A superparamagnetic graphene oxide-Fe 3 O 4 hybrid composite (GO-Fe 3 O 4 ) was prepared via a simple and effective chemical method. Amino-functionalized Fe 3 O 4 (NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4 ) particles are firmly deposited on the graphene oxide sheets. The graphene oxide sheets could prevent NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4 particles from agglomeration and enable a good dispersion of these oxide particles. The as-prepared GO-Fe 3 O 4 hybrid composite had a much higher thermal stability than graphene oxide. The amount of NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4 loaded on GO was estimated to be 23.6 wt% by atomic absorption spectrometry. The specific saturation magnetization (M s ) of the GO-Fe 3 O 4 hybrid composite is 15 emu g À1 . The magnetic GO-Fe 3 O 4 composite has been employed as adsorbent for the magnetic separation of dye contaminants from water. The adsorption test of dyes (Methylene Blue (MB) and Neutral Red (NR)) demonstrates that it only takes 30 min for MB and 90 min for NR to attain equilibrium. The adsorption capacities for MB and NR in the concentration range studied are 167.2 and 171.3 mg g À1 , respectively. The GO-Fe 3 O 4 hybrid composite can be easily manipulated in magnetic field for desired separation, leading to the removal of dyes from polluted water. These GO-Fe 3 O 4 hybrid composites have great potential applications in removing organic dyes from polluted water.

In this study, we present the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide/hydroxyapatite (RGO/HA) hybrid materials by an environmental-friendly route. Graphene oxide (GO) was first simultaneously reduced and surface functionalized by one-step oxidative polymerization of dopamine (PDA). The bioinspired surface was further used for biomimetic mineralization of hydroxyapatite. When incubated in a simulated body fluid (SBF), the PDA layer enabled efficient interaction between the RGO surface and the mineral ions to improve the bioactivity, promoted the formation of the HA nanoparticles. A detailed structural and morphological characterization of the mineralized composite was performed. The HA-based hybrid materials exhibited no cytotoxic effect on L929 fibroblast cells, showing potential capacity of being a scaffold material for bone tissue regeneration and implantation. This facile strategy also can be a useful platform for other RGO-based nanocomposites.

A novel selective fluorescent chemosensor based on an 8-hydroxyquinoline-appended fluorescein derivative (L1) was synthesized and characterized. Once combined with Cu(2+), it displayed high specificity for sulfide anion. Among the various anions, only sulfide anion induced the revival of fluoresecence of L1, which was quenched by Cu(2+), resulting in "off-on"-type sensing of sulfide anion. What's more, the sensor was retrievable to indicate sulfide anions with Cu(2+), and S(2-), in turn, increased. With the addition of Cu(2+), compound L1 could give rise to a visible pink-to-yellow color change and green fluorescence quenching. The resulting yellow solution could change to pink and regenerate to green fluorescence immediately upon the addition of sulfide anion; however, no changes were observed in the presence of other anions, including CN(-), P(2)O(7)(4-), and other forms of sulfate, making compound L1 an extremely selective and efficient sulfide chemosensor. The signal transduction occurs via reversible formation-separation of complex L1Cu and CuS. What's more, the biological imaging study has demonstrated that the chemosensor can detect sulfur anions in biological systems at a relatively low concentration.

Recent research has revealed that complex networks with a smaller average distance and more homogeneous degree distribution are more synchronizable. We find, however, that synchronization in complex, clustered networks tends to obey a different set of rules. In particular, the synchronizability of such a network is determined by the interplay between intercluster and intracluster links. The network is most synchronizable when the numbers of the two types of links are approximately equal. In the presence of a mismatch, increasing the number of intracluster links, while making the network distance smaller, can counterintuitively suppress or even destroy the synchronization. We provide theory and numerical evidence to establish this phenomenon.

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