Hydrogenation of C-60 molecules inside SWNT was achieved by direct reaction with hydrogen gas at elevated pressure and temperature. Evidence for the C-60 hydrogenation in peapods is provided by isotopic engineering with specific enrichment of encapsulated species and high resolution C-13 and H-1 NMR spectroscopy with the observation of characteristic diamagnetic and paramagnetic shifts of the NMR lines and the appearance of sp(3) carbon resonances. We estimate that approximately 78% of the C-60 molecules inside SWNTs are hydrogenated to an average degree of 14 hydrogen atoms per C-60 molecule. As a consequence, the rotational dynamics of the encapsulated C60Hx molecules is clearly hindered. Our successful hydrogenation experiments open completely new roads to understand and control confined chemical reactions at the nano scale

Hybrid capacitor configurations are now of increasing interest to overcome the current energy limitations of supercapacitors. In this work, we report a lithium ion capacitor (LIC) entirely based on graphene. On the one hand, the negative-battery-type- electrode consists of a self-standing, binder-free 3D macroporous foam formed by reduced graphene oxide and decorated with tin oxide nanoparticles (SnO2-rGO). On the other hand, the positive-capacitor-type- electrode is based on a thermally expanded and physically activated reduced graphene oxide (a-TEGO). For comparison purposes, a symmetric electrical double layer capacitor (EDLC) using the same activated graphene in 1.5 M Et4NBE4/ACN electrolyte is also assembled. Built in 1 M LiPF6 EC:DMC, the graphene-based LIC shows an outstanding, 10-fold increase in energy density with respect to its EDLC counterpart at low discharge rates (up to 200 Wh kg(-1)). Furthermore, it is still capable to deliver double the energy in the high power region, within a discharge time of few seconds.

The potential hydrogen storage compound NH₃BH₃ has three known structural phases in the temperature and pressure ranges 110–300 K and 0–1.5 GPa, respectively. We report here the boundaries between, and the ranges of stability of, these phases. The phase boundaries were located by in situ measurements of the thermal conductivity, while the actual structures in selected areas were identified by in situ Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. Below 0.6 GPa, reversible transitions involving only small hysteresis effects occur between the room-temperature tetragonal plastic crystal I4mm phase and the low-temperature orthorhombic Pmn2₁ phase. Transformations of the I4mm phase into the high-pressure orthorhombic Cmc2₁ phase, occurring above 0.8 GPa, are associated with very large hysteresis effects, such that the reverse transition may occur at up to 0.5 GPa lower pressures. Below 230 K, a fraction of the Cmc2₁ phase is metastable to atmospheric pressure, suggesting the possibility that dense structural phases of NH₃BH₃, stable at room temperature, could possibly be created and stabilized by alloying or by other methods. Mixed orthorhombic Pmn2₁/Cmc2₁ phases were observed in an intermediate pressure-temperature range, but a fourth structural phase predicted by Filinchuk et al. [ Phys. Rev. B 79 214111 (2009)] was not observed in the pressure-temperature ranges of this experiment. The thermal conductivity of the plastic crystal I4mm phase is about 0.6 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ and only weakly dependent on temperature, while the ordered orthorhombic phases have higher thermal conductivities limited by phonon-phonon scattering.

Encapsulation of coronene inside single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) was studied under various conditions. Under high vacuum, two main types of molecular encapsulation were observed by using transmission electron microscopy: coronene dimers and molecular stacking columns perpendicular or tilted (45-608) with regard to the axis of the SWNTs. A relatively small number of short nanoribbons or polymerized coronene molecular chains were observed. However, experiments performed under an argon atmosphere (0.17 MPa) revealed reactions between the coronene molecules and the formation of hydrogen-terminated graphene nanoribbons. It was also observed that the morphology of the encapsulated products depend on the diameter of the SWNTs. The experimental results are explained by using density functional theory calculations through the energies of the coronene molecules inside the SWNTs, which depend on the orientation of the molecules and the diameter of the tubes.

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the technologically important NaBH4 compound under high pressure. Using Raman spectroscopy at room temperature, we have found that NaBH4 undergoes a structural phase transformation starting at 10.0 GPa with the pure high-pressure phase being established above 15.0 GPa. In order to compare the Raman data recorded under high pressure with the low-temperature tetragonal phase of NaBH4, we have also performed a cooling experiment. The known order-disorder transition from the fcc to the tetragonal structure was then observed. However, the new high pressure phase does not correspond to this low-temperature structure. Using first-principle calculations based on the density functional theory, we show that the high-pressure phase corresponds to the alpha-LiAlH4–type structure. We have found a good agreement between the measured and calculated transition pressures. Additionally, we present the electronic structure of both the fcc and the high-pressure phases.

We performed a combined theoretical and experimental study of hydrogen adsorption in graphene systems with defect-induced additional porosity. It is demonstrated that perforation of graphene sheets results in increase of theoretically possible surface areas beyond the limits of ideal defect-free graphene (∼2700 m²/g) with the values approaching ∼5000 m²/g. This in turn implies promising hydrogen storage capacities up to 6.5 wt% at 77 K, estimated from classical Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations. Hydrogen sorption was studied for the samples of defected graphene with surface area of ∼2900 m²/g prepared using exfoliation of graphite oxide followed by KOH activation. The BET surface area of studied samples thus exceeded the value of single-layered graphene. Hydrogen uptake measured at 77 K and 296 K amounts to 5.5 wt% (30 bar) and to 0.89 wt% (120 bar), respectively. 

