Zhang Hao, Xiang Qixuan, Liu Zhiyuan, Zhang Xianglong, Zhao Yaping, Tan Huijun
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, PR China.
Nat Commun. 2024 Oct 29;15(1):9329. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-53810-4.
The intricate balance among cost, output, and quality has substantially hindered the practical application of graphene within the downstream industry chain. Here we present a scalable and green supercritical CO-assisted mechano-exfoliation (SCME) process that omits the use of organic solvents and oxidants throughout the production lifecycle, including exfoliation, separation, and purification. The SCME process achieves graphene powder space-time yields exceeding 40 kg/(m³·day) at laboratory (0.06-0.2 kg) and pilot scales ( > 4 kg), with resultant free-standing films showing conductivities up to 5.26 × 10⁵ S/m. Further kinetic investigations propose general guidelines for grinding-assisted exfoliation: (1) the macroscopic optimizing ability of mechanotechnics for mass transfer frequency and stress distribution and (2) the microscopic multiplication ability of exfoliation medium for shear-delamination. The comprehensive techno-economic analysis also underscores the economic viability of the SCME process for large-scale production.
成本、产量和质量之间的复杂平衡严重阻碍了石墨烯在下游产业链中的实际应用。在此，我们提出了一种可扩展的绿色超临界CO辅助机械剥离（SCME）工艺，该工艺在整个生产生命周期（包括剥离、分离和纯化）中无需使用有机溶剂和氧化剂。SCME工艺在实验室规模（0.06 - 0.2千克）和中试规模（>4千克）下实现了超过40千克/（立方米·天）的石墨烯粉末时空产率，所得独立薄膜的电导率高达5.26×10⁵ S/m。进一步的动力学研究提出了研磨辅助剥离的一般指导原则：（1）机械技术对传质频率和应力分布的宏观优化能力；（2）剥离介质对剪切分层的微观倍增能力。综合技术经济分析也强调了SCME工艺大规模生产的经济可行性。
