Graphene is an allotrope of carbon, which has the structure of one-atom-thick planar sheets of sp2-bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. Experiments have established the graphene-based material as one of the thinnest and strongest materials ever used in nano-technology.
A major problem in the scaled up production of graphene-based material sheets is the tendency to aggregate due to strong van der Waals attraction. Restacking of graphene sheets not only reduces their solution processability, but also compromises their properties such as accessible surface area. Further, since materials typically experience some form of compressive stresses during manufacturing and handling such as drying and pelletizing, the aggregation state of graphene sheets tend to be highly dependent on their processing history. Providing aggregation-resistant graphene-based material sheets will help to standardize the material and their performance for large scale applications.
A number of strategies for preventing aggregation of materials in dispersion solutions have been developed [8-11]. However, once the dispersion solutions are dried, making the neat graphene product re-dispersible is challenging.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.