We report the photoluminescence (PL) from graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) encapsulated in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). New PL spectral features originating from GNRs have been detected in the visible spectral range. PL peaks from GNRs have resonant character, and their positions depend on the ribbon geometrical structure in accordance with the theoretical predictions. GNRs were synthesized using confined polymerization and fusion of coronene molecules. GNR@SWCNTs material demonstrates a bright photoluminescence both in infrared (IR) and visible regions. The photoluminescence excitation mapping in the near-IR spectral range has revealed the geometry-dependent shifts of the SWCNT peaks (up to 11 meV in excitation and emission) after the process of polymerization of coronene molecules inside the nanotubes. This behavior has been attributed to the strain of SWCNTs induced by insertion of the coronene molecules.

The spin probe technique was used to study graphite oxide (GO) powders swelled in polar liquids (CH3CN, CH3OH, and H2O) and liquid-free GO membranes (GOM). The nitroxide radicals TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl) and TEMPOL (4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl) readily penetrated into the interplane space of GO from the solution. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of these radical probes were sensitive to molecular mobility and orientation ordering within the internal space of GO. The radicals embedded in swelled GO were in two states with different rotational mobilities. The small fraction of radicals located in the interplane space of GO and detected in the broad range of temperatures was in the state of fast rotation, similar to the same radicals dissolved in bulk liquids, thus providing experimental evidence of formation of a liquid-like media within the interplane space of GO. Such mobile media may be responsible for the unusual permeation properties of GOM, which is reported in the literature. Second, less-mobile fraction of radicals was found to be immobilized at the internal surface of GO and was sensitive to phase transformations in the swelled GO structures. The transformations were detected as anomalies at temperature dependences of rotational mobility of radicals. The detected dependence of EPR spectra of probe radicals on orientation of GOM, relative to the direction of magnetic field in the EPR spectrometer, was used for quantitative characterization of orientation alignment of GO planes within the membranes. Such an approach may serve as an elegant method to estimate the relative quality of membranes and other GO-layered structures.

An in situ combined high-temperature high-pressure synchrotron radiation diffraction study has been carried out on LiBH4. The phase diagram of LiBH4 is mapped to 10 GPa and 500 K, and four phases are identified. The corresponding structural distortions are analyzed in terms of symmetry-breaking atomic position shifts and anion ordering. Group-theoretical and crystal-chemical considerations reveal a nontrivial layered structure of LiBH4. The layers and their deformations define the structural stability of the observed phases.

Two sets of samples were synthesized at high pressure high temperature conditions in the P-T region where C-60 molecules collapse into a nearly amorphous graphite-like hard carbon phase. For the first set, heating temperature was varied at fixed pressure and preparation time. For the second set, synthesis time was varied at fixed pressure and fixed temperature. Detailed structural characterization of samples was performed using Raman spectroscopy and powder XRD. Mechanical properties of the samples have been studied by nanoindentation method. It has been found that duration of heat treatment under high pressure is an important parameter which influences the temperature of fullerene cage collapse. Both tetragonal and rhombohedral polymeric phases transform into hard carbon phase over a rather narrow temperature interval, but the tetragonal phase shows somewhat increased stability against C-60 collapse. Viscoelastic mechanical behavior during nanoindentation was observed for fullerene polymers but not for graphite-like hard carbon phase. Possible mechanism for nucleation of the hard carbon phase in polymeric C-60 networks is discussed.

A novel nanomaterial, graphene nanoribbons encapsulated inside single-walled carbon nanotubes (GNR@SWNT), was studied by combined optical methods. This nanomaterial was found to have a bright photoluminescence both in IR and UV-Vis spectral ranges. Its spectral features have a complicated resonant structure different from the features of initial components: coronene molecules and SWNTs. The encapsulation ability appears to correlate strongly with the geometry of SWNTs. A weak interaction between nanotube walls and encapsulated species has been discovered: no evidence of charge or energy transfer has been registered.

Graphene oxide samples prepared in various laboratories following a diversity of synthesis protocols based on Brodie's (BGO) and Hummers/Offeman's (HGO) methods were compared in respect of their in plane moduli. A simple wrinkling method allowed for a spatial resolution <1.5 pm by converting the wrinkling frequency. Quite surprisingly, a drastic variation of the in-plane moduli was found spanning the range from 600 GPa for the best BGO types, which is in the region of chemically derived graphene, all the way down to less than 200 GPa for HGO types. This would suggest that there are no two equal GO samples and GO should not be regarded a compound but rather a class of materials with very variable physical properties. While large differences between Brodie's and Hummers/Offeman's types might have been expected, even within the group of Hummers/Offeman's types pronounced differences are observed that, based on C-13 solid-state NMR, were related to over-functionalization versus over-oxidation.

