Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite and Purification of the Formed Graphene Oxide

Abstract

Graphene-based nanomaterials continue to be an extensively studied material in recent years due to their unique properties and various applications. Before they can be effectively implemented into many fields including energy storage, catalysis, sensing, membranes, composites, and environmental applications, their production must be scaled up. Current methods to produce graphene-based nanomaterials are either top-down or bottom-up, and are typically energy intensive, have low throughput, or generate significant wastes. Electrochemical exfoliation (ECE) has emerged as a new method for environment-friendly production of graphene-based nanomaterials in a scalable way. The effects of the electrolyte and applied voltage were investigated. The electrochemical exfoliated GO was compared with the GO prepared using the traditional chemical method, demonstrating the effectiveness of the automated electrochemical process. This MSc research outlines the development of a novel approach that does not require any binders; it is facile, cost-effective and easy to scale up for a large-scale production of graphene-based nanomaterials for various applications.