This study aims to analyze the effect of the curing temperature of nano-reinforcements during the manufacturing process on the mechanical properties of composites involving graphene (GNP), carbon nanofibers (CNFs), and a hybrid mixture of these two nanoparticles. In this context, the type of nanoparticles, their content, their type of resin, and their hybridization were considered. The results showed that both nanoparticles increased the viscosity of the resin suspension, with an increase of between 16.3% and 38.2% for GNP nanoparticles and 45.4% and 74% for CNFs depending on the type of resin. Shrinkage was also affected by the addition of nanoparticles, as the highest results were obtained with GNP nanoparticles, with a 91% increase compared with the neat resin, and the lowest results were obtained with CNFs, with a decrease of 77% compared with the neat resin. A curing temperature of 5 °C promoted the best bending and hardness performance for all composites regardless of the type of resin and reinforcement used, with improvements of up to 24.8% for GNP nanoparticles and 13.52% for CNFs compared with the neat resin at 20 °C. Hybridization led to further improvements in bending properties and hardness compared with single-reinforcement composites due to a synergistic effect. However, the effectiveness of hybridization depends on the type of resin.

A poliéteretercetona (PEEK) demonstrou um grande potencial como material de suporte contra componentes metálicos e cerâmicos em implantes ortopédicos. A vantagem do PEEK sobre os polímeros convencionais reside no facto de ter uma excelente estabilidade térmica, ser quimicamente resistente e possuir propriedades mecânicas e tribológicas superiores. Além disso, vários compósitos de PEEK foram investigados, que demonstraram melhores propriedades mecânicas e tribológicas do que os rolamentos de polímeros classicamente utilizados. Isto é importante porque o afrouxamento asséptico é a principal causa de falha do implante e ocorre devido ao desgaste dos componentes do implante. O objectivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito do reforço de PEEK com uma liga de brasagem suave composta por Sn-Zn-Bi e um reforço contendo SCF e GNP no seu desempenho tribológico. Quatro misturas compostas compostas de 67wt.% de PEEK e 33wt.% de reforços foram feitas por ligas mecânicas, onde o conteúdo total de GNP variou entre; 0 , 0,99, 2,31 e 4,95wt.%. e foram comparadas com PEEK puro e PEEK obtido comercialmente. Os testes mecânicos e tribológicos mostraram que a incorporação destes reforços na matriz de PEEK resultou num melhor desempenho mecânico e tribológico em comparação com o PEEK não preenchido. Além disso, a incorporação de diferentes conteúdos de GNP e particularmente 0,99wt.% resultou numa redução do desgaste de PEEK em três vezes. Concluiu-se que a redução do atrito e do desgaste dependia da concentração do PNB adicionado à matriz polimérica.

Graphene-based materials (GBM) have been investigated in recent years with the aim of developing flexible interfaces to address a range of neurological disorders, where electrical stimulation may improve brain function and tissue regeneration. The recent discovery that GBM electrodes can generate an electrical response upon light exposure has inspired the development of non-genetic approaches capable of selectively modulate brain cells without genetic manipulation (i.e., optogenetics). Here, we propose the conjugation of graphene with upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP), which enable wireless transcranial activation using tissuepenetrating near-infrared (NIR) radiation. Following a Design of Experiments approach, we first investigated the influence of different host matrices and dopants commonly used to synthesize UCNPs in the electrical response of graphene. Two UCNP formulations achieving optimal enhancement of electric conductivity upon NIR activation at λ = 780 or 980 nm were identified. These formulations were then covalently attached to graphene nanoplatelets following selective hydroxyl derivatization. The resulting nanocomposites were evaluated in vitro using SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. NIR activation at λ = 980 nm promoted cell proliferation and downregulated neuronal and glial differentiation markers, suggesting the potential application of GBMs in minimally invasive stimulation of cells for tissue regeneration.

