Liberation of Graphene-like Nanoplatelets and Sub-micron Particles from Anthracite Coal through Chemically Aided Attrition Milling
Restricted (Penn State Only)
- Author:
- Rosoff-Verbit, Brett
- Graduate Program:
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- March 19, 2023
- Committee Members:
- James Hansell Adair, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Jonathan P Mathews, Committee Member
John Mauro, Program Head/Chair
John C Mauro, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Graphene
anthracite
coal
nanomaterial
nano
attrition
milling - Abstract:
- Graphene and graphene-based nanomaterials are a very active research topic due to the materials’ unique set of properties. Since the isolation of single-layer graphene in 2004, graphene has been viewed with excitement over its potential uses in numerous industries including electronics, defense, communication, healthcare, and energy. Despite the excitement around the two-dimensional “supermaterial,” graphene has not had significant commercial success. The disappointing commercialization of graphene can be attributed to difficulties in producing quality products at scale. Many of the current methods used to produce graphene or graphene- based materials involve expensive instruments or processes that are not feasible for affordable large-scale production. Current limitations with common techniques include production volume, quality, cost, processing/distribution, and technology. Here a scalable chemically aided milling technique paired with a simple chemical extraction process that produces graphene-like nanoplatelets from anthracite coal was examined. Anthracite coal is not only abundant and affordable, but provides unique value as a precursor material as it is comprised of aromatic carbon structures of various sizes including non-six- membered rings. Moreover, anthracite has heteroatoms such as S, N, and O. This provides an opportunity to liberate unique microcrystals as well as individual layers of structure that are similar to graphene but yet uniquely different due to heteroatoms and number of carbon rings. Using scalable milling technology paired with chemical extraction to liberate graphene- like particles from coal provides an alternative method for the production of graphene or graphene-based materials that is both scalable and affordable. The introduction of this thesis includes the background, motivation, and overview of this project. After the introduction, a literature review of the current state of the field and its challenges are presented. The experimental work is then presented in the following two chapters which detail the initial material properties, milling conditions, a simple chemical extraction, and the final material characterization. Finally, the conclusions of the experimental work as well as recommendations for future work are provided.