Ultra-Fast, Chemical-Free, Mass Production of High Quality Exfoliated Graphene

As graphene penetrates into industries, it is essential to mass produce high quality graphene sheets. New discoveries face formidable challenges in the marketplace due to the lack of proficient protocols to produce graphene on a commercial scale while maintaining its quality. Here, we present a conspicuous protocol for ultrafast exfoliation of graphite into high quality graphene on the sub-kilogram scale without the use of any intercalants, chemicals, or solvent. We show that graphite can be exfoliated using a plasma spray technique with high single-layer selectivity (similar to 8.5%) at a very high production rate (48 g/h). This is possible because of the inherent characteristics of the protocol which provides sudden thermal shock followed by two-stage shear. The exfoliated graphene shows almost no basal defect (I-d/I-g: 0) and possesses high quality (C/O ratio: 21.2, sp(2) %: similar to 95%), an indication of negligible structural deterioration. The results were reproducible indicating the adeptness of the protocol. We provided several proofs-of-concept of plasma spray exfoliated graphene to demonstrate its utility in applications such as mechanical reinforcements; frictionless, transparent conductive coatings; and energy storage devices.

Automated summary

This study presents a protocol for ultrafast exfoliation of graphite into high quality graphene on a commercial scale, without the use of intercalants, chemicals, or solvent. The exfoliated graphene shows nearly no structural defects and possesses high quality characteristics, making it suitable for various applications.