Few-Layer Wrinkled Graphene (FLwG) Obtained from Coconut-Shell-Based Charcoal using a High-Voltage Plasma Method

Abstract

Few-layer wrinkled graphene (FLwG) has been synthesized from a coconut-shell-based charcoal using a high-voltage plasma method. Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used for characterizations. Molecular dynamic simulation was also performed for further atomic/molecule movement analysis in the system. The plasma was supplied in the air gap between the electrodes. The graphite rod was used as the high voltage electrode and the aluminum plate was used as the co-electrode. The charcoal powder was arranged on the aluminum electrode surface in the air gap with a distance of ~3 cm to the graphite electrode. Raman spectroscopy analysis indicated that an FLwG had been produced. TEM analysis confirmed the presence of FLwG with a wrinkled and folded structure with an average size of 48.03 nm. XRD revealed that the produced graphene did not undergo any oxidations. Molecular dynamic simulation predicted that the FLwG formation was mainly led by the combination of ionization and deionization of air molecules under high temperatures and plasma stressing.

Keywords

• coconut-shell-based charcoal
• few layers wrinkled graphene
• high voltage plasma
• resonance inverter