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Effect of residual electrolyte on dispersion stability of graphene in aqueous solution

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Abstract

The stability of graphene dispersions in water is of both scientific and technological significance. We studied the dispersion stability of electrochemically exfoliated graphene in an aqueous medium to minimize the strong aggregation tendency, within a short period, of graphene prepared in various electrolytes. This study focused on increasing the dispersion stability of graphene and finding the reason for its poor dispersion stability. The residual electrolyte trapped in the graphene layers was difficult to be removed from electrochemically exfoliated graphite and caused a significant aggregation. The stability and dispersion concentration can be improved by removing the trace amount of aqueous electrolyte. The aggregation mechanism of graphene in aqueous media is proposed and discussed in detail.

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Funding

This research was supported by the Technology Development Program to Solve Climate Changes of the National Research Foundation, funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT, & Future Planning (Grant NRF-2016M1A2A2940912 and NRF-2015M1A2A2054996). This work was also supported by the Dongguk University Research Fund of 2019 (S-2019-G0001-00030) for J.- J. Lee and the Dongguk University Research Fund of 2017 for S. Y. Lee.

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Yadav, H.M., Lee, S.Y., Lee, C.H. et al. Effect of residual electrolyte on dispersion stability of graphene in aqueous solution. J Solid State Electrochem 25, 617–626 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-020-04835-4

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