Graphene is attractive for a wide range of applications such as high frequency transistors, flexible electronics and supercapacitor electrodes. However, graphene fabrication by chemical vapour deposition on catalytic metal substrates require temperatures above 1000°C and an additional transfer step to deposit graphene on the target substrate. Graphene fabrication by graphite exfoliation results in partially exfoliated structures of thick aggregated stacks of graphene sheets.
Hence, there is a need for solution-dispersible graphene sheets that can be readily deposited onto target substrates at relatively low temperatures (>150°C), for organic electronic applications. This technology is a low temperature and cost-efficient graphene fabrication method from functionalised graphene oxide.
This technology presents oxygen-containing graphene nanosheets that are:
This material is dispersible in high concentration (>15 mg·mL-1) in appropriate solvents without aggregating/precipitating over extended periods at room temperature. The excellent dispersibility of the surface-grafted oxygen containing graphene nanosheets, at the single sheet level, in organic solvents is sufficient for spin coating and printing onto a variety of substrates. The films may then be readily deoxidised to graphene (e.g. about 80% completion at 300°C, or by chemical reduction) to give, for example, a network of low dimensional graphenite tracks and dots on the nanosheets.
According to a new technical market research report, the global market value for graphene-based products will be worth an estimated $67 million in 2015 and is expected to increase to $675.1 million in 2020, for a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 58.7%.