Two-dimensional (2D) materials have exhibited great potential
for
various applications due to their remarkable properties. Fluid dynamics-assisted
liquid-phase exfoliation is a promising strategy for the scalable
production of 2D materials at a low cost. However, the production
rate is significantly constrained due to the confinement of the high-shear
zone to specific local regions in traditional fluid dynamics devices.
To this end, we designed a novel gas-driven milli-channel shear device
(GMSD). In this work, shear characteristics of the GMSD were studied
using computational fluid dynamics numerical simulation and verified
by high-speed imaging. The exfoliation capability of 2D materials
with the GMSD was investigated through experimental production of
graphene and MoS2. The results indicated that high shear
can be achieved uniformly across the entire GMSD. The average wall
shear stress and internal shear rate of the milli-channel reached
650.2 Pa and 1.94 × 105 s–1, respectively.
The shear stress for 95% of the particles significantly exceeded the
minimum shear stress threshold of 146 Pa. A higher gas–liquid
velocity ratio (k) enhances exfoliation efficiency,
and a sharp outlet demonstrates greater favorability for the exfoliation.
The GMSD, with its simple structure, presents an efficient alternative
for the scalable production of 2D materials.