High Concentration Few-layer Graphene Sheets Obtained by Liquid Phase Exfoliation of Graphite in Ionic Liquid

TL;DR

This study demonstrates a simple method using ionic liquids to produce high-concentration few-layer graphene sheets through liquid phase exfoliation, confirmed by various microscopy techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, efficient exfoliation process in ionic liquids achieving record-high graphene concentrations without chemical modifications.

Findings

Graphene concentration reached 2.543 mg/ml, the highest reported.

Raman, AFM, and electron microscopy confirmed few-layer graphene.

The method operates under mild, chemical-free conditions.

Abstract

In the present work, the use of a commercial ionic liquid as a convenient solvent medium for graphite exfoliation in mild and easy conditions without any chemical modification is presented. To confirm the presence of few layer graphene, its dispersion was charachterized by Raman spectroscopy, atomic force miscroscopy and field emission electron microscopy. From the UV-Vis characterization, a graphene concentration as high as 2.543 mg/ml was obtained, which is the highest value reported so far in any solvent.