The pressure evolution of RbBH₄ has been characterized by synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy up to 23 GPa. Diffraction experiments at ambient temperature reveal three phase transitions, at 3.0, 10.4, and 18 GPa (at 2.6, 7.8, and 20 GPa from Raman data), at which the space group symmetry changes in the order Fm-3m(Z=4) → P4/nmm(2) → C222(2) → I-42m(4). Crystal structures and equations of state are reported for all four phases. The three high-pressure structure types are new in the crystal chemistry of borohydrides. RbBH₄ polymorphs reveal high coordination numbers (CNs) for cation and anion sites, increasing with pressure from 6 to 8, via an intermediate 4 + 4 coordination. Different arrangements of the tetrahedral BH₄ group in the Rb environment define the crystal symmetries of the RbBH₄ polymorphs. The structural evolution in the MBH₄ series is determined by the cation’s size, as it differs drastically for M = Li (CNs = 4, 6), Na (CN = 6), and Rb. The only structure common to the whole MBH4 family is the cubic one. Its bulk modulus linearly decreases as the ionic radius of M increases, indicating that the compressibility of the material is mainly determined by the repulsive BH₄···BH₄ interactions.

Carbon nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene) are promising materials for optoelectronic applications, including flexible transparent and conductive films (TCFs) due to their extraordinary electrical, optical and mechanical properties. However, the performance of CNT- or graphene-only TCFs still needs to be improved. One way to enhance the optoelectrical properties of TCFs is to hybridize CNTs and graphene. This approach leads to creation of a novel material that exhibits better properties than its individual constituents. In this work, the novel hybrid CNT-graphene nanomaterial was fabricated by graphene oxide deposition on top of CNT films. The graphene oxide was then reduced by thermal annealing at ambient atmosphere or in H₂ atmosphere. At the final step the CNT-graphene hybrids were chemically doped using gold(III) chloride. As a result, we show that the hybrids demonstrate excellent optoelectrical performance with the sheet resistance as low as 73 Ω/□ at 90% transmittance.

The most common methods to evaluate hydrogen sorption (volumetric and gravimetric) require significant experience and expensive equipment for providing reproducible results. Both methods allow one to measure excess uptake values which are used to calculate the total amount of hydrogen stored inside of a tank as required for applications. Here we propose an easy to use and inexpensive alternative approach which allows one to evaluate directly the weight of hydrogen inside a material-filled test tank. The weight of the same tank filled with compressed hydrogen in the absence of loaded material is used as a reference. We argue that the only parameter which is of importance for hydrogen storage applications is by how much the material improves the total weight of hydrogen inside of the given volume compared to compressed gas. This parameter which we propose to name Gain includes both volumetric and gravimetric characterization of the material; it can be determined directly without knowing the skeletal volume of the material or excess sorption. The feasibility of the Gravimetric Tank (GT) method was tested using several common carbon and Metal Organic Framework (MOF) materials. The best Gain value of ∼12% was found for the Cu-BTC MOF which means that the tank completely filled with this material stores a 12% higher amount of hydrogen compared to H2 gas at the same P–Tconditions. The advantages of the GT method are its inexpensive design, extremely simple procedures and direct results in terms of tank capacity as required for industrial applications. The GT method could be proposed as a standard check for verification of the high hydrogen storage capacity of new materials. The GT method is expected to provide even better accuracy for evaluation of a material's performance for storage of denser gases like e.g. CO2 and CH4.

Activated reduced graphene oxide (a-rGO) is a material with a rigid 3D porous structure and high specific surface area (SSA). Using variation of activation parameters and post-synthesis mechanical treatment we prepared two sets of materials with a broad range of BET (N₂) SSA ∼1000–3000 m² g⁻¹, and significant differences in pore size distribution and oxygen content. The performance of activated graphene as an electrode in a supercapacitor with KOH electrolyte was correlated with the structural parameters of the materials and water sorption properties. a-rGO is a hydrophobic material as evidenced by the negligibly small BET (H₂O) SSA determined using analysis of water vapor sorption isotherms. However, the total pore volume determined using water vapor sorption and sorption of liquid water is almost the same as the one found by analysis of nitrogen sorption isotherms. Ball milling is found to provide an improved bulk density of activated graphene and collapse of all pores except the smallest ones (<2 nm). A decrease in the activation temperature from 850 °C to 550 °C is found to result in materials with a narrow micropore size distribution and increased oxygen content. Elimination of mesopores using ball milling or a lower activation temperature provided materials with better specific capacitance despite a significant decrease (by ∼30%) of the BET (N₂) SSA. The best gravimetric and volumetric capacitances in KOH electrolyte were achieved not for samples with the highest value of the BET (N₂) SSA but for materials with 80–90% of the total pore volume in micropores and an increased BET (H₂O) SSA. Comparing the performance of electrodes prepared using rGO and a-rGO shows that a more hydrophilic surface is favorable for charge storage in supercapacitors with KOH electrolyte.

Swelling of Hummers graphene oxide (HGO) membranes in a set of progressively longer liquid alcohols (methanol to 1-nonanol) was studied using synchrotron radiation XRD after air ageing over prolonged periods of time. Both precursor graphite oxides and freshly prepared HGO membranes were found to swell in the whole set of nine liquid alcohols with an increase of interlayer spacing from ∼7 Å (solvent free) up to ∼26 Å (in 1-nonanol). A pronounced effect of ageing on swelling in alcohols was found for HGO membranes stored in air. The HGO membranes aged for 0.5–1.5 years show progressively slower swelling kinetics, a non-monotonic decrease of saturated swelling in some alcohols and complete disappearance of swelling for alcohol molecules larger than hexanol. Moreover, the HGO membranes stored under ambient conditions for 5 years showed a nearly complete absence of swelling in all alcohols but preserved swelling in water. In contrast, precursor graphite oxide powder showed unmodified swelling in alcohols even after 4 years of ageing. Since the swelling defines the size of permeation channels, the ageing effect is one of the important parameters which could explain the strong variation in reported filtration/separation properties of GO membranes. The time and conditions of air storage require standardization for better reproducibility of results related to performance of GO membranes in various applications. The ageing of GO membranes can be considered not only as a hindrance/degradation for certain applications, but also as a method to tune the swelling properties of HGO membranes for better selectivity in sorption of solvents and for achieving better selective permeability.

