A high-yield and size-controlled production of graphene by optimizing fluid forces

Efficient graphene production is critical for commercial applications. Liquid-phase exfoliation, one of the most promising methods for mass production of graphene, is limited by small size and low yield. By optimizing the fluid forces, we have achieved the size-controlled production of high-quality graphene. The bending and cleavage caused by the collision promote cavitation and shear exfoliation. High-aspect-ratio graphene has an average area of ~ 1.5μm 2 and a thickness of ~ 1.5 nm. Simultaneously, the dispersion concentration of small size graphene (average area ~ 0.6μm 2 ) is 0.17 mg mL −1 , while the yield and efficiency reach 30% and 15%·h −1 , respectively, through recycling sediment (initial concentration: 1 mg mL −1 ). Furthermore, the binary solvent of isopropanol and water is eco-friendly, low boiling, cost-effective. Jet collision can also be applied for exfoliation of other two-dimensional materials such as h-BN. This finding is essential for optimizing the design of liquid-phase exfoliation devices to obtain appropriate size and yield.