Fu Han, Gray Kimberly A
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; NSF Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Dec 10;955:176753. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176753. Epub 2024 Oct 10.
The discovery of graphene and its remarkable properties has sparked extensive research and innovation across various fields. Graphene and its derivatives, such as oxide and reduced graphene oxide, have high surface area, tunable porosity, strong surface affinity with organic molecules, and excellent electrical/thermal conductivity. However, the practical application of 2D graphene in aqueous environments is often limited by its tendency to stack, reducing its effectiveness. To address this challenge, the development of three-dimensional graphene structures, particularly graphene-encapsulated nanocomposites (GENs), offers a promising solution. GENs not only mitigate stacking issues but also promote flexible tailoring for specific applications through the incorporation of diverse fill materials. This customization allows for precise control over shape, size, porosity, selective adsorption, and advanced engineering capabilities, including the integration of multiple components and controlled release mechanisms. This review covers GEN synthesis strategies, including physical attachment, electrostatic interactions, chemical bonding, emulsification, chemical vapor deposition, aerosol methods, and nano-spray drying techniques. Key environmental applications of GENs are highlighted, with GENs showing 4-8 times greater micropollutant adsorption (compared to GAC), a 20-fold increase in photocatalytic pollutant degradation efficiency (compared to TiO), a 21-fold enhancement in hydrogen production (compared to photocatalyst only), and a 20-45 % improvement in solar-driven water evaporation efficiency (compared to rGO). Additional applications include membrane fouling control, environmental sensing, resource generation, and enhancing thermal desalination through solar thermal harvesting. The review concludes by outlining future perspectives, emphasizing the need for improved 3D characterization techniques, more efficient large-scale production methods, and further optimization of multicomponent GENs for enhanced synergistic effects and broader environmental applications.
石墨烯的发现及其卓越性能在各个领域引发了广泛的研究和创新。石墨烯及其衍生物，如氧化石墨烯和还原氧化石墨烯，具有高比表面积、可调孔隙率、与有机分子的强表面亲和力以及优异的电导率/热导率。然而，二维石墨烯在水性环境中的实际应用常常受到其堆叠倾向的限制，从而降低了其有效性。为应对这一挑战，三维石墨烯结构的发展，特别是石墨烯包裹的纳米复合材料（GENs），提供了一个有前景的解决方案。GENs不仅减轻了堆叠问题，还通过加入各种填充材料促进了针对特定应用的灵活定制。这种定制允许对形状、尺寸、孔隙率、选择性吸附以及先进的工程能力进行精确控制，包括多组分的整合和控释机制。本综述涵盖了GENs的合成策略，包括物理附着、静电相互作用、化学键合、乳化、化学气相沉积、气溶胶方法和纳米喷雾干燥技术。重点介绍了GENs在环境方面的关键应用，GENs对微污染物的吸附能力比颗粒活性炭（GAC）高4 - 8倍，光催化降解污染物的效率比二氧化钛（TiO）提高了20倍，产氢量比仅使用光催化剂提高了21倍，太阳能驱动水蒸发效率比还原氧化石墨烯（rGO）提高了20 - 45%。其他应用包括膜污染控制、环境传感、资源生成以及通过太阳能热收集增强热脱盐。综述最后概述了未来的展望，强调需要改进三维表征技术、更高效的大规模生产方法，并进一步优化多组分GENs以增强协同效应和扩大环境应用范围。
