GRAPHENE SPONGES
TEAM NETHERLANDS
GRAYTON GIESMAN, NICK GROSENBACHER, JOSEPH NEMEC
BACKGROUND
• Graphene is a material made of carbon atoms in sheet
form.1
From source 1
• It is so thin that it is often considered two-dimensional.
• It is “widely cited as the strongest material ever created on a per-weight
basis, but it also has incredibly high electrical conductivity.”1
(extremetech.com)
1 Templeton, Graham. (2015) What Is Graphene?, extremetech.com
SIGNIFICANCE
• Graphene’s small size but strong conductivity open many doors for
electronic industries.
• It’s incredibly strong, but still flexible.
1 Templeton, Graham. (2015) What Is Graphene?, extremetech.com
From source 1
WHY ARE GRAPHENE SPONGES EFFECTIVE?
• Sponges are hydrophilic and oleophilic2,3
• They cannot separate organics from water
• The rGO coating makes sponges hydrophobic and oleophilic2,3
• Organic components absorbed, water left behind!
From source 4
2 Liu, Y, et al. (2013) Cost-effective Reduced Graphene Oxide-Coated Polyurethane Sponge As a Highly Efficient and Reusable Oil-Absorbent.
3 Tjandra, Ricky, et al. (2015) Introduction of an Enhanced Binding of Reduced Graphene Oxide to Polyurethane Sponge for Oil Absorption.
4 Li, Beibei, et al. (2015) Oil-absorbent Polyurethane Sponge Coated with KH-570-modified Graphene.
PROCESS OF CREATING A GRAPHENE SPONGE
• Very cutting edge
• Most efficient method is the subject of many recent research articles2,3,4
• Room for improvement
1.
Create Graphene - Hummer’s Method2,3,4
2.
Apply to sponges by suspending in graphene
and then baking them.
1.
Best apparent
a)
method so far2:
Graphene oxide -> soak in solution of coupling agent -> reduce with NaHCO3 and hydrazine
2 Liu, Y, et al. (2013) Cost-effective Reduced Graphene Oxide-Coated Polyurethane Sponge As a Highly Efficient and Reusable Oil-Absorbent.
3 Tjandra, Ricky, et al. (2015) Introduction of an Enhanced Binding of Reduced Graphene Oxide to Polyurethane Sponge for Oil Absorption.
4 Li, Beibei, et al. (2015) Oil-absorbent Polyurethane Sponge Coated with KH-570-modified Graphene.
From source 2
CURRENT CHALLENGES
• Up until very recently, graphene production was small and costly.1,5
• It also has a slight issue with electronics, as it has no gaps that make
adjusting current easy.5
• This makes it unviable for solar energy production5
1 Templeton, Graham. (2015) What Is Graphene?, extremetech.com
5 Bi, Hengchang, et al. (2012) Spongy Graphene as a Highly Efficient and Recyclable Sorbent for Oils and Organic Solvents.
FUTURE USES/IMPROVEMENTS
• Graphene has a myriad of uses ranging from medicine to electrical
components to use as a structural material1
• Graphene sponges can be tailored to selectively absorb different organic
material6
• potential uses include cleaning up oil and chemical spills, purifying water, quick
chemical identification, and filtration.
1 Templeton, Graham. (2015) What Is Graphene?, extremetech.com
6 Bi, Hengchang, et al. (2012) Spongy Graphene as a Highly Efficient and Recyclable Sorbent for Oils and Organic Solvents.