Evolution of cellulose acetate to monolayer graphene

Converting biomass waste into high-value products presents a challenging task in the environmental field. Growth of graphene from solid-state precursors is cost-effective and is becoming a hot research topic. However, the underlying mechanisms are as yet unclear. In this work, we report a novel method for directly growing adlayer-free large area graphene from cellulose acetate, the main component of cigarette filter waste. The evolution of cellulose acetate to reduced graphene oxide and finally to graphene is shown in this work for the first time. The effect of various growth parameters, hydrogen concentration and Cu grain boundaries on the size and qualities of the monolayer graphene domains is clarified. Finally, the mechanism for the growth of graphene from a solid-state precursor is proposed. The field-effecttransistor fabricated from transferred monolayer graphene demonstrated high electron and hole mobilities similar to 1500 cm(2)/(V.s). This work presents a new opportunity for converting biomass waste into highvalue graphene products. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study introduces a novel method for growing large area graphene directly from cellulose acetate, the main component of cigarette filter waste, shedding light on the evolution process from cellulose acetate to graphene and clarifying the impact of growth parameters and Cu grain boundaries on graphene quality.