Renewable Carbon Nanosheet Production With High Surface Area
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing carbon nanosheets are expensive, use non-renewable carbon sources, and produce materials with low specific surface area and pore volume, posing environmental hazards due to toxic chemicals.
Innovation Solution
A process utilizing renewable carbonaceous materials like cassava root extract, corn flour, rice grain, and sucrose to produce carbon nanosheets through chemical and thermal activation, followed by exfoliation and thermal treatment, achieving high specific surface area and pore volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional methods (chemical vapor deposition, epitaxial growth, chemical reduction, liquid phase exfoliation) are used to produce carbon nanosheets, then high quality graphene can be obtained, but the production cost becomes remarkably expensive and non-renewable carbonaceous raw materials are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of raw material source from non-renewable fossil fuels to renewable carbonaceous materials (plant-based materials). This parameter change enables cost-effective production while maintaining the ability to produce high-quality carbon nanosheets through controlled chemical and thermal activation processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs cheap, readily available renewable carbon sources (such as plant materials) that can be easily replaced and are environmentally friendly, replacing expensive and non-renewable precursor materials in the production process
2Quantity of substance
If Staudenmaier's method or Hummer's method are used to produce carbon nanosheets, then exfoliated carbon nanosheets can be obtained, but the specific surface area is low (about 600 m2/g) and toxic chemicals are used creating hazardous wastes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of using aggressive chemicals into a beneficial process by employing controlled chemical and thermal activation of renewable carbon sources. This approach achieves high specific surface area (2956 m2/g) without generating hazardous wastes, as the activation process uses environmentally benign reagents and conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent fundamentally changes the chemical environment parameters by replacing toxic reagents with environmentally friendly activation methods. This parameter change enables the achievement of high specific surface area while eliminating the generation of hazardous wastes associated with conventional methods
3Object-generated harmful factors
If micromechanical exfoliation is used to produce graphene, then single-layer graphene sheets can be obtained without toxic chemicals, but it is not ideal for commercial production and fundamental studies only
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical exfoliation process with a chemical and thermal activation process of renewable carbon sources. This substitution enables scalable commercial production while avoiding the use of toxic chemicals, as the activation process occurs in solution and produces environmentally benign byproducts
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the production mechanism from mechanical to chemical-thermal processes. This parameter change enables the process to be suitable for commercial production at scale while maintaining the advantage of avoiding toxic chemicals, as the activation can be performed using environmentally friendly reagents and controlled thermal conditions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method results in carbon nanosheets with exceptional properties, including a BET specific surface area of 2956 m2/g and pore volume of 5.0 cc/g, suitable for applications in catalysis, sensors, and energy storage devices.
Implementation Method 1
chemical and thermal activation
Implementation Method 2
chemical and thermal activation
Implementation Method 3
followed by exfoliation and thermal treatment
Implementation Method 4
followed by exfoliation and thermal treatment
Data Source
AI summary
This patent disclosure includes a process that uniquely and unexpectedly results in the production of extremely high specific surface area and large pore volume carbon nanomaterial with high content of sp2 hybridized carbon-carbon in the form of nanosheets from a renewable carbonaceous raw material. The resulting nanomaterial is in particulate form or porous nanomaterial or dispersed in solvent. This process can also be used to produce carbon nanosheet on substrates or form a nanocomposite with other materials that results in exceptional properties.