Synthesis and Characterization of Reduced Graphene Oxide from Indigenous Coal: A Non-Burning Solution

Abstract

A great deal of research has been made into producing graphene or graphene oxide by utilizing graphite as a starting material. An alternate method of producing graphene is using low-grade coal as a starting material. Due to the abundance of coal in Pakistan and increased environmental concern from Government bodies and environmental agencies alike, increased awareness is being made to move over to non-burning solutions to fossil fuels. Experiments were performed on two ranks of coal in parallel; lignite and sub-bituminous. Coal was pretreated first to remove the undesired impurities, which could hinder the graphene synthesis later on. Acid washing with multiple waters was done, followed by carbonization in the furnace. After the pretreatment, the Hummers method was chosen as a chemical process for synthesizing graphene. It is a less complex method, can be easily performed with available resources, and is comparatively cheaper and environmentally friendly. The resulting sample was tested with SEM and EDS, and graphene oxide was confirmed. It was followed by a water-based reduction method to produce reduced graphene oxide from graphene oxide. This modified hydrothermal method was chosen for its eco-friendliness. The final sample was dried and tested with XRD, SEM, FTIR, and RAMAN to authenticate the type of graphene produced. Graphene has remarkable properties, including very high tensile modulus, extremely high thermal conductivity, and charge carrier mobility exceeding 200,000 cm2V-1s-1. Such properties are reason enough to explore low cost, environment friendly, and scalable means of graphene production. Potential graphene applications in various medical, chemical and industrial processes are enhanced or enabled by using new graphene materials.

Dielectric Properties and Electrochemical behavior of Graphene Oxide derived from Myanmar Coal Minerals

“…The Figure 2 shows the formation of graphene oxide with a closely packed lamellar structure and a well packed layered structure [33]. Although it has some impurities which does not show the proper multilayered structure and is instead in the form of flakes [34]. The porous stacking structures of graphene oxide were observed in GO sample and many pores that appear in the stacked structure in GO-Ag and GO-Ni nanocomposites.…”

Simplified One-Pot Synthesis of Graphene Oxide from Different Coals and its Potential Application in Enhancing the Mechanical Performance of GFRP Nanocomposites

“…XRD analysis showed a diffraction peak at 2θ = 12.5°, corresponding to the (001) crystalline plane with a d-spacing of approximately 0.789 nm, confirming the formation of GO. Hashmi et al 29 used sub-bituminous coal to synthesize graphene oxide (GO). XRD analysis showed a broad peak from 15°to 22°, indicating the amorphous nature of GO.…”