PHYS ORG - Graphene production technique offers green alternative to graphite mining

"Researchers in Sweden report a green alternative to reduce reliance on mining graphite, the raw source behind the "wonder material" graphene. In the journal Small, researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology say they have developed a reproducible and scalable method for producing graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets from commercial carbon fibers, marking a breakthrough in sustainable nanomaterial synthesis."

"The process involves exfoliating carbon fibers with nitric acid, which provides high yields of one-atom-thick sheets of graphene oxide with characteristics comparable to commercial GO sourced from mined graphite."

"Graphene oxide is a widely studied nanomaterial that can be used in car batteries when its thin sheets stack together, forming layers similar to graphite. It is also useful in high-performance composites, water purification and electronic devices. However, synthesis from mined graphite requires harsh chemicals and often results in material inconsistencies due to variations in graphite purity."

"Richard Olsson, professor of polymeric materials at KTH, says the proof of concept was carried out with carbon fibers derived from polyacrylonitrile (PAN), a widely available polymer that undergoes high-temperature oxidation and graphitization. He says the method could be duplicated with other raw sources, such as raw sources such as biomass or forest industry sidestreams."

"Olsson points to the electric vehicle battery market as one that can benefit from the new technology. "The core of graphite battery functionality can be found in the layered graphene inside, which can be harvested from commercial carbon fibers using this method," he says."

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