Extremely Efficient Liquid Exfoliation and Dispersion of Layered Materials by Unusual Acoustic Cavitation

Layered materials must be exfoliated and dispersed in solvents for diverse applications. Usually, highly energetic probe sonication may be considered to be an unfavourable method for the less defective exfoliation and dispersion of layered materials. Here we show that judicious use of ultrasonic cav...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2014-05, Vol.4 (1), p.5133, Article 5133
Main Authors: Han, Joong Tark, Jang, Jeong In, Kim, Haena, Hwang, Jun Yeon, Yoo, Hyung Keun, Woo, Jong Seok, Choi, Sua, Kim, Ho Young, Jeong, Hee Jin, Jeong, Seung Yol, Baeg, Kang-Jun, Cho, Kilwon, Lee, Geon-Woong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
140/133
147/135
147/143
639/301/119/995
639/638/440/94
639/925/357/1018
Acoustics
Aeration
Cavitation
Composite materials
Electrical conductivity
Exfoliation
Graphene
Graphite
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Nanomaterials
Research centers
Science
Solvents
Sonication
Surfactants
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Summary:Layered materials must be exfoliated and dispersed in solvents for diverse applications. Usually, highly energetic probe sonication may be considered to be an unfavourable method for the less defective exfoliation and dispersion of layered materials. Here we show that judicious use of ultrasonic cavitation can produce exfoliated transition metal dichalcogenide nanosheets extraordinarily dispersed in non-toxic solvent by minimising the sonolysis of solvent molecules. Our method can also lead to produce less defective, large graphene oxide nanosheets from graphite oxide in a short time (within 10 min), which show high electrical conductivity (>20,000 S m −1 ) of the printed film. This was achieved by adjusting the ultrasonic probe depth to the liquid surface to generate less energetic cavitation (delivered power ~6 W), while maintaining sufficient acoustic shearing (0.73 m s −1 ) and generating additional microbubbling by aeration at the liquid surface.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/srep05133