AsianScientist (Jul 29, 2014) – Researchers have developed a cost-effective technology to synthesize sulfur-doped and nitrogen-doped graphenes which can be applied as high performance electrodes for secondary batteries and fuel cells. This research has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Graphene has attracted much attention in the field of electronics for its superior conductivity and mechanical strength. In order to manipulate the electrical and chemical properties of graphene to increase its range of functions and applications, scientists can either alter the structure of graphene or dope graphene with chemicals. However, both methods are currently complex, difficult to scale-up and not cost-effective.
A research team led by Professor Sung Yung-Eun of the Center for Nanoparticle Research at the Institute for Basic Science has now developed a process that can produce graphene doped with either sulfur or nitrogen, called heteroatom graphene. Using the common laboratory reagent, sodium hydroxide, and heteroatom-containing organic solvents as precursors, they were able to synthesize sulfur-doped and nitrogen-doped graphenes by using a simple, single-step solvothermal method.
The heteroatom-doped graphene produced had a high surface areas and high heteroatom content. Lithium-ion batteries based on the modified graphene exhibited a higher capacity than the theoretical capacity of graphite which was previously used in lithium-ion batteries. These batteries had a high chemical stability, which resulted in no capacity degradation in charge and discharge experiments. Taken together, the materials Prof. Sung and the team have developed enhance the performance of secondary batteries and drive down the cost of producing fuel cells.
The heteroatom-doped graphenes have the potential to be employed as an effective, alternative chemical material with a performance comparable to that of the expensive platinum catalyst used for the cathode of fuel cell batteries. Platinum has a high profile because of its high chemical reactivity and electrocatalytic activity. However, limited resources and high expense have been stumbling blocks in its effective commercialization.
Prof. Sung said, “We expect that our synthetic approach will be developed to produce doped carbon materials based on other elements (e.g., florine, boron, phosphorus) which can then increase the method’s potential applications in fuel cells, lithium secondary batteries, sensors, and semi-conductors.”
The article can be found at: Quan et al. (2014) Single Source Precursor-based Solvothermal Synthesis of Heteroatom-doped Graphene and Its Energy Storage and Conversion Applications.
——–
Source: Institute for Basic Science, Korea.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