The understanding and control of the magnetic properties of carbon-based materials is of fundamental relevance in applications in nano- and biosciences. Ring currents do play a basic role in those systems. In particular the inner cavities of nanotubes offer an ideal environment to investigate the magnetism of synthetic materials at the nanoscale. Here, by means of 13 C high resolution NMR of encapsulated molecules in peapod hybrid materials, we report the  largest diamagnetic shifts (down to -68.3 ppm) ever observed in carbon allotropes, which is connected to the enhancement of the aromaticity of the nanotube envelope upon doping. This diamagnetic shift can be externally controlled by in situ modifications such as doping or electrostatic charging. Moreover, defects such as C-vacancies, pentagons, and chemical functionalization of the outer nanotube quench this diamagnetic effect and restore NMR signatures to slightly paramagnetic shifts compared to nonencapsulated molecules. The magnetic interactions reported here are robust phenomena independent of temperature and proportional to the applied magnetic field. The magnitude, tunability, and stability of the magnetic effects make the peapod nanomaterials potentially valuable for nanomagnetic shielding in nanoelectronics and nanobiomedical engineering.

Hydrogen sorption properties of graphene-related materials were studied by gravimetric and volumetric methods at 2931< and 77K. Rapid thermal exfoliation of different types of graphite oxide (GO) precursors yielded samples with maximal surface areas up to 850 m(2)/g, whereas surface areas up to 2300 m(2)/g were achieved by post-exfoliation activation treatments. Therefore, hydrogen storage parameters of graphene materials could be evaluated in a broad range of surface areas. The H-2 uptake vs surface area trend revealed in this study shows that hydrogen storage by graphene materials do not exceed 1 Wt% at 120 Bar H-2 at ambient temperatures. Linear increase of hydrogen adsorption vs surface area was observed at 77 K with maximal observed value of similar to 5 Wt% for 2300 m(2)/g sample. It can be concluded that bulk graphene samples obtained using graphite oxide exfoliation and activation follow standard for other nanostructured carbons hydrogen uptake trends and do not demonstrate superior hydrogen storage parameters reported in several earlier studies. Nevertheless, graphene remains to be one of the best materials for physisorption of hydrogen, especially at low temperatures.

Using an optimized KOH activation procedure we prepared highly porous graphene scaffold materials with SSA values up to 3400 m² g⁻¹ and a pore volume up to 2.2 cm³ g⁻¹, which are among the highest for carbon materials. Hydrogen uptake of activated graphene samples was evaluated in a broad temperature interval (77–296 K). After additional activation by hydrogen annealing the maximal excess H₂ uptake of 7.5 wt% was obtained at 77 K. A hydrogen storage value as high as 4 wt% was observed already at 193 K (120 bar H₂), a temperature of solid CO₂, which can be easily maintained using common industrial refrigeration methods.

Multilayered intercalation of 1-octanol into the structure of Brodie graphite oxide (B-GO) was studied as a function of temperature and pressure. Reversible phase transition with the addition/removal of one layer of 1-octanol was found at 265 K by means of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The same transition was observed at ambient temperature upon a pressure increase above 0.6 GPa. This transition was interpreted as an incongruent melting of the low temperature/high pressure B-GO intercalated structure with five layers of 1-octanol parallel to GO sheets (L-solvate), resulting in the formation of a four-layered structure that is stable under ambient conditions (A-solvate). Vacuum heating allows the removal of 1-octanol from the A-solvate layer by layer, while distinct sets of (00 l) reflections are observed for three-, two-, and one-layered solvate phases. Step by step removal of the 1-octanol layers results in changes of distance between graphene oxide planes by similar to 4.5 angstrom. This experiment proved that both L- and A-solvates are structures with layers of 1-octanol parallel to GO planes. Unusual intercalation with up to five distinct layers of 1-octanol is remarkably different from the behaviour of small alcohol molecules (methanol and ethanol), which intercalate B-GO structure with only one layer under ambient conditions and a maximum of two layers at lower temperatures or higher pressures. The data presented in this study make it possible to rule out a change in the orientation of alcohol molecules from parallel to perpendicular to the GO planes, as suggested in the 1960s to explain larger expansion of the GO lattice due to swelling with larger alcohols.

Hydrogen sorption by reduced graphene oxides (r-GO) is not found to increase after decoration with Pd and Pt nanoparticles. Treatments of metal decorated samples using annealing under hydrogen or air were tested as a method to create additional pores by effects of r-GO etching around nanoparticles. Increase of Specific Surface Area (SSA) was observed for some air annealed r-GO samples. However, the same treatments applied to activated r-GO samples with microporous nature and higher surface area result in breakup of structure and dramatic decrease of SSA. Our experiments have not revealed effects which could be attributed to spillover in hydrogen sorption on Pd or Pt decorated graphene. However, we report irreversible chemisorption of hydrogen for some samples which can be mistakenly assigned to spillover if the experiments are incomplete.

