Graphene supported chromium carbide material synthesized from Cr-based MOF/graphene oxide composites

A composite (Cr-G) made from chromium carbide (Cr3C2) and chemically converted graphene (G) was synthesized by calcining a Cr-based metal-organic framework (MIL-101) embedded with graphene oxide (GO). The MIL-101 embedded with graphene oxide (MGO) was synthesized by the self-assembly process of Cr(NO3)(3)center dot 9H(2)O and terephthalic acid in the presence of exfoliated GO in hydrothermal way. The incorporation of large amounts of GO did not prevent the formation of MIL-101 units. After calcination, the MGO decomposes to form a conductive composite consisting of sheet-like Cr3C2 and G sheets with CrN and Cr2O3 impurities confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The Cr-G modified glassy electrode (Cr-G/GCE) showed excellent response to the electro-oxidation of dopamine. Significantly, not like most other electro-catalysts, Cr-G/GCE maintained the linear growth meaning a single diffusion controlled process even at high scan rate of 300 mV s(-1). There was a low detection limit and broad linear range for Cr-G complex detection of dopamine. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.