title: Nano-sized graphene flakes: insights from experimental synthesis and first principles calculations.
abstract: In this study, we proposed a cost-effective method for preparing graphene nano-flakes (GNFs) derived from carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via three steps (pressing, homogenization and sonication exfoliation processes). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), laser scattering, as well as ultraviolet-visible and photoluminescence (PL) measurements were carried out. The results indicated that the size of as-synthesized GNFs was approximately 40-50 nm. Furthermore, we also used first principles calculations to understand the transformation from CNTs to GNFs from the viewpoints of the edge formation energies of GNFs in different shapes and sizes. The corresponding photoluminescence measurements of GNFs were carried out in this work.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chungli, 32023, Taiwan, Republic of China. WRLiu1203@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pin-Chun
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, Republic of China. kltung@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Yi-Rui
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Army Academy, Chungli 32023, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Kuei-Ting
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chungli, 32023, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tzu-Neng
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, Republic of China. kltung@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Kuo-Lun
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Tung
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chungli, 32023, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ji-Lin
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chungli, 32023, Taiwan, Republic of China. WRLiu1203@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Wei-Ren
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0468-895X
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Liu