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Lithium-assisted exfoliation of pristine graphite for few-layer graphene nanosheets

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Abstract

A lithium-assisted approach has been developed for the exfoliation of pristine graphite, which allows the large-scale preparation of few-layer graphene nanosheets. The process involves an unexpected physical insertion and exfoliation, and the graphene nanosheets prepared by this method reveal undisturbed sp2-hybridized structures. A possible two-step mechanism, which involves the negative charge being trapped around the edges of the graphite layers and a subsequent lithiation process, is proposed to explain the insertion of lithium inside the graphite interlayers. If necessary, the present exfoliation can be repeated and thinner (single or 2–3 layer) graphene can be achieved on a large scale. This simple process provides an efficient process for the exfoliation of pristine graphite, which might promote the future applications of graphene.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

    Minwei Xu, Huiting Sun, Sen Yang & Xiaoping Song

  2. Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, International Center for Dielectric Research, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

    Minwei Xu & Wenxiu Que

  3. Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Science, Ningbo, 315201, China

    Cai Shen

  4. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 201804, China

    Yin Zhang

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  1. Minwei Xu
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  2. Huiting Sun
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  6. Yin Zhang
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Correspondence to Yin Zhang or Xiaoping Song.

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Xu, M., Sun, H., Shen, C. et al. Lithium-assisted exfoliation of pristine graphite for few-layer graphene nanosheets. Nano Res. 8, 801–807 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-014-0562-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-014-0562-4

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