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Graphene dispersion in a surfactant-free, polar solvent

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Abstract

Here, we demonstrate dispersion of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in ethylene glycol (EG), a polar dispersion medium, by a liquid-phase exfoliation method involving sonication and centrifugation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy are used for qualitative and quantitative characterization of the graphene dispersions. TEM micrographs confirm the exfoliation and production of monolayer GNPs after sonication. Statistical analysis of TEM micrographs shows that increasing the sonication time increases the degree of exfoliation of GNPs. Raman spectroscopy studies also show that high-power probe sonication exfoliates multi-layer GNPs to few-layer GNPs. The proposed method is promising to provide monolayer and few-layer graphene dispersed in a polar medium, practical to multiple engineering applications including polymer nanocomposites.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge XG Sciences for providing xGnP-M-5 grade nanoplatelets. We also acknowledge Dr. Kaan Kalkan, Professor at the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department at OSU, and Ms. Lisa Whitworth, an associate at OSU Microscopy Lab, for their continuous support and help with Raman spectroscopy and TEM imaging. This work is part of an industry-sponsored research program at Oklahoma State University.

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  1. School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Helmerich Advanced Technology Research Center, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, OK, 74106, USA

    Vahid Shabafrooz, Sudheer Bandla & Jay C. Hanan

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  1. Vahid Shabafrooz
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  2. Sudheer Bandla
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  3. Jay C. Hanan
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Correspondence to Jay C. Hanan.

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Shabafrooz, V., Bandla, S. & Hanan, J.C. Graphene dispersion in a surfactant-free, polar solvent. J Mater Sci 53, 559–572 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-017-1456-0

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