Laser‐Induced Graphene Formation on Wood

TLDR

Wood is a renewable resource that has attracted research and commercial interest for applications ranging from construction to chemical production. The study reports a facile approach to transform wood into hierarchical porous graphene. This transformation is achieved by CO₂ laser scribing of the wood. The crosslinked lignocellulose structure in high‑lignin wood yields high‑quality graphene with ≈10 Ω / sq conductivity, enabling high‑performance electrodes for water‑splitting and supercapacitors, and the technique’s versatility encourages further research and industrial development of wood‑derived graphene hybrids.

Abstract

Wood as a renewable naturally occurring resource has been the focus of much research and commercial interests in applications ranging from building construction to chemicals production. Here, a facile approach is reported to transform wood into hierarchical porous graphene using CO2 laser scribing. Studies reveal that the crosslinked lignocellulose structure inherent in wood with higher lignin content is more favorable for the generation of high-quality graphene than wood with lower lignin content. Because of its high electrical conductivity (≈10 Ω per square), graphene patterned on wood surfaces can be readily fabricated into various high-performance devices, such as hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution electrodes for overall water splitting with high reaction rates at low overpotentials, and supercapacitors for energy storage with high capacitance. The versatility of this technique in formation of multifunctional wood hybrids can inspire both research and industrial interest in the development of wood-derived graphene materials and their nanodevices.