Preparation of Graphene Nanolayers through Surfactant-assisted Pure Shear Milling Method

Abstract

<p>In this study, graphite powder was used to prepare few-layer graphene sheets through shear milling. During the process, graphite was well dispersed in double distilled water as a lubricant and sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), followed by shaking and milling under low energy. The exerted sheer force led to the continuous delamination of graphene flakes. The microstructural investigation was performed by SEM. In addition, the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis was performed to determine distinct levels of carbon in different fragments of graphite. The ultrathin multilayer structure of graphite was successfully obtained using the surfactant of SDS, which can lead to the production of molecularly thin sheets by mechanical peeling. Moreover, it was found that this synthesis method has some advantages, including cost-effectiveness and ease in performance for producing many graphene nanolayers.</p>