Exfoliation and performance properties of non-oxidized graphene in water

Single-layered graphene has unique electronic, chemical, and electromechanical properties. Recently, graphite exfoliation in N-methylpyrrolidone and molten salt has been demonstrated to generate monolayer exfoliated graphene sheets (EGS). However, these solvents are either high-priced or require special care and have high boiling points and viscosities, making it difficult to deposit the dispersed graphene onto substrates. Here we show a universal principle for the exfoliation of graphite in water to single-layered and several-layered graphene sheets via the direct exfoliation of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) using pyridinium tribromide (Py(+)Br3(-)). Electrical conductivity >5100 S/cm was observed for filtered graphene paper, and the EGS exhibited superior performance as a hole transport layer compared to the conventional material N,N-di(naphthalene-1-yl)-N,N-diphenylbenzidine at low voltage. The overall results demonstrate that this method is a scalable process for the preparation of highly conductive graphene for use in the commercial manufacture of high-performance electronic devices.