IMPROVED CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS OF GRAPHENE USING A SAFER SOLVOTHERMAL ROUTE

Graphene has been synthesized using thermal decomposition of ethyl alcohol in a medium pressure autoclave. The synthesis was carried out in the presence of strong alkaline solution at a temperature of similar to 230 degrees C and pressure of 60 bar. The as-synthesized graphene has been characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). AFM analysis on various graphene sheets shows the presence of monolayer (n = 1) to trilayer (n = 3) graphene sheets with thickness of similar to 1.168 nm. HRTEM studies confirm the high quality of graphene obtained after purification of as-synthesized product. Use of chemically nonexplosive material for synthesis and reduced reaction time along with the absence of post-pyrolysis process make it a commercially viable process for bulk production of graphene.