Investigation of the effects of operating conditions on liquid phase graphene production

In recent years, graphene and graphene-based materials have shown great promise in the field of nanotechnology. However, the limited use of simple and cost-effective methods in mass production of graphene limits its widespread use in many technological applications. In this study, a simple and effective approach for the production of multilayer graphene sheets by electrochemical exfoliation of graphite has been demonstrated. The effect of electrolyte solution type and concentration on electrochemical exfoliation and sonication, and high yield multilayer graphene synthesis was investigated. In electrochemical exfoliation, HCl, H2SO4 and NaOH solutions prepared in four different concentrations as 0,05, 0,1, 0,5 and 1 M and the highest graphene concentration of 0,011 mg/ml was obtained when 1 M H2SO4 used. Particle size distribution, FT-IR, XRD, Raman, TEM, SEM and TGA analyzes were performed for characterization. The multilayer graphene flake was mixed with epoxy paints in different ratios, and the effect of graphene on corrosion resistance was evaluated according to ASTM B117 standards. As a result, for liquid-phase graphene production via electrochemical exfoliation followed by sonication, it is determined that a few-layer or multilayer graphene can be obtained in a relatively high conversion under proper conditions.