Three-Dimensional Graphene-Based Foams with “Greater Electron Transferring Areas” Deriving High Gas Sensitivity

Zhuo Chen, Jinrong Wang, Nengjie Cao, Yao Wang*, Hao Li, Nicolaas Frans de Rooij, Ahmad Umar, Yancong Feng*, Paddy J. French, Guofu Zhou

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    9 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Graphene foams are promising three-dimensional (3D) architectures with the combination of the intrinsic nature of graphene and unique cellular structures for various realms. Herein, a facile technique is developed by combining supramolecular assembly with lyophilization to functionalize graphene with donor−π-acceptor (D−π-A) molecules and then massively transform the two-dimensional (2D) plane nanosheets into 3D foams. The as-prepared gas sensors work at room temperature (RT) and reveal comprehensive gas sensing performance with an ultrahigh response (Ra/Rg = 3.2, 10 ppm), excellent selectivity, and reliable repeatability toward NO2. Notably, a gas sensing enhancement mechanism with density functional theory (DFT) calculations is proposed to unravel the synergetic effect of the “Greater Electron Transferring Area” and the specific 3D foam structure for the enhancement of charge transfer and NO2 adsorption. The combination of supramolecular assembly and the lyophilization technique provides a strategy to prepare 3D architectural graphene-based materials for high-performance gas sensors and chemical trace detectors.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)13234-13245
    Number of pages12
    JournalACS Applied Nano Materials
    Volume4
    Issue number12
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Dec 24 2021

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51973070 and 51773069), Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou (No. 2019050001), Innovative Team Project of Education Bureau of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (No. 2021A1515012420), Startup Foundation from SCNU, Guangdong Recruitment Program of Foreign Experts (191900016), and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology (No. 2017B030301007).

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2021 American Chemical Society

    Keywords

    • charge transfer
    • gas sensors
    • graphene foams
    • lyophilization
    • supramolecular assembly

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Materials Science

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Three-Dimensional Graphene-Based Foams with “Greater Electron Transferring Areas” Deriving High Gas Sensitivity'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this