Synthetic Graphite Research Articles

Birla Carbon plans US synthetic graphite plant

Birla Carbon plans US synthetic graphite plant

Production of Low Temperature Synthetic Graphite

Synthetic graphite is a material consisting of graphitic carbon which has been obtained by graphitizing a non-graphitic carbon. The growth in demand, particularly in customizing properties for certain usage has brought about research on viable alternative, low-cost, and environmentally pleasant synthetic graphite production. Biomass wastes are amongst appealing carbon precursors which have been broadly checked out as replacement carbon for graphite production. This research aimed to synthesize synthetic graphite from oil palm trunks at low temperatures (500 °C, 400 °C and 300 °C) under controlled conditions to determine the physical properties and properties of the graphite obtained. After the heat treatment process, the obtained samples were then characterized by using XRD, SEM and RAMAN characterizations. Based on SEM and RAMAN characterization, it can be seen that graphite that undergoes a 500 °C pyrolysis process shows the best results compare to graphite that undergoes a pyrolysis process at the temperatures of 300 °C and 400 °C. The graphite flakes and the peaks obtained for 500 °C graphite are obviously present. For XRD characterization, the best samples at 500 °C were chosen to be characterized. From the results, the sample shows slight behavior imitating the commercialized graphite. Hence, from the characterizations of the samples, it can be concluded that the best synthetic graphite produced was from the oil palm trunks heated at 500 ° C.

Sustainable Production of Biomass-Derived Graphite and Graphene Conductive Inks from Biochar.

Graphite is a commonly used raw material across many industries and the demand for high-quality graphite has been increasing in recent years, especially as a primary component for lithium-ion batteries. However, graphite production is currently limited by production shortages, uneven geographical distribution, and significant environmental impacts incurred from conventional processing. Here, an efficient method of synthesizing biomass-derived graphite from biochar is presented as a sustainable alternative to natural and synthetic graphite. The resulting bio-graphite equals or exceeds quantitative quality metrics of spheroidized natural graphite, achieving a Raman ID/IG ratio of 0.051 and crystallite size parallel to the graphene layers (La) of 2.08 µm. This bio-graphite is directly applied as a raw input to liquid-phase exfoliation of graphene for the scalable production of conductive inks. The spin-coated films from the bio-graphene ink exhibit the highest conductivity among all biomass-derived graphene or carbon materials, reaching 3.58 ± 0.16 × 104 Sm-1. Life cycle assessment demonstrates that this bio-graphite requires less fossil fuel and produces reduced greenhouse gas emissions compared to incumbent methods for natural, synthesized, and other bio-derived graphitic materials. This work thus offers a sustainable, locally adaptable solution for producing state-of-the-art graphite that is suitable for bio-graphene and other high-value products.

Effect of Mixing Methods and Black Conductive Fillers on Properties of Natural Rubber Composites

Carbon black, graphite, carbon nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, and metal fillers increase composite conductivity in natural rubber, which is electrically insulating. Depending on dispersion, conductive filler lowers insulating material resistivity. These materials are frequently used for electromagnetic/radio frequency interference (EMI/RFI) shielding, conductive flexible seals gaskets, and conductive mats used to prevent electrostatic damage to electronic devices. These elastomers could be used to make flexible solar cells or mechanical-to-electricity devices. Temperature, mixing time, shear rate, and cross-linking during vulcanization affect rubber electrical conductivity of composite. To study shear rate effects, vulcanizate of Natural Rubber-based composites filled with carbon black, millable carbon fiber powder, and synthetic graphite powder was prepared by open mixing (two roll mill) and close mixing (internal mixer). We compared how shear rate affects cure, stress-strain, and volume resistivity of conductive filler-based Natural Rubber composites. Increment in clearance of two roll mill during addition of rubber additives along with rubber of reduced the shearing force resulted in less dispersive and distributive mixing and stagnant points due to band formation on roll surface compared to intermix where compound movement had no stagnation point and long wings pushed material axially and two nogs pushed material in other chamber. Compared to two roll mill samples, the compound reached every point of the mixing chamber for best homogeneity, reducing cure time and improving stress-strain and volume resistivity.

