomposites with a developed micro-mesoporosity, reduced band gap and TiO₂ rutile phase were the most active in the photodegradation of OG under ultraviolet irradiation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon-Based Nanostructured Films)

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Review

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18 pages, 5568 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review of the Effect of a Nanostructured Thin Film Formed by Titanium Carbide and Titanium Oxides Clustered around Carbon in Graphitic Form on Osseointegration

by Roberto Scandurra, Anna Scotto d’Abusco and Giovanni Longo

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(6), 1233; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10061233 - 24 Jun 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2407

Abstract

Improving the biocompatibility of implants is an extremely important step towards improving their quality. In this review, we recount the technological and biological process for coating implants with thin films enriched in titanium carbide (TiC), which provide improved cell growth and osseointegration. At first, we discuss the use of a Pulsed Laser Ablation Deposition, which produced films with a good biocompatibility, cellular stimulation and osseointegration. We then describe how Ion Plating Plasma Assisted technology could be used to produce a nanostructured layer composed by graphitic carbon, whose biocompatibility is enhanced by titanium oxides and titanium carbide. In both cases, the nanostructured coating was compact and strongly bound to the bulk titanium, thus particularly useful to protect implants from the harsh oxidizing environment of biological tissues. The morphology and chemistry of the nanostructured coating were particularly desirable for osteoblasts, resulting in improved proliferation and differentiation. The cellular adhesion to the TiC-coated substrates was much stronger than to uncoated surfaces, and the number of philopodia and lamellipodia developed by the cells grown on the TiC-coated samples was higher. Finally, tests performed on rabbits confirmed in vivo that the osseointegration process of the TiC-coated implants is more efficient than that of uncoated titanium implants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon-Based Nanostructured Films)

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