title: Solvent-driven electron trapping and mass transport in reduced graphites to access perfect graphene.
abstract: Herein, we report on a significant discovery, namely, the quantitative discharging of reduced graphite forms, such as graphite intercalation compounds, graphenide dispersions and graphenides deposited on surfaces with the simple solvent benzonitrile. Because of its comparatively low reduction potential, benzonitrile is reduced during this process to the radical anion, which exhibits a red colour and serves as a reporter molecule for the quantitative determination of negative charges on the carbon sheets. Moreover, this discovery reveals a very fundamental physical-chemical phenomenon, namely a quantitative solvent reduction induced and electrostatically driven mass transport of K(+) ions from the graphite intercalation compounds into the liquid. The simple treatment of dispersed graphenides suspended on silica substrates with benzonitrile leads to the clean conversion to graphene. This unprecedented procedure represents a rather mild, scalable and inexpensive method for graphene production surpassing previous wet-chemical approaches.
authors: Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy and Joint Institute of Advanced Materials and Processes (ZMP), University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Henkestrasse 42, Erlangen 91054, Germany.
authors: Philipp
authors: P
authors: Vecera
authors: Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy and Joint Institute of Advanced Materials and Processes (ZMP), University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Henkestrasse 42, Erlangen 91054, Germany.
authors: Johannes
authors: J
authors: Holzwarth
authors: Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy and Joint Institute of Advanced Materials and Processes (ZMP), University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Henkestrasse 42, Erlangen 91054, Germany.
authors: Konstantin F
authors: KF
authors: Edelthalhammer
authors: Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy and Joint Institute of Advanced Materials and Processes (ZMP), University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Henkestrasse 42, Erlangen 91054, Germany.
authors: Udo
authors: U
authors: Mundloch
authors: University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Boltzmanngasse 5, Wien 1090, Austria.
authors: Herwig
authors: 0000-0002-2113-9920
authors: H
authors: Peterlik
authors: Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy and Joint Institute of Advanced Materials and Processes (ZMP), University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Henkestrasse 42, Erlangen 91054, Germany.
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Hauke
authors: Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy and Joint Institute of Advanced Materials and Processes (ZMP), University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Henkestrasse 42, Erlangen 91054, Germany.
authors: Andreas
authors: 0000-0002-0399-5096
authors: A
authors: Hirsch