Issue 45, 2013

Can closed shell graphitic materials be exfoliated? Defect induced porphyra-like graphene from the cooperation of activation and oxidation

Abstract

Due to its inert closed-shell structure, the graphitic onion-like carbon (GOC) could not be exfoliated into a graphene-like structure by a simple Hummers' method even under rigorous conditions. Herein, we successfully exfoliated GOC into twisted graphene oxide nanosheets by the cooperation of chemical activation and Hummers' oxidation. Porphyra-like graphene nanosheets were further prepared from the twisted graphene oxide nanosheets by rapid thermal expansion. The defects introduced by activation were considered to play significant roles in the unfolding of GOC because they provide reactive sites for the oxidation. As an anode material for lithium ion batteries, the obtained porphyra-like graphene exhibited much better electrochemical properties than those of GOC. Our work can contribute to (1) deeply understand the exfoliation mechanism of graphitic materials by chemical oxidation especially the influence of defects during these steps; and (2) provide new strategies for designing functional graphene based materials from inert graphitic structures.

Graphical abstract: Can closed shell graphitic materials be exfoliated? Defect induced porphyra-like graphene from the cooperation of activation and oxidation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 8 2013
Accepted
24 9 2013
First published
25 9 2013

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 14103-14107

Can closed shell graphitic materials be exfoliated? Defect induced porphyra-like graphene from the cooperation of activation and oxidation

S. Zhang, J. Niu, H. Song, L. Zhu, J. Zhou, X. Chen, J. Liu, S. Hong and R. Song, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013, 1, 14103 DOI: 10.1039/C3TA13383D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements