Graphene is a multifunctional carbon nanomaterial widely synthesized for its applications in composites, energy storage, and sensors.
Although previous reviews mentioned that achieving an increased yield compromises graphene quality, limiting its commercialization, recent research on graphene highlighted the use of naturally abundant carbonaceous sources for the cost-effective production of graphene derivatives.
An article published in the journal Energy and Fuels discussed the recent advances in high-quality graphene synthesis from various naturally available carbonaceous materials with a glimpse of their potential scalability for commercialization. Moreover, previously reported synthetic strategies were explored to determine the most suitable technique to obtain high-quality graphene derivatives with good yield.
The application of graphene derivatives in the energy sector was also discussed, highlighting their importance for energy storage. The present review summarized the current scenario in graphene production and provided an insight into their cost-efficient production with high purity.
Graphene and Graphite
Among various carbon materials, graphene stands as an advanced carbonaceous material. Moreover, its high functionality is due to its distinct two-dimensional (2D) polymeric structure consisting of covalently bonded carbon atoms with sp2 hybridization, organized in a hexagonal lattice structure.
Moreover, the delocalized π-electrons present in the aromatic ring of graphene contribute to the improved thermal and electrical conductivity, tensile strength, high stiffness, high specific surface area, impermeability, and higher optical transparency, making graphene an important and cost-effective carbonaceous material for industrial applications.
Graphite is one of the reliable raw materials for graphene synthesis and has close structural similarity with it.
Coal for Graphene Derivatives
Coal is formed due to the natural coalification process and is popularly used to produce electrical energy. The three-dimensional framework of coal is composed of various inorganic and organic materials forming a complex heterogeneous mixture. Coal’s organic domains constitute aromatic/hydroaromatic and aliphatic carbon ring structures interconnected via aliphatic/ether linkages. On the other hand, the inorganic counterparts contain the constituents of sulfates, clays, silicates, carbonates, pyrites, and free minerals.
The aromatic/hydroaromatic/heterocyclic polycondensed carbon rings in coal, connected via the ether, methylene, and aromatic carbon-carbon linkages, form a fascinating organic framework within its structural matrix.
Anthracite coal has a high degree of coalification with several sp2 hybridized carbon microcrocrystals. The previously reported taixi anthracite was prepared from coal, wherein the raw coal was initially converted into graphite-like carbon material via graphitization at 2400 degrees Celsius for two hours and in the presence of iron (III) sulfate (Fe2(SO4)3) as a catalyst. Later the graphite-like carbon material was oxidized into graphite-like carbon oxides via the Hummers’ method.
On the other hand, bituminous coal, synthesized as raw material for coal-derived graphene films, involved initial electrolysis followed by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. During the electrolysis, a coal electrolytic cell was used with a 4-molar concentration of sulfuric acid as an electrolyte.
40 millimolar iron (II) sulfate heptahydrate and 40 millimolar Fe2(SO4)3 were used as a source for iron ions alongside the addition of coal to the anodic solution. Later, the obtained coal char was treated with electrolysis treated with the CVD system.
Low-Cost Carbonaceous Precursor (LCP) and Biomass for Graphene Derivatives
Biomass-based materials are widely used as graphene precursors due to their structural and chemical favorability, facile operation, and low cost. A previous report mentioned peanut shells as agricultural waste biomass to synthesize few-layered graphene via probe sonication. Other biosources like grass and cockroach legs were also reported as precursors to obtaining monolayered graphene derivatives of high quality.
The LCP-based material serves as raw material for the high-scale production of low-cost graphene with optimal quality. The advantages of high yield and scalability of the LCP-based graphene derivatives enable their applicability in sensors, energy storage, water treatment, and catalysis. Since graphene is widely used in energy storage devices as electrode material, LCP-based graphene derivatives can meet the need for high-quality, low-cost graphene required for fabricating energy storage devices.
Conclusion
To summarize, naturally abundant, low-cost carbonaceous material was found to be an affordable and suitable source to produce commercial graphene. Graphene derivatives based on LCP showed excellent electrochemical properties for their energy storage applications. Despite the importance of graphite as a commercialized graphene precursor, low-cost carbon materials like coal fulfill the need for a cost-effective high-quality graphene derivative obtained commercially.
