Zhang Mingfa

We summarize the recent advances in the modification of graphene with polymers and the synthesis and applications of high quality graphene–polymer nanocomposites.

Electrospinning represents a simple and effective strategy for fabricating nanofibrous structures and materials with large surface-to-volume ratios and desirable engineered properties. Thus, incorporating nanoscale building blocks (NBBs) like nanoparticles, graphene quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, and graphene into electrospun fibers has become one of the most attention-getting research topics in the field of biosensing. However, the dispersion behavior of NBBs in the nanofibers, the limited surface area of nanofibers and the insufficient immobilization sites for tested biomolecules still restrict the better performances and broader applications of the fabricated biosensors. In this review, we present a comprehensive survey of strategies that have been utilized to fabricate functional fibrous nanostructures for the amplification of the detection signals of nanostructure-based biosensors. In particular, from the perspective of design configuration, we systematically summarized recent advances in the electrospinning fabrication of hybrid polymer nanofibers decorated with functionalized NBBs. The strategies for promoting better dispersion of NBBs in electrospun nanofibers, including direct blending before electrospinning and in situ synthesis during electrospinning, are introduced in detail. In addition, some effective processing routes for increasing immobilization sites of tested biomolecules such as arrangement of NBBs and morphological processing of nanofibers are also presented. In addition, the suitability of electrospun nanostructures for biosensors, and the advantages and disadvantages of each method for improving the biosensing performance are also discussed.

The performance of graphene‐based hybrid materials greatly depends on the dispersibility of nanoscale building blocks on graphene sheets. Here, a quick green synthesis of nanoscale graphene (NG) nanosheets decorated with highly dispersed silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is demonstrated, and then the electrospinning technique to fabricate a novel nanofibrous membrane electrode material is utilized. With this technique, the structure, mechanical stability, biochemical functionality, and other properties of the fabricated membrane electrode material can be easily controlled. It is found that the orientations of NG and the dispersity of AgNPs on the surface of NG have significant effects on the properties of the fabricated electrode. A highly sensitive H 2 O 2 biosensor is thus created based on the as‐prepared polymeric NG/AgNP 3D nanofibrous membrane‐modified electrode (MME). As a result, the fabricated biosensor has a linear detection range from 0.005 to 47 × 10 −3 m ( R = 0.9991) with a supralow detection limit of 0.56 × 10 −6 m ( S / N = 3). It is expected that this kind of nanofibrous MME has wider applications for the electrochemical detection and design of 3D functional nanomaterials in the future.

Electromagnetic shielding materials generated with the extensive application of electromagnetic wave have been utilized in military radar stealth, electromagnetic shielding of advanced electronic equipment, electromagnetic radiation protection, and other fields. With the quick development of Internet and electronic devices, a large number of electromagnetic waves flood into the living environment, affecting human life and health potentially. Meanwhile, further development and applications of terahertz (THz) electromagnetic detection technology challenge the research of electromagnetic interference shielding (EMIS). Therefore, EMIS materials have been developed toward the direction of high efficiency, wide bandwidth, and lightweight. However, traditional single metal-based and polymer-based EMIS materials cannot meet the demand. Current studies confirmed that graphene, especially graphene foam (GF)-based EMIS materials, has become one of the most potential EMIS materials in the field of electromagnetic wave loss and absorption due to its unique physical structure and excellent electrical and mechanical properties. GF, a three-dimensional graphene structure prepared from graphene and its derivatives not only fully utilizes the unique physical and chemical properties of graphene but also further reduces the density of EMIS materials and improves the EMIS performance. This work expounds the potential value of graphene in the field of EMIS based on the mechanism of EMIS and then summarizes the recent progress of GF-based materials for EMIS applications. More focus on the effects of different preparation methods toward the structure, mechanical properties, and EMIS performance of GF materials are introduced and discussed in detail.

We describe the preparation of nanoporous carbon nanofibers (CNFs) decorated with platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) in this work by electrospining polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers and subsequent carbonization and binding of PtNPs. The fabricated nanoporous CNF-PtNP hybrids were further utilized to modify glass carbon electrodes and used for the non-enzymatic amperometric biosensor for the highly sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The morphologies of the fabricated nanoporous CNF-PtNP hybrids were observed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and their structure was further investigated with Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectrum. The cyclic voltammetry experiments indicate that CNF-PtNP modified electrodes have high electrocatalytic activity toward H₂O₂ and the chronoamperometry measurements illustrate that the fabricated biosensor has a high sensitivity for detecting H₂O₂. We anticipate that the strategies utilized in this work will not only guide the further design and fabrication of functional nanofiber-based biomaterials and nanodevices, but also extend the potential applications in energy storage, cytology, and tissue engineering.