US 11,767,221 B2
Production of graphene sheets from highly aromatic molecules
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 Feb. 12, 2018, as Appl. No. 15/894,234.
Application 15/894,234 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/700,756, filed on Sep. 11, 2017, granted, now 10,526,204.
Prior Publication US 2019/0077668 A1, Mar. 14, 2019
Int. Cl. C01B 32/184 (2017.01); B82Y 30/00 (2011.01); B82Y 40/00 (2011.01)
CPC C01B 32/184 (2017.08) [B82Y 30/00 (2013.01); B82Y 40/00 (2013.01); C01B 2204/02 (2013.01); C01B 2204/04 (2013.01); C01B 2204/32 (2013.01); Y10S 977/734 (2013.01); Y10S 977/842 (2013.01); Y10S 977/845 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of producing isolated graphene sheets, said method comprising:
a) providing a mass of halogenated aromatic molecules in a solid, or semi-solid state wherein said halogenated aromatic molecules are selected from halogenated variants of petroleum heavy oil or pitch, coal tar pitch, a polynuclear hydrocarbon, and combinations thereof, wherein said halogenated variants of polynuclear hydrocarbon are selected from halogenated variants of naphthalene, phenanthrene, chrysene, triphenylene, corannulene, benzo-perylene, coronene, ovalene, benzo-fluorene, a derivative thereof having a substituent on a ring structure thereof, a chemical derivative thereof, and combinations thereof;
b) heat treating said mass of halogenated aromatic molecules at a first temperature selected from 25° C. to 3,000° C. so that said halogenated aromatic molecules are merged or fused into larger aromatic molecules and optionally heat-treating said larger molecules at a second temperature, higher than the first temperature, selected from 300° C. to 3,200° C., to form graphene domains dispersed in a disordered matrix of carbon or hydrocarbon molecules, wherein said graphene domains are each composed of from 1 to 30 planes of hexagonal carbon atoms or fused aromatic rings having a length or width from 5 nm to 35 μm and, in the situations wherein there are 2-30 planes in a graphene domain, having an inter-graphene space between two planes of hexagonal carbon atoms or fused aromatic rings no less than 0.34 nm;
c) separating and isolating said planes of hexagonal carbon atoms or fused aromatic rings to recover graphene sheets from said disordered matrix; and
d) conducting a chemical means to treat said halogenated aromatic molecules during or after said step (b), wherein said chemical means comprises adding a functionalizing agent into said mass of halogenated aromatic molecules and said halogenated aromatic molecules are chemically functionalized by said agent, wherein said functionalizing agent contains a functional group selected from the group consisting of amidoamines, polyamides, aliphatic amines, modified aliphatic amines, cycloaliphatic amines, aromatic amines, anhydrides, ketimines, diethylenetriamine (DETA), triethylene-tetramine (TETA), tetraethylene-pentamine (TEPA), polyethylene polyamine, polyamine epoxy adduct, phenolic hardener, non-brominated curing agent, non-amine curatives, an acrylonitrile chain, polyfurfuryl alcohol, phenolic resin, and combinations thereof; and/or said functionalizing agent contains a functional group selected from OY, NHY, O═C—OY, P═C—NR′Y, O═C—SY, O═C—Y, —CR′1-OY, N′Y or C′Y, and Y is a functional group of a protein, a peptide, an amino acid, an enzyme, an antibody, a nucleotide, an oligonucleotide, an antigen, or an enzyme substrate, enzyme inhibitor or the transition state analog of an enzyme substrate or is selected from R′—OH, R′—NR′2, R′SH, R′CHO, R′CN, R′X, R′N+(R′)3X−, R′SiR′3, R′Si(—OR′—)yR′3-y, R′Si(—O—SiR′2—)OR′, R′—R″, R′—N—CO, (C2H4O—)wH, (—C3H6O—)wH, (—C2H4O)w—R′, (C3H6O)w—R′, R′, and w is an integer greater than one and less than 200;
wherein said graphene sheet production and said chemical functionalization are accomplished concurrently.