Topotactic Mechanisms Related to the Graphene Planes: Chemical Intercalation of Electron Donors into Graphite

Abstract

The intercalation of electron donor species into graphite belongs to the class of two‐dimensional topotactic reactions. During the intercalation, which requires an oxido‐reduction between the reagents, the graphene planes, which form the skeleton of the host material, remain indeed quasi unaltered while their spacing is strongly expanded allowing the setting up of the guest reagent layers. Intercalation into graphite is therefore the prototype of the topotactic reaction. The intercalation mechanisms of these electron donors such as metals, metallic alloys and metal combinations (molecules, electronegative elements) have been significantly studied at length. They are especially numerous and greatly diversified. In this paper, we do not aim to depict all the known graphite intercalation compounds but to draw up an inventory of the whole of these mechanisms. The latter are systematically illustrated by means of several characteristic examples for each one. This significant diversity appears as a remarkable distinctive feature of graphite as host lamellar material.