Solar still basin measurements and liner material variance for improved water desalination efficiency

Access to potable water remains a global challenge, and solar stills offer a sustainable desalination solution. Solar stills however have low desalination efficiencies. The impact of basin measurements and liner material variance on their performance have not been evaluated, and this study sought to investigate this through modelling with the objective of improving the performance of a one-slope solar still. MATLAB is employed in the model development and simulations. The developed model is validated using other experiments in literature. The analysis is done with Machakos (1.52°N, 37.2°E), Kenya climatic conditions as a reference. Various basin liner materials including aluminium, synthetic graphite, brass, galvanized iron and stainless steel are examined based on their thermal properties. Different width-to-length ratios ranging from 0.14 to 0.86 are investigated. Basin liner thicknesses of between 2 mm and 6 mm are evaluated. A parametric study is conducted to determine the correlation between liner material thickness and basin dimensions, and their combined impact on freshwater yields. From the results, synthetic graphite had the best performance, followed by aluminium, brass, galvanized iron and stainless steel with efficiencies of 35.04 %, 24.02 %, 17.02 %, 14.13 % and 12.39 %, respectively. Thus, synthetic graphite outperformed aluminium, brass, galvanized iron and stainless steel by 31.4 %, 51.43 %, 59.675 % and 64.64 %, respectively. A width-to-length ratio of 0.45 yields optimal results, while a liner material thickness of 4 mm is found to be ideal across all materials. The parametric study further reveals that width-to-length ratio has a higher significance on freshwater yields compared to liner material thickness.

Temperature-dependent evolution of synthetic coal-derived graphite fillers and their reinforcement in styrene butadiene rubber composites

This study investigated the structural evolution of synthetic coal-derived graphite (SCG), produced from anthracite through high-temperature treatments ranging from 1000 to 2900 °C, and its reinforcement potential in styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) composites. Upon heating the anthracite to 2000 °C, We observed a gradual structural transformation from an amorphous carbon structure with mixed sp2-sp3 bonding to an ordered sp2-bonded nano-sized graphitic structure. This transformation was accompanied by the evaporation of heteroatom functional groups, an increase in high surface energy site as well as micropore and void structures, and enhanced hydrophobic surface property. Beyond 2000 °C, a flake-like graphite with a larger particle size (average lateral size >10 μm) was gradually formed through lateral and vertical crystalline growth mechanisms. The reinforcing potential of SCG fillers was revealed by incorporating them into SBR and evaluating the properties of the resulting composites. It was found that the tensile strength and 300 % tensile modulus initially enhanced with SCG fillers treated up to 2000 °C, but decreased for fillers treated at 2300 and 2900 °C. On the other hand, storage modulus, tear resistance, and gas permeability consistently improved with fillers treated at higher temperatures. These findings highlight the relationship between the temperature-induced structural evolution of SCG fillers and their reinforcement performance in SBR composites, offering valuable insights for industrial rubber applications, particularly enhancing the performance and sustainability of automotive tire.

Increasing the Thermal Resistance of Water-Based Mud for Drilling Geothermal Wells

Energy demand and growing environmental concerns have fueled increased interest in geothermal drilling in recent decades. The high temperature and pressure in the boreholes present significant challenges to drilling, particularly in terms of the selection of suitable drilling mud, cement slurry, and drilling equipment. Drilling mud is regarded as one of the primary factors that affect the cost and success of geothermal drilling. This paper presents experimental studies aimed at assessing the thermal stability of drilling muds for geothermal drilling. Research on the antidegradation of polymers contained in drilling muds is presented. The thermal stability of drilling fluids was evaluated on the basis of changes in rheological and filtration parameters under the influence of a temperature of 160 °C. Attempts were made to increase the thermal resistance of drilling fluids by using antioxidants and glycol compounds. The effectiveness of increasing the thermal resistance of muds by adding synthetic polymers, nanomaterials, and graphite was tested. A new way of increasing the thermal resistance of drilling muds by using fatty amine compounds in combination with the amine agent ‘TEA’ was proposed. Tests showed that the addition of polyglycol and the antioxidant agent sodium ascorbate to the mud did not protect the polymers from decomposition at 160 °C. There was no effect of increasing the thermal conductivity on improving the thermal resistance of the scrubber. Based on the analysis of results from laboratory tests, a composition of a water-based drilling mud without bentonite was developed for drilling geothermal wells. The developed drilling mud is characterized by thermal resistance up to 160 °C, stable rheological parameters, low filtration, and appropriate thermal conductivity characteristics.

