Title: Novel modular plasma-in-liquid synthesis process for graphene-based nanomaterials for energy storage

Abstract

Over the last decades, graphene-based materials for storage and conversion have increasingly in the focus of research. As a 2D materials, graphene is incorporated into a variety of functional coatings and componentes in fuel cells, electrolysers, batteries and super capacitors as well as catalysts for reforming and cracking. Because of itsh unique properties with regard to electronic, chemical and mechanical behaviour it was shown to improve the device performance and overcome limitations to life time or permeation of unwanted species. New cost-efficient synthesis processes to obtain high-quality graphene that are suitable for upscale are still a challenge. Recently, new synthesis routes have been developed based on a plasma in liquid (PiL) process to obtain readyto-use nanomaterials from an organic precursors. Advantages of PiL process are ultra-short processing time, crystallinity und purity control as well as low-cost investment. By utilization of organic precursors and renewable energy for reactor operation, a fully sustainable process possible to obtain high-quality graphene-based suspensions as a green product for applications in electrodes and membranes. This work presents a novel route and reactor concept to synthesize graphene by PiL synthesis from ethanol. Graphene production is carried out by means of plasmaassisted ethanol cracking within a defined vortex active zone with ultra-short processing times over perios of a few seconds. As a experimental set-up a vertical rod-to-rod configuration was employed by means of tungsten electrodes, applying a pulsed voltage 5kV , high frequency of 300 kHz and short pulse length. The morphological characterization of nanographene was carried out by transmission electron microscope (TEM). Also results of structural characterization by Raman Spectroscopy and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) are presented and discussed as a function of PiL process parameter.

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