Additionally, the raw material and the synthetic methodology used in graphene synthesis highly impact the graphene characteristics. The LCP feedstock can serve as an efficient alternate precursor to coal for largescale commercialization of graphene derivatives economically.
News
NanoMedical Brain/Cloud Interface – Explorations and Implications. A new book from Frank Boehm
New book from Frank Boehm, NanoappsMedical Inc Founder: This book explores the future hypothetical possibility that the cerebral cortex of the human brain might be seamlessly, safely, and securely connected with the Cloud via [...]
How lipid nanoparticles carrying vaccines release their cargo
A study from FAU has shown that lipid nanoparticles restructure their membrane significantly after being absorbed into a cell and ending up in an acidic environment. Vaccines and other medicines are often packed in [...]
New book from NanoappsMedical Inc – Molecular Manufacturing: The Future of Nanomedicine
This book explores the revolutionary potential of atomically precise manufacturing technologies to transform global healthcare, as well as practically every other sector across society. This forward-thinking volume examines how envisaged Factory@Home systems might enable the cost-effective [...]
A Virus Designed in the Lab Could Help Defeat Antibiotic Resistance
Scientists can now design bacteria-killing viruses from DNA, opening a faster path to fighting superbugs. Bacteriophages have been used as treatments for bacterial infections for more than a century. Interest in these viruses is rising [...]
Sleep Deprivation Triggers a Strange Brain Cleanup
When you don’t sleep enough, your brain may clean itself at the exact moment you need it to think. Most people recognize the sensation. After a night of inadequate sleep, staying focused becomes harder [...]
Lab-grown corticospinal neurons offer new models for ALS and spinal injuries
Researchers have developed a way to grow a highly specialized subset of brain nerve cells that are involved in motor neuron disease and damaged in spinal injuries. Their study, published today in eLife as the final [...]
Urgent warning over deadly ‘brain swelling’ virus amid fears it could spread globally
Airports across Asia have been put on high alert after India confirmed two cases of the deadly Nipah virus in the state of West Bengal over the past month. Thailand, Nepal and Vietnam are among the [...]
This Vaccine Stops Bird Flu Before It Reaches the Lungs
A new nasal spray vaccine could stop bird flu at the door — blocking infection, reducing spread, and helping head off the next pandemic. Since first appearing in the United States in 2014, H5N1 [...]
These two viruses may become the next public health threats, scientists say
Two emerging pathogens with animal origins—influenza D virus and canine coronavirus—have so far been quietly flying under the radar, but researchers warn conditions are ripe for the viruses to spread more widely among humans. [...]
COVID-19 viral fragments shown to target and kill specific immune cells
COVID-19 viral fragments shown to target and kill specific immune cells in UCLA-led study Clues about extreme cases and omicron’s effects come from a cross-disciplinary international research team New research shows that after the [...]
Smaller Than a Grain of Salt: Engineers Create the World’s Tiniest Wireless Brain Implant
A salt-grain-sized neural implant can record and transmit brain activity wirelessly for extended periods. Researchers at Cornell University, working with collaborators, have created an extremely small neural implant that can sit on a grain of [...]
Scientists Develop a New Way To See Inside the Human Body Using 3D Color Imaging
A newly developed imaging method blends ultrasound and photoacoustics to capture both tissue structure and blood-vessel function in 3D. By blending two powerful imaging methods, researchers from Caltech and USC have developed a new way to [...]
Brain waves could help paralyzed patients move again
People with spinal cord injuries often lose the ability to move their arms or legs. In many cases, the nerves in the limbs remain healthy, and the brain continues to function normally. The loss of [...]
Scientists Discover a New “Cleanup Hub” Inside the Human Brain
A newly identified lymphatic drainage pathway along the middle meningeal artery reveals how the human brain clears waste. How does the brain clear away waste? This task is handled by the brain’s lymphatic drainage [...]
New Drug Slashes Dangerous Blood Fats by Nearly 40% in First Human Trial
Scientists have found a way to fine-tune a central fat-control pathway in the liver, reducing harmful blood triglycerides while preserving beneficial cholesterol functions. When we eat, the body turns surplus calories into molecules called [...]
A Simple Brain Scan May Help Restore Movement After Paralysis
A brain cap and smart algorithms may one day help paralyzed patients turn thought into movement—no surgery required. People with spinal cord injuries often experience partial or complete loss of movement in their arms [...]
