An efficient one-pot process to exfoliate and disperse graphene
Our new paper describes how sulfated cellulose nanofibrils can be used for aqueous exfoliation and dispersion of monolayer and bilayer graphene from graphite.
Graphene has remarkable physical properties: it is tough, flexible, electrically and thermally conductive. However, it has yet to find widespread commercial application, largely due to the challenges of producing monolayers consistently and in bulk. Our work, led by our collaborators at UC Davis and with our partners at Baylor University and the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, demonstrates an efficient one-pot process that creates aqueously exfoliated monolayers and bilayers of graphene using sulfated cellulose nanofibrils from abundantly available cellulose feedstocks.
The sulfated cellulose nanofibrils were produced from dissolving pulp cellulose with chlorosulfonic acid treatment and high-speed blending. In addition to demonstrating the nanofibrils exfoliation of graphite into mono- and bi-layers of graphene, the sulfated cellulose nanofibrils created in this work are part of a larger project, funded by P3 Nano to develop a safer-by-design toolbox for next-generation cellulose materials. The sulfated cellulose nanofibrils were designed to span a range of different surface charge densities, widths and lengths to provide a comparable series of nanocellulose references and standards for environmental, health and safety assessments.