Photocatalytic Lab Report

In the contexts of history and research, interest in heterogeneous photocatalysis can be traced back to many decades when Fujishima and Honda discovered in 1972 the photochemical splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of TiO2 From this time, extensive research, much of it published, has been carried out to produce hydrogen from water in oxidation reduction reactions using a variety of semiconductor catalyst materials. With respect to a semiconductor oxide such asWO3, photocatalytic reactions are initiated by the absorption of illumination with energy equal to or greater than the band gap of the semiconductor. This produces electron-hole (e−/h+) pairs as in Equation (1.14), Figure

What is graphene? According to Merriam-Webster, graphene is defined as “an extremely electrical conductive form of elemental carbon that is composed of a single flat sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a repeating hexagonal lattice

Since their discovery in the early 1990s, there has been intense activity exploring the electrical properties of these systems and their potential applications in electronics.

Buckminsterfullerene, also known as “buckyball” is composed of 60 carbon atoms arranged in twenty hexagons and twelve pentagons, with a carbon atom at each vertex of each polygon and a bond along each polygon edge. It is insoluble in water, except its hydrated form. Hydrated buckyballs have a dense, stable shell that is composed of water molecules. Scientist use C60 in nanotechological applications, because of its high heat resistance and electrical

In general, the Buckminster Fullerene is the third allotropic form of Carbon, with the other two being Graphite and Diamond. The more proper term used to describe these compounds in regards to Carbon compounds would be Graphenes.

In 1855, English scientific expert Benjamin Brodie delivered pure graphite from carbon, demonstrating graphite was also a type of carbon.(4)

It is well documented that light energized, photocatalytic TiO2 is a safe, non-toxic, anti- oxidant that produces hydroxyl radicals (OH-) that are remarkably effective in rapidly decomposing organic compounds. When UV light is emitted on the titanium dioxide, electron are released. The electrons interact with water molecules (H2O) in the solution, breaking them up into hydroxyl radicals (OH·), which are highly reactive, short-lived, uncharged forms of hydroxide ions (OH−). These agile hydroxyl radicals attack the organic (carbon-based) molecules from which most dirt and other harmful chemicals are made of, breaking apart their chemical

From all of these uses, graphite also has the ability to conduct electricity, and we can the reason as to why when looking at the electron arrangement in graphite. As each Carbon atom bonds to three other Carbon atoms, there is a fourth electron remaining in the bonding level. These remaining electrons in each Carbon atom form into a “sea” of delocalised electrons, moving around the whole sheet of atoms in the one layer. It is the ability of these delocalised electrons to move freely through their own Carbon layer, hence, making graphite a good conductor of electricity. Being a good conductor of electricity graphite, can be used as electrodes to an arc lamp and to carry the electricity that heats electric arc furnaces.

Graphene is a form of carbon which has recently been receiving a great deal of attention. Some have come to call it “the wonder material” due to its many extraordinary properties. Although isolated in 2004, graphene's properties had been calculated decades earlier. It consists of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. A single sheet of graphene is stronger than steel and yet remains very flexible, retaining all of its properties despite being bent and unbent multiple times. It is able to sustain extremely high electric current densities, is impermeable to all gasses, has a thermal conductivity double that of diamond and a very high electron mobility at room temperature. It is also easily chemically functionalized,

Due to outstanding mechanical, thermal and electronic properties, graphene is receiving increased attention by the scientific community. Exceptional properties of graphene are owing to its hexagonal monolayer of honeycomb lattice packed with carbon atoms. The mechanical properties of graphene have been extensively

Graphene is a two dimensional carbon allotrope, it is a layered material that can be formed into thin sheets. Each layer is made up of hexagonal rings which make its structural appearance comparable to that of a honeycomb. Graphene is an atom thick and is the thinnest material there is that does not become unstable when exposed to air (Donostia-San, 2014.) Graphene also forms a strong crystal lattice that does not have any gaps in its structure, this gives rise to the several unique properties it has (Discovery of graphene, 2009.) The main intention of this report is to inform readers about how graphene was discovered and how it will impact a wide range of industries in the

Graphene is pure carbon in the form of a very thin, nearly transparent sheet, one at6om thick. It has been hailed as a miracle material because of its low weight, high strength and high electrical and heat conductivity. Since 2004, the graphene market has risen and with the potential for future application could be a multibillion dollar business. Graphene has been planned to replace conductors and also replace catalysts in enzyme immobilisation. Graphene can be manufactured in ways that are low-cost and high-return.

Structural defects which are inevitable during the production, chemical and heat treatment processes can affect the mechanical properties of graphene and also defects can be deliberately introduced in graphene by ion beam irradiation to get required properties for specific applications. So, understanding the effect of defects on mechanical properties and failure behaviours of a graphene sheet is important for its applications. In this work, the effects of linear and angular orientation of different types of Stone-Thrower-Wales (STW-1 and STW-2) defects on the mechanical properties and failure behaviour of graphene membrane have been investigated in the frame of molecular dynamics. This work discussing about tuneable mechanical properties by amending the linear orientation of STW-1 and STW-2 defects at different angles in zigzag direction and armchair direction respectively. The results obtained from the present work may provide the insights in tailoring the mechanical properties by preparing defects in graphene, and give a full picture for the applications of graphene with defects in flexible electronics and nanodevices.

Thin flakes of TMDs can be peeled off from bulk materials using adhesive tape, applied to the substrates and then identified by light interference using similar techniques used to develop graphene. Fig 6c shows a thin monolayer flake peeled off from the bulk material (Fig 6a) mechanically with the tape. Oxide nanosheets as well as other materials can be obtained using this method. Using the mechanical method of exfoliation helps to produce flakes of high purity that

Nanomaterials are at the leading edge of the rapidly developing field of nanotechnology. Their unique size-dependent properties make these materials superior and indispensable in many areas of human activity.