Graphene oxide with different oxygen content produced from natural and synthetic graphite sources for methylene blue sorption

Graphene oxide (GO) is of great interest due to its unique structure and properties and potential applications, including water purification. In this work, we report the synthesis of GO samples with different oxidation degree from two different sources of graphite using Hummers method. Natural flake graphite with a high degree of crystallinity, and synthetic fine powder graphite were used. All produced materials were characterized by CHNS analysis, X-Ray Diffractive analysis (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). It was shown that the oxidation process for natural and synthetic graphite sources proceeds in different ways. The factors, affecting for the structure and properties of GO are the degree of crystallinity and the lateral size of the graphite flakes. The sorption activity of underoxidized, normally oxidized and overoxidized GO was compared toward the methylene blue (MB) dye in aqueous solution. The most efficient sorption was registered for GO produced from synthetic graphite with the use of 2.0 and 4.5 wt. eq. KMnO4. The sorbents removed 94 % and 100 % of MB from the solution, respectively, in approximately 10 min. Our results reveal that the structure and sorption properties of GO can be tuned by varying the oxidation degree as well as the graphite source, which may open the way to new developments in the GO-based materials applications.

Characterization and Analysis of Coal-Derived Graphite for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Graphite is a critical material used as the negative electrode in lithium-ion batteries. Both natural and synthetic graphites are utilized, with the latter obtained from a range of carbon raw materials. In this work, efforts to synthesize graphite from coal as a domestic feedstock for synthetic graphite are reported. The performance in lithium-ion coin cells of this coal derived graphite is compared to commercial battery-grade graphite. This includes characterization of the thermodynamics of the coal derived graphite using the multi-species, multi-reaction (MSMR) model, characterization of the entropy and enthalpy of the material, and estimation of the rate capability. This enables modeling of synthetic coal-derived graphites and virtual evaluation[1] of these materials towards electric vehicle and grid storage applications.

Molten Salt Preparation of Carbon Nanostructures for Metal-Ion Storage Applications

Efficient electrical energy storage relies on the preparation of low-cost yet high-quality carbon nanostructures. This presentation introduces innovative molten salt approaches for generating such carbon materials, leveraging diverse carbon sources such as natural or synthetic graphite, biomass waste, and plastic materials. Electrochemical exfoliation of various graphite materials in molten salt is demonstrated to yield electrolytic carbon nanostructures, including graphene nanosheets, carbon nanotubes, and onion-like carbon nanoparticles. The distinctive morphology, structure, and electrical conductivity of these carbon materials are investigated, and their impact on Na-ion and Li-ion storage performances is thoroughly discussed. Furthermore, the presentation explores the molten salt-assisted carbonization of corn lignocellulosic waste, resulting in carbon materials with tailored morphological and compositional characteristics conducive to efficient Li-ion and Na-ion storage performance. Additionally, insights are provided into the transformation of waste plastic materials into graphene-based nanostructures through molten salt techniques, with a focus on their electrical and electrochemical performances. This comprehensive exploration not only underscores the versatility of molten salt methodologies in synthesizing diverse carbon nanostructures but also sheds light on their potential applications in advancing energy storage technologies. References A.R. Kamali*, H. Zhao, J. Alloy. Compd. 949 (2023) 169819H. Zhao, A. Rezaei, A.R. Kamali*, J. Electrochem. Soc. 169 (2022) 054512R. Li, A.R. Kamali*, Chem. Eng. Sci. 265 (2023) 118222A.R. Kamali*, S. Li, Appl. Energy 334 (2023) 120692A.R. Kamali*, J. Yang, Polym. Degrad. Stab. 177 (2020) 109184A. Rezaei, B. Kamali, A.R. Kamali*, Measurement 150 (2020) 107087A.R. Kamali* et al., J. Mater. Chem. A 5 (2017) 19126-19135A.R. Kamali*, Carbon 123 (2017) 205-215

Influence of Carbon Types on the Electrochemical Performance of Disordered Rocksalt Cathodes