Graphite oxides (GO) are intercalated rapidly by one to several layers of solvent when immersed in liquid but the GO solvates are typically unstable on air due to solvent evaporation. Here we study swelling of GO in solvents (sugar alcohols) with melting temperature point above ambient. Using in situ synchrotron radiation XRD experiments we demonstrated GO swelling in molten xylitol and sorbitol. The expanded GO structure intercalated with one layer of xylitol or sorbitol is preserved upon solidification of melt and cooling back to ambient conditions. The structure of solid solvates of GO with xylitol and sorbitol is based on non-covalent interaction and pristine GO can be recovered by washing in water. Intercalation of xylitol and sorbitol into GO structure in aqueous solutions yields similar but less ordered structure of GO/sugar alcohol solid solvates. Very similar inter-layer distance was observed for GO intercalated by sugar alcohols in melt and for GO immersed in sugar solutions. This result shows that sugar alcohols penetrate into GO inter-layer space without hydration shell forming 2D layers with orientation parallel to graphene oxide sheets. Therefore, hydration diameter of molecules should not be considered as decisive factor for permeation through graphene oxide inter-layers in multilayered membranes.

The change of distance between individual graphene oxide sheets due to swelling is the key parameter to explain and predict permeation of multilayered graphene oxide (GO) membranes by various solvents and solutions. In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction study shows that swelling properties of GO membranes are distinctly different compared to precursor graphite oxide powder samples. Intercalation of liquid dioxolane, acetonitrile, acetone, and chloroform into the GO membrane structure occurs with maximum one monolayer insertion (Type I), in contrast with insertion of 2-3 layers of these solvents into the graphite oxide structure. However, the structure of GO membranes expands in liquid DMSO and DMF solvents similarly to precursor graphite oxide (Type II). It can be expected that Type II solvents will permeate GO membranes significantly faster compared to Type I solvents. The membranes are found to be stable in aqueous solutions of acidic and neutral salts, but dissolve slowly in some basic solutions of certain concentrations, e.g. in NaOH, NaHCO3 and LiF. Some larger organic molecules, alkylamines and alkylammonium cations are found to intercalate and expand the lattice of GO membranes significantly, e.g. up to similar to 35 angstrom in octadecylamine/methanol solution. Intercalation of solutes into the GO structure is one of the limiting factors for nano-filtration of certain molecules but it also allows modification of the inter-layer distance of GO membranes and tuning of their permeation properties. For example, GO membranes functionalized with alkylammonium cations are hydrophobized and they swell in non-polar solvents.

Permeation of multilayered graphene oxide (GO) membranes by polar solvents is known to correlate with their swelling properties and amount of sorbed solvent. However, quantitative estimation of sorption using standard (e.g., gravimetric) methods is technically challenging for few nanometers thick GO membranes/films exposed to solvent vapors. Neutron reflectivity (NR) was used here to evaluate the amount of solvents intercalated into the film which consists of only ∼31.5 layers of GO. Analysis of NR data recorded from the GO film exposed to vapors of polar solvents provides information about change of film thickness due to swelling, amount of intercalated solvent, and selectivity in sorption of solvents from binary mixtures. A quantitative study of GO film sorption was performed for D₂O, d-methanol, ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), acetonitrile, dimethylformamide (DMF), and acetone. Using isotopic contrast, we estimated selectivity in sorption of ethanol/d-methanol mixtures by the GO film. Estimation of sorption selectivity was also performed for D₂O/DMF, D₂O/DMSO, and D₂O/acetonitrile binary mixtures. Sorption of polar solvents was compared for the thin GO film, micrometer thick free standing GO membranes, and graphite oxide powders.

Sorption of polar organic solvents CH₃OH, C₄H₈O (THF), CH₃CN, C₃H₇NO (DMF), C₂H₆OS (DMSO), C₅H₉NO (NMP) and water was quantitatively evaluated for Hummers (H-GO) and Brodie (B-GO) graphite oxides at T = 298K and at melting temperature (Tm) of the solvents. H-GO showed stronger sorption compared to B-GO for all studied solvents and the increase of sorption upon lowering temperature was observed for both H-GO and B-GO. Thermodynamic equations allowed to explain earlier reported "maximums" of swelling/sorption in the binary systems H-GO – solvent at Tm. The specific relation between the values of enthalpies of sorption and melting leads to the change of sign in enthalpies of sorption at Tm and causes maximal swelling/sorption. The same thermodynamic explanation was given for the "maximum" on the swelling vs. pressure dependence in B-GO and H-GO – H₂O systems earlier reported at pressure of phase transition "liquid water-ice VI". Notably higher sorption of H₂O was observed for H-GO compared to H-GO membrane (H-GOm) at high relative humidity (RH), RH > 0.75. Experimental sorption isotherm of H-GOm was used to simulate permeation rates of water through H-GOm and to estimate effective diffusion coefficient of water through the membrane.

