Verification of experimental results with simulation on production of few-layer graphene by liquid-phase exfoliation utilizing sonication

Abstract

Graphene, an extraordinary tow-dimensional carbon nanostructure, has attracted global attention due to its electronic, mechanical, and chemical properties; therefore, there is a need to find out an economical mass production method to produce graphene. In the present research, the aim is to find out optimal conditions for exfoliation of few-layers graphene (FLG) in a water–ethanol green solution. We varied different parameters of the ultrasonic probe like power quantity and time duration of sonication to investigate the effects on the number of graphene layers and density of graphene in the solution. Also, an attempt has been made to predict the acoustic pressure distribution by solving the wave equation in various output powers of the ultrasonic probe (sonotrode) using numerical simulations. The simulations and experimentations verify each other. Concluding that modifying the output power at the same condition will significantly alter the acoustic pressure inside the sonoreactor. The difference in acoustic pressure at 90% output power of our experimentations is much higher than in other conditions. Experimentation results utilizing UV–visible spectra, SEM (Scanning electron microscope), TEM (Transmission electron microscope) images and Raman spectrum indicate that the minimum thickness and maximum exfoliation for these samples are acquired for sonication at 90% of the maximum effective output power of the sonicator being 264 W for 55 min.

Green synthesis of heterolayered 2D nanohybrid catalytic hydrogel cell for environmentally-friendly water splitting

“…14,24 Although ethanol is considered a green solvent and has a low boiling point, the surface tension of ethanol is close to 22.1 mJ m −2 , rendering it difficult to achieve physical exfoliation of 2D materials. 27 The introduction of PVP in ethanol allows for a decrease in the surface tension of graphite and bulk MoS 2 . 18,28,29 Here, the hydrophobic methylene and hydrophilic amide groups in the PVP behave as an amphiphilic property, which contributes to the interaction between the graphite and MoS 2 and, as a result, an increase in the layer spacing of 2D materials, resulting in the PVP-attached exfoliated 2D materials (see Fig.…”

Recent Advances in the Preparation and Application of Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials

“…Furthermore, a prolonged ultrasonic time led to a decrease in the lateral size of RuO 2 NS decreases and reduced the energy required for peeling (Figure 2b,c). Besides, Mushfq et al [51] investigated the impact of ultrasonic time and power on the quality and yield of fewer layered graphene samples (one-three layers). The findings indicate that the optimal sample quality and yield are achieved by ultrasonication for 55 min at a power output of 264 W. The TEM images demonstrate the presence of exfoliated multilayer (<10 layers) and fewer layered (one-three layers) samples (Figure 2d), with better quality and smaller-sized large graphene flakes (Figure 2e).…”

Graphene’s Role in the Clean-Up Act: Progress in Industrial Wastewater Treatment

“…Sonication-assisted LPE includes the following steps: dispersion of graphite in a solvent, followed by exfoliation of the dispersion, especially via cavitation bubbles in sonication and repeated filtering of the solution for separating graphene based on their size and the number of layers to obtain purified graphene. There are two types of sonication tips, A and B and both types of sonication can be employed simultaneously or individually [38].…”