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Ultrasonic liquid exfoliation for producing graphene materials from rice stem: Investigating cellular components and
Xinyun Wu1, Manickam Sivakumar2, Siew Shee Lim3
1Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo 315100, China.
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry
|February 3, 2024
Summary
Ultrasound effectively synthesizes few-layer graphene oxide from biomass. This method utilizes plant cell structures and solvent properties to create nanoporous graphene oxide, a promising sustainable material.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Green Chemistry
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Graphene production often relies on energy-intensive or hazardous methods.
- Biomass offers a sustainable and abundant precursor for advanced materials.
- Understanding biomass structure is key to developing efficient conversion processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a straightforward method for producing graphene material from biomass using ultrasound.
- To investigate the influence of plant cell composition on graphene synthesis.
- To explore the role of solvent properties in ultrasound-assisted biomass conversion.
Main Methods:
- Ultrasound-assisted exfoliation of biochar derived from biomass.
- Utilizing an ultrasonic bath system (134.4 W, 40 kHz, 0.5 W/cm²) for graphene oxide synthesis.
- Analyzing the effect of ethanol and water content in the solvent system on dispersion and cavitation.
Main Results:
- Ultrasound significantly enhances graphene material production from biomass.
- Ethanol reduced surface tension, aiding biochar and graphene oxide dispersion.
- Water maintained polarity, improving ultrasound-induced cavitation.
- Synthesized graphene oxide featured few layers, intact structure, abundant functional groups, and ~100 nm nanopores.
- Nanopores correlated with preserved biomass cellular structures.
Conclusions:
- Ultrasound is a crucial and effective tool for synthesizing graphene from biomass.
- Plant cell composition and structure directly impact the characteristics of the resulting graphene material.
- The developed method offers a promising, sustainable approach for producing nanoporous graphene oxide.
