Copper(II)-Bis-Cyclen Intercalated Graphene Oxide as an Efficient Two-Dimensional Nanocomposite Material for Copper-Catalyzed Azide–Alkyne Cycloaddition Reaction

We report stable and heterogeneous graphene oxide (GO)–intercalated copper as an efficient catalyst for the organic transformations in green solvents. The GO-intercalated copper(II) complex of bis(1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) [Cu(II)-bis-cyclen] was prepared by a facile synthetic approach with a high dilution technique. The as-prepared GO-Cu(II)-bis-cyclen nanocomposite was used as a click catalyst for the 1,3 dipolar Huisgen cycloaddition reaction of terminal alkyne and azide substrates. On directing a great deal of attention toward the feasibility of the rapid electron transfer rate of the catalyst in proliferating the yield of 1,2,3-triazole products, the click catalyst GO-Cu(II)-bis-cyclen nanocomposite was designed and synthesized via non-covalent functionalization. The presence of a higher coordination site in an efficient 2D nanocomposite promotes the stabilization of Cu(I) L-acetylide intermediate during the catalytic cycle initiated by the addition of reductants. From the XRD analysis, the enhancement in the d-interlayer spacing of 1.04 nm was observed due to the intercalation of the Cu(II)-bis-cyclen complex in between the GO basal planes. It was also characterized by XPS, FT-IR, RAMAN, UV, SEM, AFM, and TGA techniques. The recyclability of the heterogeneous catalyst [GO-Cu(II)-cyclen] with the solvent effect has also been studied. This class of GO-Cu(II)-bis-cyclen nanocomposite paves the way for bioconjugation of macromolecules through the click chemistry approach.

Development of highly stable conductive multiwalled carbon nanotube ink using covalent and non-covalent functionalization for electrochemical sensors

The purpose of this work was the fabrication of a conductive carbon nanotube (CNT) ink. The proposed CNT ink remained remarkably stable over several months. The method includes combining the covalent and non-covalent functionalization, resulting in ink that exhibits excellent storage stability. The covalent functionalization was performed in the acid medium using H2SO4 and HNO3, while the non-covalent functionalization used sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and ultrasonication. The materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electro­chemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and cyclic voltammetry (CV). FTIR and SEM confirmed that at the non-covalent functionalization, SDS was successfully adsorbed on the f-CNT surface, while at the covalent functionalization, the functional groups (-COOH, C=O and -OH) were inserted into the CNT surface. Voltammetry and EIS indicated that SDS in the presence of functional groups facilitates electron transfer by improved electrical conductivity. The final product was a well-dispersed CNT ink with an average ohmic resistance of 18.62 kΩ. This indicates that CNT ink can be used in the fabrication of electrochemical sensors.

Covalent Functionalization of Nickel Phosphide Nanocrystals with Aryl-Diazonium Salts

Covalent functionalization of Ni2P nanocrystals was demonstrated using aryl-diazonium salts. Spontaneous adsorption of aryl functional groups was observed, with surface coverages ranging from 20-96% depending on the native reactivity of the salt as determined by the aryl substitution pattern. Increased coverage was possible for low reactivity species using a sacrificial reductant. Functionalization was confirmed using thermogravimetric analysis, FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The structure and energetics of this nanocrystal electrocatalyst system, as a function of ligand coverage, was explored with density functional theory calculations. The Hammett parameter of the surface functional group was found to linearly correlate with the change in Ni and P core-electron binding energies and the nanocrystal’s experimentally and computationally determined work-function. The electrocatalytic activity and stability of the functionalized nanocrystals for hydrogen evolution were also improved when compared to the unfunctionalized material, but a simple trend based on electrostatics was not evident. Density functional theory was used to understand this discrepancy, revealing that H adsorption energies on the covalently functionalized Ni2P also do not follow the electrostatic trend and are predictive descriptors of the experimental results.

Synthesis of a Poly(3-dodecylthiophene) Bearing Aniline Groups for the Covalent Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes

The functionalization of carbon nanotubes by polymers necessitates two steps, first their modification by oxidizing them or by covalently attaching small compounds to them, then the growth of the polymer chains from these anchors or their grafting onto them. In order to better control the process and the rate of functionalization, we develop polymers able to covalently react with the carbon nanotubes by their side chains in one step. We describe the synthesis of a copolymer of dodecylthiophene and its analogue bearing an aniline group at the end of the dodecyl side chain. This copolymer can functionalize single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) non-covalently and disperse more SWNTs than its hexyl analogues. UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopies show that in these non-covalent hybrids, the polymer forms p-stacked aggregates on the SWNTs. The non-covalent hybrids can be transformed into covalent ones by diazonium coupling. In these covalent hybrids the polymer is no longer p-stacked. According to Raman spectroscopy, the conformation of the poly(3-hexylthiophene) backbone is more ordered in the non-covalent hybrids than in the covalent ones.