Semi-transparent, conductive thin films of electrochemical exfoliated graphene

Abstract

The electrochemical exfoliation of graphite to give one-atom-thick graphene with desirable properties is a green, cost-effective method for high-yield graphene production. This paper presents the results of electrochemical exfoliation of two different graphite precursors under an applied direct current voltage of +12 V. The used characterization techniques (elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy) showed that the exfoliated powder is highly functionalized with a low carbon/oxygen content that is similar to graphene oxide. The exfoliated graphene sheets dispersed in N,N′-dimethylformamide were deposited on ano-discs by vacuum filtration and transferred to glass ceramic substrates. The thermal annealing of the as-deposited films at 600 °C for 30 minutes resulted in an increase in the carbon/oxygen ratio by more than 3 fold and a decrease in the sheet resistance by 25%. The lowest values for the sheet resistance of the annealed graphene thin films were in the range of 0.32 ± 0.04 to 0.84 ± 0.1 kohm sq⁻¹ depending on the graphite source that was used.