Engineering Disordered Metallic Carbonaceous Materials: A Protocol for the Synthesis via Graphene Edge Hydrolysis

This protocol is a comprehensive account of the intricate processes involved in the rational design, synthesis, and characterization of anisotropic metallic carbon materials. The materials were derived through the hydrolytic oxidation of graphene sheets, followed by self-assembly and mild annealing. The resulting products are highly percolated carbon networks that preserve the essential basal area of the source graphene. Structured into various sections, this document aims to furnish detailed insights crucial for supporting further investigations into these carbon materials. In particular, it highlights the key distinctions from conventional graphite/graphene oxidation protocols, offering a deeper understanding and ensuring the reproducibility of our seminal findings. We believe this differentiation is crucial to preventing the generalization of these materials from the outset, a limitation widely reported in the graphene oxide family and a major source of their inconsistencies, particularly in commercial products.