Highly Water-Dispersible Graphene Nanosheets From Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite

The electrochemical exfoliation of graphite has been considered to be an effective approach for the mass production of high-quality graphene due to its easy, simple, and eco-friendly synthetic features. However, water dispersion of graphene produced in the electrochemical exfoliation method has also...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Si-Woo Park, Byungkwon Jang, Han Kim, Jimin Lee, Ji Young Park, Sung-Oong Kang, Yong-Ho Choa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Chemistry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2021.699231/full
_version_ 1818355858138988544
author Si-Woo Park
Si-Woo Park
Byungkwon Jang
Han Kim
Jimin Lee
Ji Young Park
Sung-Oong Kang
Yong-Ho Choa
author_facet Si-Woo Park
Si-Woo Park
Byungkwon Jang
Han Kim
Jimin Lee
Ji Young Park
Sung-Oong Kang
Yong-Ho Choa
author_sort Si-Woo Park
collection DOAJ
description The electrochemical exfoliation of graphite has been considered to be an effective approach for the mass production of high-quality graphene due to its easy, simple, and eco-friendly synthetic features. However, water dispersion of graphene produced in the electrochemical exfoliation method has also been a challenging issue because of the hydrophobic properties of the resulting graphene. In this study, we report the electrochemical exfoliation method of producing water-dispersible graphene that importantly contains the relatively low oxygen content of <10% without any assistant dispersing agents. Through the mild in situ sulfate functionalization of graphite under alkaline electrochemical conditions using a pH buffer, the highly water-dispersible graphene could be produced without any additional separation processes of sedimentation and/or centrifugation. We found the resulting graphene sheets to have high crystalline basal planes, lateral sizes of several μm, and a thickness of <5 nm. Furthermore, the high aqueous dispersion stability of as-prepared graphene could be demonstrated using a multi-light scattering technique, showing very little change in the optical transmittance and the terbiscan stability index over time.
first_indexed 2024-12-13T19:47:59Z
format Article
id doaj.art-ddd688888d20420ab1966c44fb859aa0
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2296-2646
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-13T19:47:59Z
publishDate 2021-07-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Chemistry
spelling doaj.art-ddd688888d20420ab1966c44fb859aa02022-12-21T23:33:30ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Chemistry2296-26462021-07-01910.3389/fchem.2021.699231699231Highly Water-Dispersible Graphene Nanosheets From Electrochemical Exfoliation of GraphiteSi-Woo Park0Si-Woo Park1Byungkwon Jang2Han Kim3Jimin Lee4Ji Young Park5Sung-Oong Kang6Yong-Ho Choa7Department of Materials Science & Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan, South KoreaMExplorer Co., Ltd., Ansan, South KoreaDepartment of Materials Science & Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan, South KoreaDepartment of Materials Science & Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan, South KoreaDepartment of Materials Science & Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan, South KoreaDepartment of Materials Science & Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan, South KoreaMExplorer Co., Ltd., Ansan, South KoreaDepartment of Materials Science & Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan, South KoreaThe electrochemical exfoliation of graphite has been considered to be an effective approach for the mass production of high-quality graphene due to its easy, simple, and eco-friendly synthetic features. However, water dispersion of graphene produced in the electrochemical exfoliation method has also been a challenging issue because of the hydrophobic properties of the resulting graphene. In this study, we report the electrochemical exfoliation method of producing water-dispersible graphene that importantly contains the relatively low oxygen content of <10% without any assistant dispersing agents. Through the mild in situ sulfate functionalization of graphite under alkaline electrochemical conditions using a pH buffer, the highly water-dispersible graphene could be produced without any additional separation processes of sedimentation and/or centrifugation. We found the resulting graphene sheets to have high crystalline basal planes, lateral sizes of several μm, and a thickness of <5 nm. Furthermore, the high aqueous dispersion stability of as-prepared graphene could be demonstrated using a multi-light scattering technique, showing very little change in the optical transmittance and the terbiscan stability index over time.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2021.699231/fullgraphenewater dispersionsulfate functionalizationelectrochemical exfoliationedge functionalization
spellingShingle Si-Woo Park
Si-Woo Park
Byungkwon Jang
Han Kim
Jimin Lee
Ji Young Park
Sung-Oong Kang
Yong-Ho Choa
Highly Water-Dispersible Graphene Nanosheets From Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite
Frontiers in Chemistry
graphene
water dispersion
sulfate functionalization
electrochemical exfoliation
edge functionalization
title Highly Water-Dispersible Graphene Nanosheets From Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite
title_full Highly Water-Dispersible Graphene Nanosheets From Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite
title_fullStr Highly Water-Dispersible Graphene Nanosheets From Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite
title_full_unstemmed Highly Water-Dispersible Graphene Nanosheets From Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite
title_short Highly Water-Dispersible Graphene Nanosheets From Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite
title_sort highly water dispersible graphene nanosheets from electrochemical exfoliation of graphite
topic graphene
water dispersion
sulfate functionalization
electrochemical exfoliation
edge functionalization
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2021.699231/full
work_keys_str_mv AT siwoopark highlywaterdispersiblegraphenenanosheetsfromelectrochemicalexfoliationofgraphite
AT siwoopark highlywaterdispersiblegraphenenanosheetsfromelectrochemicalexfoliationofgraphite
AT byungkwonjang highlywaterdispersiblegraphenenanosheetsfromelectrochemicalexfoliationofgraphite
AT hankim highlywaterdispersiblegraphenenanosheetsfromelectrochemicalexfoliationofgraphite
AT jiminlee highlywaterdispersiblegraphenenanosheetsfromelectrochemicalexfoliationofgraphite
AT jiyoungpark highlywaterdispersiblegraphenenanosheetsfromelectrochemicalexfoliationofgraphite
AT sungoongkang highlywaterdispersiblegraphenenanosheetsfromelectrochemicalexfoliationofgraphite
AT yonghochoa highlywaterdispersiblegraphenenanosheetsfromelectrochemicalexfoliationofgraphite