Products of thermal dehydrogenation of C 60H18(which mainly occurs at 450-600°C) were studied by XRD, Raman, IR and mass spectrometry. IR spectra indicate that dehydrogenation resulted in partial recovery of pristine C 60. XRD data indicate that the cell parameter of the face-centered cubic structure, which is higher for C 60H18(14.55 Å) than for C60(14.17 Å), remained higher following heat treatment, and heating at>500° C caused further expansion (to 14.78 Å). The increase in the cell parameter correlates with the beginning of partial fullerene cage collapse (corroborated by IR, Raman and MS data) and is suggested to result from “self-doping”.

Hydrogen adsorption properties of some Co-and Zn-based Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) materials were studied at near ambient temperatures. Maximal hydrogen storage capacity of 0.75 wt% was found for a Zn-based material at 175 Bar hydrogen pressure and T = -4 degrees C. Hydrogen adsorption correlated linearly with BET surface area and strongly depends on temperature. Relatively low structural stability of some MOF's results in framework collapse during degassing and hydrogen adsorption measurements.

The reaction of C-60/catalyst with hydrogen gas was studied at 400 degrees C and 50 bar of H-2 pressure. The addition of Pt- or Ni-catalysts significantly accelerated kinetics of the hydrogenation reaction and resulted in a dramatic change of the C60Hx crystal structure. Samples reacted without catalyst preserved the fcc structure typical for pristine C-60 but with expanded unit cells. Fulleranes C60Hx obtained using catalytic hydrogenation exhibited not only the fcc structure (at relatively low hydrogenation degree) but also the bcc structure of C60Hx (with x > 18). The bcc structure corresponds to highly hydrogenated material with an average volume per C-60 molecule of 817-849 angstrom(3).

Pressure induced insertion of liquid media was studied for graphite oxide (GO) immersed in excess amounts of aqueous copper acetate and sucrose solutions and compared to previous experiments with GO immersed in solute-free water media. Compression of GO in copper acetate solution resulted in significant enhancement of high pressure anomaly compared to pure water: interlayer distance reached 17.4 Å at 2.3 GPa while for pure water the maximal observed layer separation was 13.08 Å. Compression of GO in sucrose solution was found to be very similar to compression in solute-free water. These results confirm that copper ions can be pressure-inserted into GO structure while the expansion of structure is attributed to osmotic swelling. Sucrose dissolves in water in molecular form (nonelectrolyte) which results in weaker absorption into the GO structure and the absence of osmotic swelling. Pressure induced insertion of various solutions into the GO structure could possibly be promising for synthesis of new graphite intercalation materials or graphene-related composites.

Hydrogen adsorption properties of well-known MOF-5 were studied at near ambient temperature and hydrogen pressures up to 120 bar. Pristine material was doped with Pt catalysts supported on activated carbon (AC) using two previously described procedures: physical mixture of a catalyst with MOF-5 and “bridging” procedure (MOF-5 and catalyst particles connected via carbon bridges) MOF-5. The maximum hydrogen adsorption measured on doped MOF-5 was 0.43 wt.%. These values are on the same level or even less than for catalyst free MOF-5 material. Therefore, doping of MOF-5 material with Pt catalyst has not resulted in increase of hydrogen storage value. Hydrogen adsorption for the samples with added catalyst showed correlation with BET surface area, exhibited isotherms typical for physisorption and no features which could be assigned to spillover effect.

Kinetics and pathways of C₆₀ reaction with hydrogen gas were studied in a broad temperature interval and over extended periods of time. Specifically, hydrogenation was monitored in situ at high temperature and high hydrogen pressure conditions using the gravimetric method. The shape of gravimetric curve was found to depend on hydrogenation temperature: at 350–400 °C saturation of the sample weight was achieved, whereas at 420–440 °C the sample weight reached the maximum and decreased upon prolonged hydrogenation. The weight decrease is due to fullerene cage fragmentation with formation of light hydrocarbons evaporating from the sample. Hydrogenation products were studied by X-ray diffraction, MALDI TOF and APPI FT-ICR mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography, and elemental analysis. Hydrogenation pathways (from C₆₀H₁₈ up to C₆₀H₅₆) and possible mechanisms of hydrogenation-induced fragmentation of fulleranes are discussed.

Fullerenes are proposed as a precursor for preparation of nanocarbon materials using controlled collapse of cage structure by high temperature reaction with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The chemical modification of C₆₀ by reaction with anthracene and coronene was studied over a broad temperature interval. The products of the reaction were characterized by X-ray diffraction, and Raman and IR spectroscopy. Mono- and multi-adducts of C₆₀ with anthracene were obtained in the temperature interval 290–400 °C. Above 400 °C the C₆₀ adducts are not stable and decompose back to C60 and anthracene. No chemical adducts of C₆₀ with coronene were found below 500 °C. Above this temperature fullerite structure was found to expand reflecting interaction with coronene melt and vapor. The reactions of C₆₀ with anthracene and C₆₀ with coronene at temperatures above 650 °C resulted in fullerene cage collapse and formation of nanocarbons. These nanocarbons were found to store up to 0.45 wt% of hydrogen at ambient temperatures despite negligible surface area. 