In this paper we propose a new paradigm to create superlenses inspired by n–p–n junctions of graphene.We show that by adjoining an n-type region and a p-type region with a crystal dislocation, it is possible to mimic the interaction of complementary Hamiltonians and achieve subwavelength imaging.We introduce an effective model of the system, and show that it predicts perfect lensing for both propagating and evanescent waves due to the excitation of a resonant mode at the interface between each region. This phenomenon is the consequence of a nontrivial boundary condition at the n–p interfaces due to a dislocation of the graphene ‘atoms’.We discuss practical realizations of such superlenses in electronic and photonic platforms. Using full wave simulations, we study in detail the performance of a photonic realization of the lens based on a honeycomb array of dielectric cylinders embedded in a metal.

This paper reviews recent advances in graphene-based biosensors development in order to obtain smaller and more portable devices with better performance for earlier cancer detection. In fact, the potential of Graphene for sensitive detection and chemical/biological free-label applications results from its exceptional physicochemical properties such as high electrical and thermal conductivity, aspect-ratio, optical transparency and remarkable mechanical and chemical stability. Herein we start by providing a general overview of the types of graphene and its derivatives, briefly describing the synthesis procedure and main properties. It follows the reference to different routes to engineer the graphene surface for sensing applications with organic biomolecules and nanoparticles for the development of advanced biosensing platforms able to detect/quantify the characteristic cancer biomolecules in biological fluids or overexpressed on cancerous cells surface with elevated sensitivity, selectivity and stability. We then describe the application of graphene in optical imaging methods such as photoluminescence and Raman imaging, electrochemical sensors for enzymatic biosensing, DNA sensing, and immunosensing. The bioquantification of cancer biomarkers and cells is finally discussed, particularly electrochemical methods such as voltammetry and amperometry which are generally adopted transducing techniques for the development of graphene based sensors for biosensing due to their simplicity, high sensitivity and low-cost. To close, we discuss the major challenges that graphene based biosensors must overcome in order to reach the necessary standards for the early detection of cancer biomarkers by providing reliable information about the patient disease stage.

Self-assembled peptide-based gels provide several advantages for technological applications. Recently, the co-assembly of gelators has been a strategy to modulate and tune gel properties and even implement stimuli-responsiveness. However, it still comprises limitations regarding the required library of compounds and outcoming properties. Hence, efforts have been made to combine peptide-based gels and (in)organic composites (e.g., magnetic nanoparticles, metal nanoparticles, liposomes, graphene, silica, clay, titanium dioxide, cadmium sulfide) to endow stimuli-responsive materials and achieve suitable properties in several fields ranging from optoelectronics to biomedical. Herein, we discuss the recent developments with composite peptide-based gels including the fabrication, tunability of gels' properties, and challenges on (bio)technological applications.

The use of Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) and Graphene increased in the last decade and it is likely to keep increasing in the near future. The attractiveness of their properties, particularly the possibility to enhance the composites performance using a tailor made methodology, brings new materials, processes and products for highly demanding industrial applications and to the market. However, there are quite a lot of health/safety issues, as well as lack of understanding and standards to evaluate their effects. This paper starts with a general description of materials, processes and products dealing with CNT and graphene. Then, an overview of concerns related to the health and safety when handling, researching, producing and using products that include these materials is presented. It follows a risk management approach with respect to simulation and evaluation tools, and considering the consensual limits already existing for research, industry and consumers. A general discussion integrating the relevant aspects of health and safety with respect to CNT and graphene is also presented. A proactive view is presented with the intention to contribute with some guidelines on installation, maintenance, evaluation, personal protection equipment (PPE) and personnel training to deal with these carbon-based nanomaterials in research, manufacture, and use with composite materials.

The different methods of obtaining two-dimensional materials are being researched intensively, due to their promising physical and chemical properties. Among the methods of obtaining graphene, the liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) of graphite is proving to be a relatively simple and efficient process for the production of flakes of high quality and large scale. It is primarily based on the separation of the layers of graphite in liquids, such as common organic solvents and aqueous surfactant solutions. In this work the exfoliation of graphite was performed in liquid phase by sonication in aqueous suspension in the presence of an industrial reagent. A comparison with suspensions not using the polymeric surfactant indicates that its presence is necessary, because it prevents the re-agglomeration of the layers after sonication, through the multipolar and electrostatic repulsion mechanism. This result coincides with the reports of most recent works on liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite.