Chemical synthesis of single-layer graphene by using ball milling compared with NaBH4 and hydroquinone reductants

Abstract

Graphene materials especially single-layer graphene have been identified as a new generation of nanomaterials having various potential applications in material industries. However, the synthesis procedure of single-layer graphene to improve its quality, size and amount has been still under research for commercial applications. The graphene oxide (GO) is synthesised from graphite by Hummer’s spontaneous approach which is the most suitable reaction for a large-scale production. For the single-layer graphene, in this work, GO was exfoliated by using a ball milling in an inert atmosphere. Owing to using ball milling as intermediate treatment degreased oxygen functional groups and number of layers, it facilitates to synthesise graphene. Sodium borohydride (NaBH4) and hydroquinone were used as a reductant for the chemical conversion of the exfoliated GO to graphene. The results showed that due to the strong reduction feature, both reducing agents can be applied in the graphene production. As a preferred reductant, hydroquinone can be successfully applied for the synthesis of the single-layer graphene compared to NaBH4. The obtained graphene particles by two different chemicals were characterised by various analytical techniques. The big difference in the structure of GO and graphene was observed in transmission electron microscope analysis.