Synthesis of few-layer graphene-like nanosheets from glucose: New facile approach for graphene-like nanosheets large-scale production

This study reports new facile approach for gram-scale synthesis of graphene-like nanosheets fine powder, using glucose as precursor. Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) has been prepared in gram-scale via hydrothermal treatment of glucose. Upon increasing the vapor/liquid ratio for aqueous glucose solution within the autoclave system to 3/2, RGO-rich graphitic powder, containing small graphene oxide and amorphous carbon contents and having spherical morphology, is obtained. Then, introducing ammonia into the reaction medium resulted in the formation of pure RGO with reduced O-content and flat nanosheet-like morphology (Amm-RGO3/2). Interestingly, few-layer graphene-like nanosheets with slight oxygen and amorphous carbon contents and few structural defects are produced when annealing Amm-RGO3/2at 600 °C under inert atmosphere. In summary, hydrothermal treatment of aqueous solution containing just glucose and ammonia followed by moderate-temperature thermal annealing, lead to few-layer graphene-like nanosheets with good structural characteristics. This new simple and efficient approach can be of great potential in the mass production of graphene-like nanosheets.