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Comparison between Liquid phase and Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite
By Vandana Sharma, on November 15, 2017
Comparison between Liquid phase and Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite
| Liquid Phase Exfoliation |
Electrochemical Exfoliation |
| Utilizes solvents such as ODCB, NMP and DMF |
Uses Electrolytes like H2SO4,KOH etc |
| Time Consuming but simple approach |
Very Fast approach |
| Not Eco-Friendly |
Eco-Friendly |
| High Structural Defects |
Low structural defects |
| Low Material Yield |
High Material Yield |
| Best quality graphene is produced |
Graphene with several defects is produced |
Detailed Explanation
The two methods namely, Liquid phase exfoliation of graphite and Electrochemical Exfoliation of graphite for graphene synthesis are discussed here. Depending on the observations done while implementing these methods, a comparison between two methods is illustrated as shown in Table.Liquid phase exfoliation employs an easy approach but it’s a time-consuming process. The intercalation and thus spacing between graphite layers get increased with increase in ultrasonication time. However, earlier reports imply the introduction of several defects during long hour sonication. The method implemented produced low yield in comparison to the electrochemical methods which makes use of electrolytes like H2SO4, KOH, Na2SO4 etc. It is a fast process which exfoliates the graphite sample at a very fast rate. Accordingly, high yield is produced. Also, the quality of graphene produced has low introduced defects. Various observations are noted during the experimental process of synthesizing graphene.
Apart from the chemical reaction of these organic solvents on graphite chemistry, there are some physical changes that occurred.When comparing NMP and ODCB, it is finally observed that ODCB was found to give better results due to its high surface tension (36.01mJ/m2) and is a high boiling solvent with a boiling point at 180°C. Also, it can be visualized from the table above that it provides better results as is confirmed by XRD, UV-VIS and SEM results.
The synthesized graphene has the sheet resistance of 96.75 ohm/sq. The conductivity of the film obtained is 0.2 x 10-6 S/m. To summarize one can conclude that graphene is both quantitatively and qualitatively different from any other material conventionally used in electronic applications. The idea of using it to make active electrodes and various electronic devices result in production of the highly efficient device. Further modifications can lead to achieving better results.
Keeping consideration of various advantages and use of graphene for various applications, discussed above, the technology promises a bright future. Advances in producing nanocomposites and nanoparticles have brought many improvements in the device already. Further enhancement in the field of nanotechnology and improvement in graphene synthesis can lead to the elimination of the disadvantages and improvement in the various electrical parameters. The futuristic work associated with this task is to produce high-quality graphene with the high value of conductivity and high surface area.