Solvothermal reaction of graphite oxide (GO) with benzene-1,4-diboronic acid (DBA) was reported previously to result in formation of graphene oxide framework (GOP) materials. The theoretical structure of GOFs consists of graphene layers separated by benzene-diboronic "pillars" with similar to 1 nm slit pores thus providing the opportunity to use it as a model material to verify the effect of a small pore size on hydrogen adsorption. A set of samples with specific surface area (SSA) in the range of similar to 50-1000 m(2)/g were prepared using variations of synthesis conditions and GO/DBA proportions. Hydrogen storage properties of GOF samples evaluated at 293 and 77 K were found to be similar to other nanocarbon trends in relation to SSA values. Structural characterization of GO/DBA samples showed all typical features reported as evidence for formation of a framework structure such as expanded interlayer distance, increased temperature of thermal exfoliation, typical features in FTIR spectra, etc. However, the samples also exhibited reversible swelling in polar solvents which is not compatible with the idealized GOF structure linked by benzenediboronic molecular pillars. Therefore, possible alternative nonframework models of structures with pillars parallel and perpendicular to GO planes are considered.

Here we report on technology developments implemented into the Graphene Flagship European project for the integration of graphene and graphene-related materials (GRMs) into energy application devices. Many of the technologies investigated so far aim at producing composite materials associating graphene or GRMs with either metal or semiconducting nanocrystals or other carbon nanostructures (e.g., CNT, graphite). These composites can be used favourably as hydrogen storage materials or solar cell absorbers. They can also provide better performing electrodes for fuel cells, batteries, or supercapacitors. For photovoltaic (PV) electrodes, where thin layers and interface engineering are required, surface technologies are preferred. We are using conventional vacuum processes to integrate graphene as well as radically new approaches based on laser irradiation strategies. For each application, the potential of implemented technologies is then presented on the basis of selected experimental and modelling results. It is shown in particular how some of these technologies can maximize the benefit taken from GRM integration. The technical challenges still to be addressed are highlighted and perspectives derived from the running works emphasized.

The hydration of graphene oxide (GO) membranes is the key to understand their remarkable selectivity in permeation of water molecules and humidity-dependent gas separation. We investigated the hydration of single GO layers as a function of humidity using scanning force microscopy, and we determined the single interlayer distance from the step height of a single GO layer on top of one or two GO layers. This interlayer distance grows gradually by approximately 1 A upon a relative humidity (RH) increase in the range of 2 to similar to 80% and the immersion into liquid water increases the interlayer distance further by another 3 A. The gradual expansion of the single interlayer distance is in good agreement with the averaged distance measured by X-ray diffraction on multilayered graphite oxides, which is commonly explained with an interstratification model. However, our experimental design excludes effects connected to interstratification. Instead we determine directly if insertion of water into GO occurs strictly by monolayers or the thickness of GO layers changes gradually. We find that hydration with up to 80% RH is a continuous process of incorporation of water molecules into single GO layers, while liquid water inserts as monolayers. The similarity of hydration for our bilayer and previously reported multilayered materials implies GO few and even bilayers to be suitable for selective water transport.

The use of graphene oxide (GO) based membranes consisting of self-assembled flakes with a lamellar structure represents an intriguing strategy to spatially separate reactants while facilitating proton transport in proton exchange membranes (PEM). Here we chemically modify GO to evaluate the role of fluorine and sulfonic acid groups on the performance of H₂/O₂ based PEM fuel cells. Mild fluorination is achieved by the presence of hydrogen fluoride during oxidation and subsequent sulfonation resulted in fluorine and SO₃^- co-functionalized GO. Membrane electrode assembly performance in low temperature and moderate humidity conditions suggested that both functional groups contribute to reduced H₂ crossover compared to appropriate reference membranes. Moreover, fluorine groups promoted an enhanced hydrolytic stability while contributing to prevent structural degradation after constant potential experiments whereas sulfonic acid demonstrated a stabilizing effect by preserving proton conductivity.

The intercalation of solvent molecules and ions into sub-nanometer-sized pores is one of the most disputed subjects in the electrochemical energy storage applications of porous materials. Here, we demonstrate that the temperature- and concentration-dependent swelling of graphite oxide (GO) can be used to determine the smallest pore size required for the intercalation of electrolyte ions into hydrophilic pores. The structure of Brodie graphite oxide (BGO) in acetonitrile can be temperature-switched between the ambient one-layer solvate with an interlayer distance of approximate to 8.9 angstrom and the two-layer solvate (approximate to 12.5 angstrom) at low temperature, thus providing slit pores of approximately 2.5 and 6 angstrom. Using in situ synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the temperature dependence of capacitance in supercapacitor devices, we found that solvated tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEA-BF4) ions do not penetrate into both the 2.5 and 6 angstrom slit pores formed by BGO interlayers. However, increasing the electrolyte concentration results in the formation of a new phase at low temperature. This phase shows a distinct interlayer distance of approximate to 15-16.6 angstrom, which corresponds to the insertion of partly desolvated TEA-BF4 ions. Therefore, the remarkable ability of the GO structure to adopt variable interlayer distances allows for the determination of pore sizes that are optimal for solvated TEA-BF4 ions (about 9-10 angstrom). The intercalation of TEA-BF4 ions into the BGO structure is also detected as an anomaly in the temperature dependence of supercapacitor performance. The BGO structure remains to be expanded, even after the removal of acetonitrile, adopting an interlayer distance of approximate to 10 angstrom.

