Facile synthesis of graphene by ultrasonic-assisted electrochemical exfoliation of graphite

Abstract

Graphene, a 2-dimensional form of carbon, attracted significant attention in a wide range of applications such as energy storage, power generation, chemical sensors, composite materials owing to its unmatched physical and chemical properties. In this study, graphene powder was synthesized by ultrasonic-assisted electrochemical exfoliation of the graphite electrode from acidic bath. An external ultrasonic bath (ultrasonic frequency of 40 kHz and ultrasonic power of 180 W) was employed to provide ultrasonic assistance during the electrochemical exfoliation process. The synthesized graphene powder was characterized with FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, and SEM techniques to study the chemical, microstructural and morphological properties. FTIR spectrum exhibited the C–O and O–H functional groups and the C=C stretching of the hexagonal ring of graphene. Raman spectrum showed two sharp peaks for ID and IG bands at ∼1350 cm−1 and ∼1580 cm−1, respectively. The XRD results revealed the polycrystalline nature of graphene powder. The SEM results showed various sizes and shapes of graphene powder. Our proposed method shows huge potentials for facile synthesis of graphene powder on a large scale.