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Asphaltene-Derived Graphene Quantum Dots for Controllable Coatings on Glass, Fabrics, and Aerogels

[Image: see text] Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) derived from natural asphaltene byproducts can produce controlled hydrophobic or hydrophilic interfaces on glass, fabrics, and aerogels. A set of facile solvent extraction methods were used to isolate and chemically prepare materials with different surf...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Firouzi-Haji, Razieh, Aghajamali, Maryam, Hassanzadeh, Hassan, Lu, Qiuyun, Zhang, Xuehua, Veinot, Jonathan G. C., Meldrum, Alkiviathes
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: American Chemical Society 2023
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10666212/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38027342
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c04942
Descripción
Sumario:[Image: see text] Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) derived from natural asphaltene byproducts can produce controlled hydrophobic or hydrophilic interfaces on glass, fabrics, and aerogels. A set of facile solvent extraction methods were used to isolate and chemically prepare materials with different surface functionalities from a commercially derived asphaltene precursor. The organic-soluble fraction was used to create hydrophobic and water-repellent surfaces on glass and cotton fabrics. The GQD solutions could also penetrate the pores of a silica aerogel, rendering it hydrophobic. Alternatively, by extracting the more polar fraction of the GQDs and oxidizing their surfaces, we also demonstrate strongly hydrophilic coatings. This work shows that naturally abundant GQD-containing materials can produce interfaces with the desired wettability properties through a straightforward tuning of the solvent extraction procedure. Owing to their natural abundance, low toxicity, and strong fluorescence, asphaltene-derived GQDs could thus be applied, in bulk, toward a wide range of tunable surface coatings. This approach, moreover, uses an important large-scale hydrocarbon waste material, thereby offering a sustainable alternative to the disposal of asphaltene wastes.