Disordered rocksalt (DRX) materials have recently emerged as a promising class of cobalt-free high-capacity cathodes. However, due to their poor electronic conductivity, they require a high carbon content in the composite cathodes (20-30 wt%) to achieve their full potential, which has a detrimental effect on its cell-level energy density. To assess strategies to mitigate this issue, this study investigates the effect of three types of carbon (Super C65, synthetic graphite, and ketjenblack; chosen based on varying physical properties) and their loadings (10-20 wt%) on the electrochemical performance of DRX cathodes (Patil et al., 2023). Overall, DRX cathodes containing graphite additive demonstrated superior cycling performance (∼260 mA h/g with 85% capacity retention after 50 cycles) and rate capability (∼135 mA h/g at 1000 mA/g) when compared to the traditional carbon blacks. Using a variety of characterization methods such as surface area estimation using BET method, transmission electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry, the superior performance of graphite based DRX cathodes is largely attributed to (i) protection of DRX particle surfaces from parasitic reactions owing to a conformal graphitic coating (ii) homogenous distribution of graphite and DRX in the composite electrode providing a robust electronic network. This study provides important insights into how carbon microstructure and processing influences performance of DRX cathodes and paves the path for further development towards reduction of carbon content in composite DRX cathodes.Reference:Patil, S., Koirala, K.P., Crafton, M.J., Yang, G., Tsai, W.-Y., McCloskey, B.D., Wang, C., Nanda, J., Self, E.C., 2023. Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Disordered Rocksalt Cathodes Enabled by a Graphite Conductive Additive. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 15, 39253–39264. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c05619

Diagnosing NMC Battery Aging Modes Using Digital Twin

Traditional lithium-ion battery (LiB) modeling does not provide sufficient information to accurately verify battery performance under real-time dynamic operating conditions, particularly when considering various aging modes and mechanisms. This paper proposes a lithium-ion battery digital twin that can capture real-time data and integrate the strong coupling between SEI layer growth, anode crack propagation, drying up of Electrolytes, and lithium plating. It can be utilized to predict the degradation behavior, voltage-current profiles in dynamic aging conditions, and analyze the lithium inventory loss (LLI) of Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt-Oxide (NMC) lithium-ion batteries.Commercially available 18650 cylindrical NMC Samsung battery cells were investigated. The cathode and anode materials are LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 and synthetic graphite, respectively. Four dynamic aging test cases using 1C, 1.3C, MC (multistep charging), and 2C, were designed and performed at 25 °C. The reference performance test (RPT) was repeated every 100 full equivalent cycles (FECs) until the cells reached 20 % capacity fade. Figure 1 shows the real-time voltage and current profile captured and predicted by the digital twin.The model takes into account LLI induced by SEI growth and lithium plating, aligning with the LLI calibrated from the differential voltage (DV) endpoint shift (Figure 1h). Based on the model results, SEI growth is found to be the primary contributor to capacity loss before 500 FECs. SEI-induced degradation is minimal under the MC protocol, with the capacity loss varying by less than 5.22% across four test cases (Figure 1e). After 500 FECs, anode cracking becomes a non-linear accelerated aging factor. The crack propagation stabilizes in the initial 200 FECs, followed by unstable accelerated growth leading to capacity loss. Subsequently, a rapid acceleration in capacity loss occurs after 700 FECs (Figure 1f). The growth of anode cracks under the MC aging protocol has a much slower effect on capacity loss compared to the 2C and 1.3C before 500 FECs, as strongly confirmed by the post-mortem analysis. In addition, the lithium plating phenomenon triggers two orders of magnitude less capacity loss than SEI growth and cracking at 25 °C. The MC protocol demonstrates an effective reduction in lithium plating capacity loss compared to the other three traditional charging protocols (Figure 1g). This digital twin can represent a firm physical foundation for future physics-informed machine learning development to predict LiBs degradation behavior.Figure 1. Real-time voltage and current captured and predicted by our designed digital twin under (a) 1C-WLTC, (b)1.3C-WLTC, (c) MC-WLTC, and (d) 2C-WLTC aging profiles. Additionally, (f) illustrates capacity loss density for the four protocols attributed to (e) SEI film growth, (f) anode crack propagation, (g) Li plating, and (h) LLI prediction by the digital twin and DV measurement. Figure 1

Sucrose‐Based Dense, Pure, and Highly‐Crystalline Graphitic Materials for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

