Open-air combustion synthesis of three-dimensional graphene for oil absorption and energy storage

Abstract

There are promising applications for three-dimensional (3D) graphene in energy storage, catalysis, mechanical sensors, oil absorption, etc. To realize these practical applications, a scalable, cost-effective, and controllable synthesis technique for growing 3D graphene is highly desired. In this study, a combustion flame method was developed to synthesize high-quality 3D graphene within 1 min in open air, demonstrating the high efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of the method. Based on its 3D porous characteristics, the 3D graphene shows promise for applications in oil absorption and supercapacitors. It has an absorption capacity of 60 times its original weight for oil and organic solvents with a recyclability of 15 times. When the 3D graphene was electrodeposited with manganese dioxide (MnO2), the as-formed 3D MnO2/graphene hybrid electrodes demonstrated electrochemical performance comparable to other reported MnO2-based supercapacitors with an energy density of 23.8 Wh/kg at a power density of 7.5 kW/kg.