Recently, the media reported that the United States Kansas State University physicists may find a cheap way to produce graphene, through which the production of graphene only three simple steps and the use of three simple materials. Invented this method by Chris Sorenson applied and obtained a patent. This news, caused a high degree of concern and enthusiastic discussion of Chinese researchers.
What are the characteristics of graphene known as “black gold”? China’s graphene R & D and application in what state?
A new method for the preparation of graphene in the presence of environmental risk
Scientists predict that graphene will “completely change the 21st century”, it is possible to set off a sweeping global disruptive new technology and new industrial revolution. To this end, nearly 10 years in the global research in this area of scientists, are trying to continue in the preparation of graphene as soon as possible, hoping to achieve mass production as soon as possible, to seize the commanding heights of the international market.
Graphite is a layered structure, between layers and layers to van der Waals interaction, the force is weak, it is easy to peel off. In 2004, researchers at the University of Manchester in England used tape repeatedly to scratch the graphite sheet until a single layer of graphite was obtained, that is, graphene. “This two – dimensional carbon material has excellent physical and chemical properties and has become a hotspot in the fields of materials science, physics and chemistry,” said Tang Huang, an associate professor of Jiangsu Polytechnic Institute, on July 4, in an interview with Science and Technology Daily.
(Hummers method), in addition to the Hummers method, other methods to prepare the quality of graphene, the method of preparation of graphene, the method of preparation of graphene, High, is an indispensable method of graphene research. But can not be mass production, can only be limited to the laboratory of scientific research.
At present, the industry Hummers method used more, but the method of graphene is not perfect, the structure has many defects, while the method produces a large number of chemical waste, there is a certain environmental risk. It is because of the apparent defects in the preparation of graphene, any country government has no way to support its industrialization. Therefore, in recent years, scientists have tried to find a new method of preparation of graphene.
Marine Engineering Research Institute senior engineer Sun Chunlong July 6, told reporters on the Science and Technology Daily: “similar to Chris Sorenson’s explosive method of preparation of graphene, domestic research has also been, but has not heard of a successful mass production of the news ”
Market demand, although large graphene is difficult to mass production
Because of the structural characteristics of graphene, the graphene has the characteristics of thin and hard, good light transmittance, good thermal conductivity, high electrical conductivity, stable structure and fast electron transport. The market prospect is broad, and in the past 10 years, Concept in the global are widely sought after, the domestic research and application of graphene heat, but also “rising”, continued unabated.
Despite the large market demand, but graphene has always been difficult to mass production. “The key is to solve some important technical problems.” Tang Huang told reporters, at present, graphene in the industry is also a lack of uniform quality standards. And technology and standards have become a huge stumbling block restricting the industrialization of graphene, graphene industrialization is still long way to go.
What is the difference between monolayer and multilayer? Tang Huang explained that graphene can be divided into monolayer graphene, bilayer graphene, low grained graphene and multilayered graphene according to its layer number. Among them, monolayer graphene is strictly graphene, and the lower graphene is composed of 3-10 layers. When the number of layers greater than 10 layers, commonly known as multi-layer graphene. Because of the excellent performance of graphene with the increase in the number of layers decreased significantly, the industry that more than 10 layers do not have the excellent performance of graphene materials.
July 6, for many years engaged in research and development of China’s carbon Valley Technology Group Chief Expert Dai Garon in an interview with Science and Technology Daily, said: “It should be said that in the international graphene preparation technology, China is at the international level of synchronization. Oxidation and reduction method and liquid phase separation method, we Carbon Valley technology to take research and research joint research, the use of high-quality large flake graphite as raw material, through the micro-mechanical stripping method to produce less graphene, the main advantage is the diameter ratio, The process does not pollute and retain the excellent mechanical properties and electrical properties of the two – dimensional material.
With the words of Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Liu Zhongfan, director of the Center for Nanoscience and Technology of Peking University, “Carbon Valley Technology’s unique segmented micro-mechanical stripping process, under the current international graphene industry facing a variety of constraints and bottlenecks, New development path for the large-scale application of graphene industry, played a very good lead role.
Basic research is still less than the application of fire has been hot
Sun Chunlong told reporters recently, on the industrial application of graphene, heavy anti-corrosion coatings, graphene heat film, graphene-based batteries, and achieved some progress. But in fact, these applications on the quality requirements of graphene is not too high, although some products in the field of commercialization, performance and did not reflect the amazing results. Even in the field of new energy, the performance of some graphene conductive agents can not be compared with carbon nanotubes, which itself is related to the number of graphene layers, indicating that graphene technology is not yet mature, graphene can only replace part of the traditional material The
In the words of De Gaulong, graphene preparation technology is less concerned than the previous few years, many companies are focused on the application of graphene, that graphene preparation technology has matured, but the effect of graphene application products Unsatisfactory. On the status of domestic graphene, the entire industry is still in the initial stage of development, did not enter the industrialization.
Reporters learned that, to the present, there is no international monolithic graphene production. Graphite resources in China’s rich reserves, production accounted for about 70% of the world, but some places to graphene and graphite resources confused, as long as the local found graphite resources, it played the concept of graphene, and rely on graphite resources around the planning of graphene industry The garden is homogeneous and homogeneity is very serious.
In recent years, some domestic scientific research units and materials in the field of production enterprises, the concept is still vague, lack of development capacity of the case, put a lot of money, blindly went to graphened away, resulting in graphene Institute, graphene industry Base, graphene new material garden blossom everywhere. Gengrang experts worry that the key technology of graphene has not yet been resolved, the real sense of graphene products have not come out, some research and development and production units, began to lobby the development of success. Now, has begun from the “R & D hot” to “application of heat”, a wide range of applications to promote the meeting, it is overwhelming.
From concept to application to promote the healthy development of industry
At present, the domestic graphene enterprises, the vast majority of small and medium enterprises, with annual sales of only about one million yuan, and the lack of product development capabilities. Therefore, some of the foreign manufacturers with 100 tons of annual production capacity, its output value and profitability is far from expected, most companies are at a loss.
“If the key technology is not resolved and stay at a low level, there will be a large number of enterprises falling in the past five to eight years,” said Zou Chuanquan, deputy general manager of Beijing Mint Technology Development Co., Ltd.
Dai Jialong that in this gypstite boom, some places and enterprises embarked on the other extreme, the graphene as economic development of the “sacrifice”, to the irrational “fanatical” point, serious Affecting the healthy development of graphene industry.
In fact, the use of graphite resources can be developed a lot of products, local governments and enterprises should be local conditions, around the market development. In fact, the use of graphite resources can be developed, Multi-species, high value of the product.
Sun Chunlong told reporters that China has a broad anti-corrosion coating market, including marine heavy anti-corrosion coating demand is increasing. With the development of a number of domestic scientific research units and enterprises to develop research and development of graphene-based heavy anti-corrosion coatings come out, not only for the development of anti-corrosion coatings is of great significance, but also to promote the industrialization of graphene to a breakthrough, will effectively promote the graphene From concept to application development.
On July 6, 2016-2017 China Graphene Development Annual Report released at the 2017 World Graphene Innovation Conference shows that since 2010, China’s graphene enterprises have experienced explosive growth and R & D enterprises accounting for about 43% , Break through the application areas for touch screen and other product parts, but the complete shape of the breakthrough terminal products are rare, the product type is not a system. Report that the current China’s graphene industry is still in the concept of import period, is the initial stage of industrial breakthrough, graphene industry mature at least 5 to 10 years time.
