	US 12,264,072 B2
	Continuous production of pristine graphene and graphene oxide
Yi-jun Lin, Taoyuan (TW); Hsuan-Wen Lee, Taoyuan (TW); Aruna Zhamu, Springboro, OH (US); and Bor Z. Jang, Centerville, OH (US)
Assigned to Global Graphene Group, Inc., Dayton, OH (US)
Filed by Nanotek Instruments, Inc., Dayton, OH (US)
Filed on Oct. 16, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/654,638.
Prior Publication US 2021/0114880 A1, Apr. 22, 2021
Int. Cl. C01B 32/192 (2017.01); B82Y 40/00 (2011.01); C01B 32/198 (2017.01); B82Y 30/00 (2011.01); C01B 32/196 (2017.01)

CPC C01B 32/192 (2017.08) [C01B 32/198 (2017.08); B82Y 30/00 (2013.01); B82Y 40/00 (2013.01); C01B 32/196 (2017.08); C01B 2204/02 (2013.01); C01B 2204/04 (2013.01)]

19 Claims

1. A process for manufacturing a graphene material, the process comprising:

a) injecting a first stock of reactants into a first inlet near a first end of a continuous or semi-continuous reactor, the first stock comprising a graphitic material and an intercalating agent of lithium manganese;

b) allowing said reactants to react with one another while being driven to flow from said first end to a second end, downstream from said first inlet, of said reactor to form a first reaction product slurry;

c) driving said first reactant product slurry to flow through a conduit, disposed in working relation to said reactor, back to said first end and re-enter said reactor through a second inlet near said first end, allowing said first product slurry to flow from said first end to said second end of said reactor to form a second reaction product slurry; and

d) collecting the second reaction product slurry or a finishing product slurry from an outlet of the reactor, disposed downstream from said first inlet, to produce said graphene material;

wherein the first stock also includes an oxidizing agent;

wherein the graphitic material is selected from highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), meso-carbon micro-bead (MCMB), carbon fiber, graphite fiber, carbon nano-fiber, graphite nano-fiber, multi-walled carbon nano-tube, soft carbon, hard carbon, activated carbon, meso-phase pitch, needle coke, coal, graphite oxide, graphite halogenide, hydrogenated graphite, nitrogenated graphite, or a combination thereof.