Hybrid 2D–2D materials composed of perpendicularly oriented covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and graphene were prepared and tested for energy storage applications. Diboronic acid molecules covalently attached to graphene oxide (GO) were used as nucleation sites for directing vertical growth of COF-1 nanosheets (v-COF-GO). The hybrid material has a forest of COF-1 nanosheets with a thickness of 3 to 15 nm in edge-on orientation relative to GO. The reaction performed without molecular pillars resulted in uncontrollable growth of thick COF-1 platelets parallel to the surface of GO. The v-COF-GO was converted into a conductive carbon material preserving the nanostructure of precursor with ultrathin porous carbon nanosheets grafted to graphene in edge-on orientation. It was demonstrated as a high-performance electrode material for supercapacitors. The molecular pillar approach can be used for preparation of many other 2D-2D materials with control of their relative orientation.

Porous pillared graphene oxide (GO) materials were prepared using solvothermal reaction of Hummers GO with solution of Tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)methane (TKAm) in methanol. The intercalation of TKAm molecules between individual GO sheets, performed under swelling condition, results in expansion of inter-layer distance of GO from ∼7.5 Å to 13-14 Å. Pillaring GO with bulky, rigid 3D shaped TKAm molecules could be an advantage for the preparation of stable pillared structures compared to e.g. aliphatic or aromatic diamines. Insertion of TKAm molecules into inter-layer space of GO results in formation of interconnected network of sub-nanometer slit pores. The expanded GO structure prepared with optimized GO/TKAm composition shows Specific Surface Area (SSA) up to 660 m²/g which is among the highest reported for GO materials pillared using organic spacers. Modelling of GO structures pillared with TKAm molecules shows that maximal SSA of about 2300 m²/g is theoretically possible for realistic concentration of pillaring molecules in GO interlayers. Hydrogen sorption by pillared GO/TKAm is found to follow standard correlation with SSA both at ambient and liquid nitrogen temperatures with highest uptakes of 1.66 wt% achieved at 77 K and 0.25 wt% at 295 K. Our theoretical simulations show that pillared GO structures do not provide improvement of hydrogen storage beyond well-established physisorption trends even for idealized materials with subnanometer pores and SSA of 2300–3700 m²/g.

The pressure-temperature (p-T) phase diagram of NH₃BH₃ has been investigated by thermal conductivity measurements up to 1.5 GPa at temperatures between 100 and 300 K, and the phase boundaries between the three known structural phases have been identified. The transformation between the room temperature tetragonal I4mm phase and the low temperature orthorhombic Pmn2₁ phase (T_c = 218 K at p = 0) shows only a small hysteresis. The transformation into the high pressure orthorhombic Cmc2₁ phase (at 1.0 GPa near 292 K) has a very strong hysteresis, up to Δp = 0.5 GPa, and below 230 K a fraction of this phase is metastable even at atmospheric pressure.

Solid, hydrogen-rich compounds, such as alkali metal hydrides, MAH4, where

M is an alkali metal and A is boron or aluminium, may be used for hydrogen

storage. We briefly review recent high-pressure work in this field aimed at

exploring the phase behaviour, and especially the possibility to find highly

dense new structures. In particular we present experimental data on the

structure, lattice dynamics, phase diagrams, and thermal properties obtained by

us and others by Raman scattering, x-ray diffraction, and thermal conductivity

measurements under pressure between 100 and 400 K. From these data and the

results of theoretical calculations we map observed structural phases and phase

transitions in the pressure–temperature plane for the materials that have so far

been investigated under pressure.

The pressure-temperature phase diagrams of alkali metal alanates and borohydrides are of large current interest, and we have recently studied phase transformations under pressure in several of these materials. We here report Raman studies of KBH4 under pressure at room temperature, showing a phase transition near 6 GPa. Although no structural information is yet available, the similarity between KBH4 and NaBH4 suggests the new structure is orthorhombic. We also report studies on LiBH4 showing that the high pressure phase of this material is metastable to zero pressure below 200 K.

We demonstrate that a simple spectrophotometric method can be efficiently applied for the characterization of structural and chemical stability and adsorption properties of composite graphene oxide (GO) films in various solutions. The immersion stability of GO layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembled with a polycation into ultrathin multilayered films was studied in water and in concentrated salty, acidic and basic solutions by UV-visible spectroscopy. These films were found to retain both their chemical stability and physical integrity in water, salt and HCl solutions with a slight rearrangement of the nanoscale structure as shown by the change in their visible spectrum. However, immersion into NaOH solutions above molar concentration led to the deconstruction of the multilayer structure by base-induced deoxygenation of GO. The adsorption of methylene blue on polymer/GO LbL films of various thicknesses revealed that the multilayers are largely impermeable towards this cationic dye.

Hydrogenation of C-60 films with formation of single hydrogen adduct reported by Makarova et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 109, 083941 (2011); Phys. Status Solidi B 246, 2778 (2009)] was supported only by several features found in Raman spectra of treated samples. However, no spectra were shown for untreated samples. Data shown in this comment prove that all Raman peaks assigned by Makarova et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 109, 083941 (2011); Phys. Status Solidi B 246, 2778 (2009)] to effects of hydrogenation can be found in spectra of pristine untreated commercial C-60 powder. These peaks represent some second order vibrations of C-60 as well as some possible solvent impurities. Therefore, all magnetic effects reported in this study should be assigned to unknown effects but not necessarily to hydrogenation. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4775821]