AbstractAt present, most synthetic graphite materials commonly used as anode active ingredients in lithium‐ion cells are produced by graphitization of petroleum cokes. The carbon footprint associated with synthetic graphite production is significant. Thus, bio‐derived and cheap precursors, such as saccharides, would be an attractive alternative for the sustainable production of graphitic carbons. However, they are non‐graphitizing at temperatures as high as 3000 °C, preserving the curved, fullerene‐like structure of graphene layers and microporosity. Consequently, many lithium ions are consumed during the formation of solid electrolyte interphase films and passivated in the nanovoids. Here, a method for the production of pure, crystalline, graphitic materials based on sucrose disposed of microporosity is presented, which also works with a variety of saccharides and other organic precursors of hard carbons—generally considered incapable of such transformation. This process employs catalytic graphitization by Si particles at high temperatures. The electrochemical response of such derived sucrose‐based graphite in Li‐ion half‐cells demonstrated its feasibility to serve as an anode active material for rechargeable Li‐ion batteries.

Effect of graphite concentration on the electrochemical performance of a novel α-MnO2-expanded graphite-PVDF composite cathode material based on FTO substrate

A facile chemical reduction method is employed for the synthesis of α-MnO2 followed by ultrasonication with synthetic graphite and poly (vinylidene pyrrolidone) PVDF for the development of α-MnO2-expanded graphite-PVDF (MGP) composite. Known masses of MGP composite are drop-casted on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting glass substrate for the fabrication of composite electrodes to use as the cathode. The compositional effects of various weight percentages of graphite on the electrochemical performance of the MGP composite are studied. The increase in graphite’s weight percentage is always accompanied by an equal reduction in the weight of MnO2 by maintaining a constant amount of PVDF. We demonstrate a maximum electrochemical performance for the composite containing 80% MnO2, 10% expanded graphite, and 10% PVDF, further increases in graphite concentration (reduction in that of MnO2) have detrimental effects on the performance. The basis characterisation of the composite is carried out using XRD, FTIR, UV–vis, AFM, and SEM and the electrochemical studies are done using CV, GCD and EIS. We observe both faradaic and non-faradaic charge storage mechanisms in the composite samples with a 35% capacitive contribution and a 65% diffusive contribution to the total capacitance. Moreover, the composite electrode demonstrates a maximum specific capacitance of 358 F g−1 at 10 mV s−1 with an outstanding power density of 2.8 KW Kg−1.

Sequential Effect of Dual-Layered Hybrid Graphite Anodes on Electrode Utilization During Fast-Charging Li-Ion Batteries.

To recharge lithium-ion batteries quickly and safely while avoiding capacity loss and safety risks, a novel electrode design that minimizes cell polarization at a higher current is highly desired. This work presents a dual-layer electrode (DLE) technology via sequential coating of two different anode materials to minimize the overall electrode resistance upon fast charging. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and distribution of relaxation timesanalysis revealed the dynamic evolution of electrode impedances in synthetic graphite (SG) upon a change in the state of charge (SOC), whereas the natural graphite (NG) maintains its original impedance regardless of SOC variation. This disparity dictates the sequence of the NG and SG coating layers within the DLE, considering the temporal SOC gradient developed upon fast charging. Simulation and experimental results suggest that DLE positioning NG and SG on the top (second-layer) and bottom (first-layer), respectively, can effectively reduce the overall resistance at a 4C-rate (15-min charging), demonstrating two times higher capacity retention (61.0%) over 200 cycles than its counterpart with reversal sequential coating, and is higher than single-layer electrodes using NG or NG/SG binary mixtures. Hence, this study can guide the combinatorial sequence for multi-layer coating of various active materials for a lower-resistivity, thick-electrode design.

Viability and Eco-Consequences of Synthetic and Natural Graphite for Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes in the USA

Viability and Eco-Consequences of Synthetic and Natural Graphite for Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes in the USA

Study on the Formation Mechanism of a Core-Shell Structure during Graphitization of Anthracite.

