A facile method for the large-scale continuous synthesis of graphene sheets using a novel catalyst.

This study reports on a facile and economical method for the scalable continuous synthesis of graphene sheets by the thermocatalytic decomposition of methane using a unique and novel unsupported catalyst of iron particles. Single-layered and few-layered graphene sheets were continuously synthesized by the isothermal decomposition reaction of methane over a catalyst of iron particles under atmospheric pressure without the need for a cooling precipitation process. In contrast with the methods currently reported in the published literature, this method exhibits remarkably high capacity and efficiency in terms of graphene throughput and yield, respectively. A maximum graphene yield rate of 20 mg/min per g of catalyst and a graphene output of 6 g per g of catalyst were achieved in this study; this graphene output has far surpassed the best graphene yield of 50 mg per 500 mg of catalyst, thus reported so far, by 60 times.