Kitchen blender for producing high-quality few-layer graphene

The application of a kitchen blender for producing high-quality few-layer graphene (FLG) is demonstrated. The obtained FLG flakes, with an average thickness of similar to 1.5 nm (similar to 20% <= 1 nm), are high-quality and free of oxidation and basal-plane defects. With a rotating impeller, the kitchen blender can induce multiple fluid dynamics events which are featured by shear, turbulence, and collisions. These fluid dynamics events and their cooperative effects are responsible for the exfoliation mechanism, resulting in a gentle lateral-force-dominated way for graphite self-exfoliation through its lateral self-lubricating ability. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.