High-Throughput, Ultrafast Synthesis of Solution Dispersed Graphene via a Facile Hydride Chemistry

Graphene's superior electrical, optical {\&} mechanical characteristics and its continuously growing applications require concomitant development of graphene-processing-technology. In this talk, we will demonstrate the ability of sodium hydride to act both as a reducing agent and as a deprotonator of methanol, to instantaneously (in few seconds) reduce methanol dispersed graphene-oxide (GO) to reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets while simultaneously deprotonating methanol to methoxy ions, which then stabilize the RGO sheets in the methanol with a yield of $\sim $ 68 {\%}. This novel chemistry is effective in producing RGO with a high ratio of sp$^{2}$ to sp$^{3}$ carbon densities, where the average sp$^{2}$ domain size increases from 4 nm$^{2}$ to 12.25 nm$^{2}$ after reduction. The bilayer RGO sheets produced from this method exhibit carrier mobilities of 100-600 cm$^{2}$V$^{-1}$S$^{-1}$. The high-throughput processing, high-stability of the RGO dispersion, and the benignity {\&} low-cost of the reagents involved will enable expedited research and incorporation of high-quality graphene into next-generation graphene technologies {\&} applications.