New evidence for supported metals in the reaction of KC8 with metal chlorides

Abstract

The evolution of the reaction between the binary graphitide KC8 and CoCl2 dissolved in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran (THF) has been investigated by in situ x-ray diffraction (XRD). During the reaction and whatever the host graphite (powder or HOPG), the first stage graphite intercalation compounds K(THF)2.5C24 and K(THF)1.7C24 are first formed and then transformed into higher stages. Finally the matrix is exfoliated and the phases identified are graphite, metallic cobalt, and KCl. Analyses by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) clearly show that the products are mainly located at the edge planes of the graphite, indicating that the electronic exchange occurs at the edge of the graphene layers. It is now clear that graphite-cobalt intercalation compounds cannot be obtained by this method.