Harnessing the liquid-phase exfoliation of graphene using aliphatic compounds: a supramolecular approach

The technological exploitation of the extraordinary properties of graphene relies on the ability to achieve full control over the production of a high-quality material and its processing by up-scalable approaches in order to fabricate large-area films with single-layer or a few atomic-layer thickness, which might be integrated in working devices. A simple method is reported for producing homogenous dispersions of unfunctionalized and non-oxidized graphene nanosheets in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) by using simple molecular modules, which act as dispersion-stabilizing compounds during the liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) process, leading to an increase in the concentration of graphene in dispersions. The LPE-processed graphene dispersion was shown to be a conductive ink. This approach opens up new avenues for the technological applications of this graphene ink as low-cost electrodes and conducting nanocomposite for electronics.