Graphene sheets are prized for their unusual but exciting properties, including extremely high mechanical strength and ability to efficiently conduct heat and electricity. These properties open up a myriad of applications in medicine, electronics, energy, and sensors. However, the production of graphene, which is derived from the exfoliation of graphite, is currently challenged by low efficiency and long exfoliation times.
This invention uniquely combines two techniques, flow and sonication, to overcome these challenges. A graphite suspension is first subjected to a flow process, where it is mixed with zirconium oxide pebbles. Collisions between the graphite and the pebbles modify the graphite’s surface, making it easier for the solvent molecules to “wedge” in between layers during subsequent sonication, significantly increasing graphene exfoliation time-efficiency.
TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION
ADVANTAGES
• Graphene yield from graphite is quadrupled compared to traditional sonication-only treatment
• Thin graphene sheets produced, between 1 and 3 layer thickness, compared to several nm thick with sonication-only treatment
• Produces graphene with fewer topological defects
• Enables continuous process to make graphene sheets from graphite
PRODUCT OPPORTUNITIES
• Touchscreens, LCDs, and OLEDs
• Composites
• Energy: PV cells and energy storage
• Biosensors
• Ultrafiltration
ABOUT THE INVENTOR
Dr. H. Henning Winter is a Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Laboratory for Experimental Rheology. He received the Bingham Medal of the Society of Rheology, the v. Humboldt Prize, and a Creativity Award from NSF. Winter served as editor of Rheologica Acta from 1989 to 2016. Winter and his group have been studying the rheology of polymers near transition states (phase separation, ordering transitions, connectivity transitions, crystallization, electric field induced gelation) with a wide range of experimental methods. Besides experimental rheology, Winter's group also develops novel polymeric materials through processing.
AVAILABILITY:
Available for Licensing and/or Sponsored Research
DOCKET:
UMA 16-018
PATENT STATUS:
Patent U.S. 9,993,749 Issued
NON-CONFIDENTIAL INVENTION DISCLOSURE
LEAD INVENTOR:
H. Henning Winter
CONTACT: