title: Formation of 3D graphene foams on soft templated metal monoliths.
abstract: Graphene foams are leading contenders as frameworks for polymer thermosets, filtration/pollution control and for use as an electrode material in energy storage devices, taking advantage of graphene's high electrical conductivity and the porous structure of the foam. Here we demonstrate a simple synthesis of a macroporous 3D graphene material templated from a dextran/metal salt gel, where the metal was cobalt, nickel, copper, and iron. The gel was annealed to form a metal oxide foam prior to a methane chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Cobalt metal gels were shown to afford the highest quality material as determined by electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and Raman spectroscopy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK. k.s.coleman@durham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Michael K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Tynan
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Ben P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Dobson
authors.forename: Karl S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Coleman