Mass Production of 2D Manifolds of Graphene Oxide by Shear Flow

Self-organizing 2D sheets into a 3D structure with a well-defined arrangement and tuned bandgap has garnered significant interest. However, there exist challenges such as scalable and feasible synthetic methods and preservation of 2D properties while preventing re-stacking. Herein, a facile method for the mass production of 2D manifolds of graphene oxide (GO), which are 3D microtubes, while maintaining their 2D properties by applying shear to roll up GO sheets, is reported. The GO mesotubes are formed by shear flow in aluminum-glass parallel plates. Redox reaction plays a vital role during the formation of GO mesotubes by the vorticity alignment during slow shear flow. A high yield of 94% is achieved at an initial pH of 2.2. The maximum d-spacing of the GO sheet in the tube wall is 21 nm, indicating no re-stacking of the graphitic structure. It is demonstrated that the GO mesotubes behaves like a soft gel, rendering them a candidate material for soft robotics, e-skins, and a visible light sensor owing to their reduced optical bandgap.

Automated summary

The study introduces a simple method for mass production of 3D microtubes made of graphene oxide (GO) while preserving their 2D properties by rolling up GO sheets with shear force. GO mesotubes are formed by shear flow in aluminum-glass parallel plates, with redox reaction playing a vital role in their formation. The high yield of 94% is achieved at an initial pH of 2.2, with no re-stacking of GO sheets in the tube wall, demonstrating potential applications in soft robotics, e-skins, and visible light sensors.