Fluid dynamics: an emerging route for the scalable production of graphene in the last five years

Abstract

Bulk applications of graphene in fields such as advanced composites, conductive ink, and energy storage require cheap and scalable graphene. Fortunately, in the last decade, liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite to give pristine graphene has been thought as a promising way to massive production of graphene at high efficiency and low cost, in terms of the cheap and abundant graphite source and a variety of cost-effective exfoliation techniques. Though many exfoliation techniques are available so far, this article will highlight the recent progress of fluid dynamics route which emerges as a promising scalable and efficient way for graphene production in the last five years. The emphasis is set on vortex fluidic devices and pressure- and mixer-driven fluid dynamics, with our perspectives on the latest progress, exfoliation mechanism, and some key issues that require further study in order to realize industrial applications.

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