Researchers Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new simple method for produce large amounts of graphene. The new technique operates at room temperature, requires little processing and paves the way for mass production and cost of graphene.
An interdisciplinary team of researchers led by Swastik Kar, assistant research professor in the department of physics, applied physics and astronomy at Rensselaer, has helped science a step further on the important goal of producing graphene in large quantities.
Immersing graphite in a mixture of diluted organic acid , alcohol, and water, and then exposing it to ultrasonic sound, the team discovered that the acid acts as a ” molecular wedge ” separating graphene sheets from graphite father. The process results in the creation of large amounts of graphene high quality intact and dispersed in water. Kar and his team used graphene to build chemical sensors and supercapacitors.
“There are other techniques for the fabrication of graphene , but our process is advantageous for mass production, because it is inexpensive , takes place at room temperature, no harsh chemicals, and therefore is friendly to a number technologies where there are environmental constraints and temperature , “said Kar . “The process need not controlled environmental chambers , which increases its simplicity without compromising its scalability. This simplicity allowed us to demonstrate high-performance applications directly related to environmental monitoring and energy storage , which have become matters of global importance . ”
The results of the study, entitled ” Stable Aqueous Dispersions of Non- Covalently Functionalized Graphene from Graphite and Their Multifunctional High -Performance Applications ” , were published online on Thursday, June 17, 2010 , by the journal Nano Letters. The study will also be the cover story of the November print edition of Nano Letters.
