Production of graphene by electrochemical exfoliation - Phase 1

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This project focusses on the scale up and commercialization of an innovative method for the production of graphene using electrochemical exfoliation. Currently, graphene producers employ methods such as chemical vapour deposition, mechnaical and chemical exfoliation, but all these methods either produce low quality graphene or have a very high cost of production. Our lab scale experiments with electrochemical exfoliation have demonstrated some unique benefits over currently used methods, including: - Conversion of inexpensive, readily available graphite directly to exfoliated graphene in a timescale of minutes, and with ultra-low energy consumption (a few kWh/kg, vs. 300-1000 kWh/kg for other processes). - Operation at ambient temperature (<20°C vs 80°C or higher) and pressure. - Production of high-quality graphene, with low contamination, few defects, and high aspect ratio. - Production of a tunable graphene product, with properties tailored to different applications. For example we have tuned the process to produce a graphene that has outstanding resistance to oxidation and thermal stability at up to 800°C in air. Based on our preliminary laboratory studies we have demonstrated that the process has lower energy consumption, environmental impact, and production cost than conventional processes, with the added benefit product tunability. The produced graphene can be used in a wide range of applications, including batteries, fuel cells, electrolysers, conducting polymer composites, printed circuits, and electronic applications. In this project the process for graphene production by electrochemical exfoliation will be scaled up to gram and kilogram quantities and validated to confirm that consistent product quality can be obtained. The project will provide performance data for techno-economic evaluation and design data for scale up and pilot-scale testing.