Graphene-like carbon nanosheets prepared by a Fe-catalyzed glucose-blowing method for capacitive deionization

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a new approach to produce fresh water from salted water sources. To achieve a high CDI performance, we developed a facile method for fabricating graphene-like carbon nanosheets (GCNSs) with a thickness of 2.4 nm by a Fe-catalyzed glucose-blowing approach. In this process, glucose is used as a carbon precursor, NH4Cl as a blowing agent and Fe species as a graphitization catalyst. GCNSs not only have a relatively large accessible surface area to accommodate more ions, but also have a high graphitization degree to accelerate ion diffusion. The CDI performance of GCNSs is evaluated by a batch mode electrosorptive experiment. GCNSs have higher electrosorptive capacity (38.62 mu mol L-1) compared with other carbon materials. This indicates that GCNSs are novel and potential materials for desalination.