Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials and Nanocomposites for Sensing, Separation, and Energy Applications

Two-dimension (2D) nanomaterials have gained popularity for the last few decades due to their excellent mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. These unique properties of 2D nanomaterials can be exploited in various applications specially in sensor, energy, and separation devices. In this study, the sensing and energy generation performance of PVDF/PAni fiber mat systems made by the forcespinning method with and without graphene coating. The graphene-coated nanocomposites show an average output voltage of 75 mV (peak-to-peak) which is 300% higher compared to bare fiber mats and an output current of 24 mA (peak-to-peak) by gentle finger pressing. Moreover, the graphene-coated PVDF/PAni was investigated as a promising system for temperature (5 times better sensitivity), vibration (2 times better voltage generation), and airflow sensing. The graphene-coated composite has been further investigated as a water tide energy harvesting piezoelectric nanogenerator, the system generates ~ 40 mV for a synthetic ocean wave with a flow rate of 30 mL/min. Additionally, fabricated a low-cost, single-step, sophisticated graphene-enhanced elastomeric nanocomposite sensor for multifunctional usage by using a batch mixer. This nanocomposite ink was then fabricated into flexible keypad & forecepad and separation devices. Furthermore, the study also showed the enhanced battery performance of chemical vapor deposited pyrolytic carbon coatings on nanoparticles and nanofibers