Production of Graphite Nanosheets by Low-Current Plasma Discharge in Liquid Ethanol

Abstract

Graphite nanosheets were produced by low-current plasma discharge in ultrasonically cavitated liquid ethanol. The microstructure, morphology and thickness of the graphite nanosheets were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, dynamic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The results indicated that the synthesized nanosheets have many folds, curled edges and are up to 11 μm in extent. The graphite nanosheets typically ranged in thickness from 6.7 to 23.5 nm. The proposed method is substrate-free, does not require expensive vacuum equipment and nor does it consume large amounts of electricity.