Liquid metals break down organic fuels into ultra-thin graphitic sheets
First synthesis of ultra-thin graphitic materials at room temperature
using organic fuels

Date:
June 10, 2020
Source:
ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics
Technologies
Summary:
For the first time, researchers show the synthesis of ultra-thin
graphitic materials at room temperature using organic fuels (which
can be as simple as basic alcohols such as ethanol).



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
For the first time, FLEET researchers at UNSW, Sydney show the synthesis
of ultra-thin graphitic materials at room temperature using organic fuels (which can be as simple as basic alcohols such as ethanol).


========================================================================== Graphitic materials, such as graphene, are ultra-thin sheets of carbon compounds that are sought after materials with great promises for battery storage, solar cells, touch panels and even more recently fillers for
polymers.

These researchers were able to synthesize ultra-thin carbon-based
materials on the surface of liquid metals at room temperature electrochemically. Before this report, others had shown electro-formation
of such carbon-based materials only by transferring sheets onto the
electrodes or electrode exfoliation of naturally-occurring carbon crystals
from mines.

"Using gallium liquid metal, we could catalytically break down the fuels
and form carbon-carbon bonds (the base of graphitic sheets) from organic
fuels at room temperature. The ultra-smooth surface of liquid metals
could then template atomically-thin carbon based sheets. Removal of
these sheets was easy as they do not stick to the liquid metal surface," suggested Prof Kalantar-Zadeh, the lead of this project and the Director
of the Centre for Advanced Solid and Liquid based Electronics and Optics (CASLEO) at UNSW.

"It is simple. Why has room temperature electro-synthesis of
two-dimensional graphitic materials not been achieved before? We cannot
offer a definitive answer. Perhaps disregarding ultra-catalysts such
as liquid metals and too much emphasis on solid electrodes which are
inherently not smooth." added Dr Mohannad Mayyas the first author of
the paper.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by ARC_Centre_of_Excellence_in_Future_Low-Energy_Electronics
Technologies. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Mohannad Mayyas, Hongzhe Li, Priyank Kumar, Mohammad B. Ghasemian,
Jiong
Yang, Yifang Wang, Douglas J. Lawes, Jialuo Han, Maricruz
G. Saborio, Jianbo Tang, Rouhollah Jalili, Sun Hwa Lee, Won Kyung
Seong, Salvy P.

Russo, Dorna Esrafilzadeh, Torben Daeneke, Richard B. Kaner,
Rodney S.

Ruoff, Kourosh
Kalantar‐Zadeh. Liquid‐Metal‐Templated Synthesis
of 2D Graphitic Materials at Room Temperature. Advanced Materials,
2020; 2001997 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202001997 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200610102517.htm

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