Effects of green solvents and surfactants on the characteristics of few-layer graphene produced by dual-frequency ultrasonic liquid phase exfoliation technique
Nowadays, one of the promising methods for scalable graphene production is ultrasound-aided liquid phase exfoliation (ULPE) of graphite. Two current limiting factors of ULPE are the use of harmful solutions (such as N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone or Dimethylformamide) and a relatively low graphene yield. In...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2023
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| _version_ | 1826311355297169408 |
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| author | Tyurnina, AV Morton, JA Kaur, A Mi, J Grobert, N Porfyrakis, K Tzanakis, I Eskin, DG |
| author_facet | Tyurnina, AV Morton, JA Kaur, A Mi, J Grobert, N Porfyrakis, K Tzanakis, I Eskin, DG |
| author_sort | Tyurnina, AV |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Nowadays, one of the promising methods for scalable graphene production is ultrasound-aided liquid phase exfoliation (ULPE) of graphite. Two current limiting factors of ULPE are the use of harmful solutions (such as N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone or Dimethylformamide) and a relatively low graphene yield. In this study, we demonstrate a new dual frequency (20 kHz and 1174 kHz) ULPE approach in various eco-friendly media, which enabled us to produce various few-layer graphene (FLG) solutions of high quality. By implementing sophisticated characterisation techniques consisting of Raman spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy, the final graphene flakes structure was confirmed to correlate the properties of each individual solution. The thinner (∼3 layers) and larger (∼1.5 μm<sup>2</sup>) flakes were observed while using just water, with the highest yield (11%) of smaller FLG flakes to be achieved in the mixture of water and a surfactant. In order to understand the cavitation mechanism in different solutions, the ULPE process was investigated by acoustic measurements. This study demonstrates the crucial role of ethanol (as a solvent) and surfactants as it regulates the cavitation power and intensity of the ultrasonic field and, thereby, the cavitation effectiveness. It is suggested that the mixture of water, ethanol and a surfactant is the best medium for ULPE process where a high yield of low-defective FLG flakes can be obtained in a solution stable at least for 3 months (around 80%). |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:08:33Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:b3201738-9c49-48fc-baf7-5134541db8cc |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:08:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:b3201738-9c49-48fc-baf7-5134541db8cc2023-11-09T11:45:36ZEffects of green solvents and surfactants on the characteristics of few-layer graphene produced by dual-frequency ultrasonic liquid phase exfoliation techniqueJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:b3201738-9c49-48fc-baf7-5134541db8ccEnglishSymplectic ElementsElsevier2023Tyurnina, AVMorton, JAKaur, AMi, JGrobert, NPorfyrakis, KTzanakis, IEskin, DGNowadays, one of the promising methods for scalable graphene production is ultrasound-aided liquid phase exfoliation (ULPE) of graphite. Two current limiting factors of ULPE are the use of harmful solutions (such as N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone or Dimethylformamide) and a relatively low graphene yield. In this study, we demonstrate a new dual frequency (20 kHz and 1174 kHz) ULPE approach in various eco-friendly media, which enabled us to produce various few-layer graphene (FLG) solutions of high quality. By implementing sophisticated characterisation techniques consisting of Raman spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy, the final graphene flakes structure was confirmed to correlate the properties of each individual solution. The thinner (∼3 layers) and larger (∼1.5 μm<sup>2</sup>) flakes were observed while using just water, with the highest yield (11%) of smaller FLG flakes to be achieved in the mixture of water and a surfactant. In order to understand the cavitation mechanism in different solutions, the ULPE process was investigated by acoustic measurements. This study demonstrates the crucial role of ethanol (as a solvent) and surfactants as it regulates the cavitation power and intensity of the ultrasonic field and, thereby, the cavitation effectiveness. It is suggested that the mixture of water, ethanol and a surfactant is the best medium for ULPE process where a high yield of low-defective FLG flakes can be obtained in a solution stable at least for 3 months (around 80%). |
| spellingShingle | Tyurnina, AV Morton, JA Kaur, A Mi, J Grobert, N Porfyrakis, K Tzanakis, I Eskin, DG Effects of green solvents and surfactants on the characteristics of few-layer graphene produced by dual-frequency ultrasonic liquid phase exfoliation technique |
| title | Effects of green solvents and surfactants on the characteristics of few-layer graphene produced by dual-frequency ultrasonic liquid phase exfoliation technique |
| title_full | Effects of green solvents and surfactants on the characteristics of few-layer graphene produced by dual-frequency ultrasonic liquid phase exfoliation technique |
| title_fullStr | Effects of green solvents and surfactants on the characteristics of few-layer graphene produced by dual-frequency ultrasonic liquid phase exfoliation technique |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of green solvents and surfactants on the characteristics of few-layer graphene produced by dual-frequency ultrasonic liquid phase exfoliation technique |
| title_short | Effects of green solvents and surfactants on the characteristics of few-layer graphene produced by dual-frequency ultrasonic liquid phase exfoliation technique |
| title_sort | effects of green solvents and surfactants on the characteristics of few layer graphene produced by dual frequency ultrasonic liquid phase exfoliation technique |
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