Bubble-Mediated Mass Production of Graphene: A Review

The large-scale industrial applications of graphene highly depend on its mass production with efficiency (high-yield, time-saving, and low-cost) and controllability (high-quality, safe, and environmentally friendly). However, this requirement can hardly be satisfied by incumbent chemical exfoliation methods exploiting liquid-solid interactions. Recently, many studies have demonstrated that the usage of bubbling as a new tool makes a big difference in multiple aspects of graphene production. Benefiting from their unique properties, the bubbles can be employed as the driving force to cleave graphite layers for graphene preparation or as the favorite interface for graphene growth at a high temperature. Therefore, the bubble-mediated technique represents a new strategy promising to achieve efficient and controllable preparation of graphene. Here, the formation and evolution of bubbles in liquid media are first analyzed. Then, two routes including top-down and bottom-up toward mass production of graphene with the assistance of bubbles are summarized and discussed. This review sheds light on the introduction of gas to realize the mass production of graphene for the development of graphene's applications on large scale.

Automated summary

The use of bubbles as a new tool in graphene production has shown potential in achieving efficient and controllable preparation of graphene. Two approaches, top-down and bottom-up, utilizing bubbles for mass production of graphene are discussed, shedding light on the introduction of gas for large scale production of graphene.