Efficient Production of Graphene through a Partially Frozen Suspension Exfoliation Process: An Insight into the Enhanced Interaction Based on Solid–Solid Interfaces

• Published in: Nano letters 2024-11, Vol.24 (44), p.14102-14108
• Main Authors: Pang, Kaixiang, Fang, Xiaoke, Ye, Chuanren, Wang, Yuanhui, Zhao, Linlin, Gong, Chunhong, Zhou, Shuaishuai, Zhao, Gai, Zhu, Yanwu, Zhang, Jingwei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c04329

Liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) offers a promising path for scalable graphene production, but struggles with high energy consumption and low yield, with over 99.99% of the input energy wasted. Here, we present an energy-efficient approach for producing graphene via partially frozen-suspension exfoliation (PFE). As opposed to traditional liquid–solid interfaces, the solid–solid interface enhances shear strength between the frozen solvent and graphite from about 40 N m–2 to 105 N m–2. Additionally, the suspension flow transitions from turbulent to laminar, aligning graphite parallel to the flow direction and conducive to the effective utilization of shear force. Compared to conventional liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE), PFE improves energy efficiency by 102∼103 times. Furthermore, a production rate of 5 g h–1 has been achieved in a 10 L tank at an ultralow shear rate of 3 × 102 s–1.