Graphene production process: Chemical exfoliation

Chemical exfoliation: the process

The production of graphene by the chemical exfoliation process results in graphene with few layers (SLG to MLG).

The production route takes advantage of the fact that potassium intercalation compounds dissolve spontaneously in polar solvents.

Advantages and drawbacks

Intercalation of chemical compounds without covalent bonding enables graphene sheets to be separated without introducing functional groups onto the graphene particles.

What’s more, depending on the nature of the intercalation compounds, they can play a stabilizing role, without the need to add surfactants and without altering the properties of graphene. The choice of solvents and intercalation compounds is therefore crucial to obtaining stable, high quality dispersions.

The resulting graphene combines the advantages of the various families of graphene-based materials: high quality while retaining the versatility of a dispersion. Finally, this process can be transposed to industrial scale.

What to remember about the chemical exfoliation process?

This process is currently being industrialized by Carbon Waters, which has mastered this method. The innovation on which its expertise is based enables it to produce stable dispersions, opening up the possibility of using graphene for industrial applications.

In this category

Graphene has many benefits for the construction industry

Graphene: an innovative ally for sustainable buildings

In a context where the transition to more sustainable, environmentally-friendly construction has become a priority, the integration of innovative materials and disruptive technologies plays a crucial role. Among these materials, graphene is a promising solution for revolutionizing the building sector. In this article, Carbon Waters takes a look at the current state of play in […]

Le graphène permet d'alléger les avions et renforcer leurs structures

Aerospace: how does graphene meet the sector’s challenges?

Faced with global warming, the aerospace industry is in the throes of a real environmental crisis, and must achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 – a considerable challenge for the entire sector. Thanks to its multiple properties, graphene ticks all the boxes when it comes to meeting the challenges facing the aeronautics sector: decarbonization through lighter […]

Le graphène comme solution pour augmenter la durée de vie des éoliennes

Wind power: what are the challenges and how...

Since the early 1990s, more and more wind turbines – modern windmills that convert the energy of the wind into electricity – have been blooming in our landscapes. As part of the energy transition, the wind turbine market is expanding to offer greener energy with controlled environmental impact. According to Ademe, this energy source is […]