Graphite Powder Exfoliation
Graphite powder has many applications in industrial and domestic settings. It can be used as a dry lubricant or as an additive to polymer compounds.
In addition, it can be used as a coating for metal surfaces. It can also be used to make conductive paints.
Exfoliation is a process that breaks down layers of graphite to form individual sheets called nanosheets, which are less than a micrometer wide but still less than a nanometer thick. It can be done by a process known as liquid-phase exfoliation or in other ways.
The most important factor in successful exfoliation is to overcome the van der Waals attraction forces between the adjacent graphene layers. This is achieved by using good solvents that minimize the interfacial tension between graphene and solvent.
Graphene consists of two-dimensional platelets weakly stacked to form three-dimensional structures that are able to bind chemical bonds in-plane but display weak out-of-plane bonding. This results in a high surface activity in the material and is essential for some applications such as catalytic materials, ion exchangers, and fillers in composites.
Graphite is also one of the few materials that can conduct electricity. Electron delocalization occurs within the graphite layers, which creates a large surface area and makes it a good electrical conductor. Graphene can be exfoliated to produce individual sheets and is a promising material for a wide range of applications, including electrical, thermal, and acoustic properties. Graphene can be produced by various methods, but liquid-phase exfoliation has several advantages.