Graphite is a revolutionary material, and the development of synthetic graphite could potentially solve the shortage of natural graphite in the future. In this paper, the formation of core-shell-structured synthetic graphite prepared from an anthracite-FeO mixture was systematically investigated by a two-step method. First, heat treatment was performed on a layer of almandine (3FeO·Al2O3·3SiO2) particles to obtain a large quantity of uniform-sized glass-phase spheroids. Second, the deashed anthracite was graphitized on the surface of the obtained spheroids to prepare core-shell-structured graphite. Furthermore, the obtained graphite products were systematically characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM-EDS, and TEM. Finally, a model was proposed to illustrate the formation mechanism of the core-shell structure during graphitization of the anthracite-almandine mixture. Under lower temperatures, almandine started to melt into spheroids. Under higher temperatures, the volatile components in the anthracite turned into the gas phase, and the carbon matrix started to bend on the surface of the core material and deposit layer by layer, thus forming the core-shell-structured graphite. The findings could provide theoretical guidance for the synthetic graphite industry and have meaningful implications for the coal chemistry field.

Analysis of changes in global warming potential during enrichment and production of battery-grade graphite using electrothermal fluidized bed technology

The greenhouse gas emissions during the production of anode class graphite for the conditions of Ukraine have been calculated. Conventional technologies and technologies using electrothermal fluidized bed (EFB) for natural and synthetic graphite have been studied. Calculations are carried out with respect to the whole technological chain, starting from extraction and processing of raw materials and ending with finishing processing (coating). As a result, it is shown that the technology of using EFB for purification of natural graphite and graphitization of synthetic graphite is competitive in terms of global warming potential (GWP). In the production of natural graphite using thermal purification with EFB instead of chemical purification, emissions of greenhouse gases practically remain at the same level. At the same time, the use of acids is eliminated, and the environmental impact associated with them is reduced. Production of synthetic graphite of anodic quality in EFB furnaces allows to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by 40-50% in comparison with traditional graphitization technologies in Acheson and Kastner furnaces. The effect is achieved by reducing energy and raw material consumption.

Life cycle assessment of lithium-sulfur batteries with carbon nanotube hosts: Insights from lab experiments

Lithium‑sulfur (Li-S) batteries are candidates for next-generation batteries. It can be produced sustainably using sulfur instead of controversial cathode minerals like cobalt. However, Li-S batteries must improve their energy density and cycle life at their current state of development. Hosting the sulfur on carbon nanotubes (CNT) is a potential solution. This study investigated the environmental performance of a CNT-based Li-S battery based on original experiment data. The CNT in the batteries functioned as binders, conductive fillers, and current collectors, reducing auxiliary materials and simplifying manufacturing processes. We conducted a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) to clarify the environmental performance. We showed that the global warming potential (GWP) of the Li-S battery pack in a conventional battery structure was 105 kg CO2e/kWh. By partially substituting current collectors, increasing lithium anode efficiency, and reducing solvent usage, we could achieve 87, 82, and 78 kg CO2e, respectively. The lowest GWP of Li-S battery was 20 % lower when compared to a graphite‑nickel manganese cobalt oxides (NMC) battery. In addition, the other environmental indicators, including human toxicity, ecotoxicity, and acidification, were 26 % to 79 % lower, showing no major environmental burden shift. One exception was the mineral resource depletion, which was 2 % higher because lithium metal, instead of synthetic graphite, was used as a high-capacity anode pair. This study also found that modifying the cathode production process by using a less energy-intensive filtration before evaporating the remaining solvent could significantly reduce the energy required, thus mitigating the previously identified environmental hotspot. Our finding highlighted that a prospective LCA collaborating with battery experimentalists could lead to novel discoveries for environmentally sustainable battery production. Overall, we showed that Li-S batteries are environmentally preferred at the production stage, as supported by advanced experiments. Further research into improving the cycle life of Li-S batteries is crucial when considering the use stage to reduce the environmental impact per functional unit of energy delivered over the battery lifetime.

Nanosecond pulsed laser ablation of synthetic graphite in liquids for the synthesis of spherical graphene

Pulsed laser ablation in liquids has become a simple, fast, and environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of carbon nanostructures since it does not require the use of toxic chemicals. The great advantage of this method is its ability to control the size, shape, and structure of the products by combining parameters of the laser, target material, and liquid. By ablation of two types of synthetic graphite with a high-power copper vapor laser in ethanol and distilled water, spherical graphene was obtained. The composition of the gas phase and the condensation temperature of carbon in the temperature range of 1000–5000 K were determined by means of thermodynamic modeling. The precursors for the formation of spherical graphene during laser ablation in alcohol and water are discussed.