Method to make flexible, free-standing graphene paper and product formed thereby
AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
InventorsSundaram Gunasekaran, Omer Sadak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method to make free-standing graphene sheets and the free-standing graphene sheets so formed. The method includes the steps of exfoliating partially oxidized graphene from a carbon-containing electrode into an aqueous solution, acidifying the aqueous solution, and separating from the acidified solution partially oxidized graphene sheet. The partially oxidized graphene is then dried to yield free-standing graphene sheet having a carbon-to-oxygen ratio of at least about 8.0.
Claims16
A method of making free-standing graphene sheet, the method comprising:
- (a) passing an electric potential between a graphite-containing anode and a graphite-containing cathode disposed in a buffered aqueous electrolyte, at a voltage and amperage wherein partially oxidized graphene is exfoliated from the anode and/or the cathode into the electrolyte;
- (b) separating the partially oxidized graphene from the electrolyte and re-dispersing it in water or an aqueous solution to yield a dispersion;
- (c) acidifying the dispersion of step (b) to yield an acidified dispersion containing partially oxidized graphene sheets;
- (d) separating the partially oxidized graphene sheets from the acidified dispersion of step (c);
- (e) drying the partially oxidized graphene sheets to yield free-standing graphene sheets having a carbon-to-oxygen ratio of at least about 8.0.
A free-standing graphene sheet having a carbon-to-oxygen ratio of at least about 8.0 formed by a method comprising:
- (a) passing an electric potential between a graphite-containing anode and a graphite-containing cathode disposed in a buffered aqueous electrolyte, at a voltage and amperage wherein partially oxidized graphene is exfoliated from the anode and/or the cathode into the electrolyte;
- (b) separating the partially oxidized graphene from the electrolyte and re-dispersing it in water or an aqueous solution to yield a dispersion;
- (c) acidifying the dispersion of step (b) to yield an acidified dispersion containing partially oxidized graphene sheets;
- (d) separating the partially oxidized graphene sheets from the acidified dispersion of step (c);
- and
- (e) drying the partially oxidized graphene sheets to yield the free-standing graphene sheet having a carbon-to-oxygen ratio of at least about 8.0.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.