Issue Date: July 27, 2009 Making Graphene In A Flash No time to
make graphene via conventional routes? Then make it "in a
flash." Northwestern University scientists have just
demonstrated that graphite oxide can be converted instantly to
graphene via photothermal deoxygenation by exposing the material
to a pulse of light from an ordinary camera flash (J. Am. Chem.
Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja902348k). Because of its low cost and wide
availability, graphite oxide is a promising precursor for making
graphene-based materials, which are being studied for use in
polymer composites and electronics. The oxide is typically
treated at high temperature or with potent reducing agents such
as hydrazine to yield graphene. Now, Laura J. Cote, Rodolfo
Cruz-Silva, and Jiaxing Huang of Northwestern have shown in a
video that the flash method is an instantaneous, chemical-free
way to transform graphite oxide, an electrical insulator, into
graphene, a conductor, at room temperature. The team has also
shown that by applying masking and