Integral 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam and devices containing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017182474-A1
Application number	US-201514998356-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 28, 2015
Priority date	Dec 28, 2015
Publication date	Jun 29, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is an integral 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam composed of multiple pores and pore walls, wherein the pore walls contain single-layer or few-layer graphene sheets chemically bonded by a carbon material having a carbon material-to-graphene weight ratio from 1/100 to 1/2, wherein the few-layer graphene sheets have 2-10 layers of stacked graphene planes having an inter-plane spacing d 002 from 0.3354 nm to 0.40 nm and the graphene sheets contain a pristine graphene material having essentially zero % of non-carbon elements, or a non-pristine graphene material having 0.01% to 25% by weight of non-carbon elements wherein said non-pristine graphene is selected from graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, graphene fluoride, graphene chloride, graphene bromide, graphene iodide, hydrogenated graphene, nitrogenated graphene, doped graphene, chemically functionalized graphene, or a combination thereof. Also provided are a process for producing the hybrid form, products containing the hybrid foam, and its applications.

First claim

We claim:

1 . An integral 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam composed of multiple pores and pore walls, wherein said pore walls contain single-layer or few-layer graphene sheets chemically bonded by a carbon material having a carbon material-to-graphene weight ratio from 1/200 to 1/2, wherein said few-layer graphene sheets have 2-10 layers of stacked graphene planes having an inter-plane spacing d 002 from 0.3354 nm to 0.40 nm as measured by X-ray diffraction and said single-layer or few-layer graphene sheets contain a pristine graphene material having essentially zero % of non-carbon elements, or a non-pristine graphene material having 0.001% to 25% by weight of non-carbon elements wherein said non-pristine graphene is selected from graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, graphene fluoride, graphene chloride, graphene bromide, graphene iodide, hydrogenated graphene, nitrogenated graphene, doped graphene, chemically functionalized graphene, or a combination thereof.

2 . The integral 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , wherein said 3D graphene foam has a density from 0.005 to 1.7 g/cm 3 , a specific surface area from 50 to 3,200 m 2 /g, a thermal conductivity of at least 200 W/mK per unit of specific gravity, and/or an electrical conductivity no less than 2,000 S/cm per unit of specific gravity.

3 . The integral 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , wherein said pore walls contain a pristine graphene and said 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam has a density from 0.01 to 1.7 g/cm 3 or an average pore size from 2 nm to 50 nm.

4 . The integral 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , wherein said pore walls contain a non-pristine graphene material and wherein said foam contains a content of non-carbon elements in the range of 0.01% to 20% by weight and said non-carbon elements include an element selected from oxygen, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, nitrogen, hydrogen, or boron.

5 . The integral 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , wherein said pore walls contain graphene fluoride and said solid graphene foam contains a fluorine content from 0.01% to 15% by weight.

6 . The 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , wherein said pore walls contain graphene oxide and said solid graphene foam contains an oxygen content from 0.01% to 20% by weight.

7 . The 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , wherein said foam has a specific surface area from 200 to 3,000 m 2 /g or a density from 0.1 to 1.2 g/cm 3 .

8 . The 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , which is in a continuous-length roll sheet form having a thickness from 100 nm to 10 cm and a length of at least 2 meters and is produced by a roll-to-roll process.

9 . The 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , wherein said foam has an oxygen content or non-carbon content less than 1% by weight, and said pore walls have an inter-graphene spacing less than 0.35 nm, a thermal conductivity of at least 250 W/mK per unit of specific gravity, and/or an electrical conductivity no less than 2,500 S/cm per unit of specific gravity.

10 . The 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , wherein said foam has an oxygen content or non-carbon content less than 0.01% by weight and said pore walls contain stacked graphene planes having an inter-graphene spacing less than 0.34 nm, a thermal conductivity of at least 300 W/mK per unit of specific gravity, and/or an electrical conductivity no less than 3,000 S/cm per unit of specific gravity.

11 . The 3D graphene foam of claim 1 , wherein said foam has an oxygen content or non-carbon content no greater than 0.01% by weight and said pore walls contain stacked graphene planes having an inter-graphene spacing less than 0.336 nm, a thermal conductivity of at least 350 W/mK per unit of specific gravity, and/or an electrical conductivity no less than 3,500 S/cm per unit of specific gravity.

12 . The 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , wherein said foam has pore walls containing stacked graphene planes having an inter-graphene spacing less than 0.336 nm, a thermal conductivity greater than 400 W/mK per unit of specific gravity, and/or an electrical conductivity greater than 4,000 S/cm per unit of specific gravity.

13 . The 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , wherein the pore walls contain stacked graphene planes having an inter-graphene spacing less than 0.337 nm and a mosaic spread value less than 1.0.

14 . The 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , wherein said pore walls contain a 3D network of interconnected graphene planes.

15 . The 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 , wherein said foam contains meso-scaled pores having a pore size from 2 nm to 50 nm.

16 . An oil-removing or oil-separating device containing the 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 as an oil-absorbing element.

17 . A solvent-removing or solvent-separating device containing the 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 as a solvent-absorbing or solvent-separating element.

18 . A method to separate oil from water, said method comprising the steps of:
a. Providing an oil-absorbing element comprising the integral 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 ; b. Contacting an oil-water mixture with said element, which absorbs the oil from the mixture; c. Retreating the element from the mixture and extracting the oil from the element; and d. Reusing the element.

19 . A method to separate an organic solvent from a solvent-water mixture or from a multiple-solvent mixture, said method comprising the steps of:
a. Providing an organic solvent-absorbing or solvent-separating element comprising the integral 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 ; b. Bringing said element in contact with an organic solvent-water mixture or a multiple-solvent mixture containing a first solvent and at least a second solvent; c. Allowing said element to absorb the organic solvent from the mixture or separate said first solvent from said at least second solvent; d. Retreating the element from the mixture and extracting the organic solvent or first solvent from the element; and e. Reusing the element.

20 . A thermal management device containing the 3D integral graphene-carbon hybrid foam of claim 1 as a heat spreading or heat dissipating element.

21 . The thermal management device of claim 20 , which contains a device selected from a heat exchanger, heat sink, heat pipe, high-conductivity insert, conductive plate between a heat sink and a heat source, heat-spreading component, heat-dissipating component, thermal interface medium, or thermoelectric or Peltier cooling device.

Assignees

• Zhamu Aruna
• Jang Bor Z

Inventors

• Zhamu Aruna
• Jang Bor Z

Classifications

• B01J20/28059

  being less than 100 m2/g · CPC title

• C02F1/283

  using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them · CPC title

• B01J20/28064

  being in the range 500-1000 m2/g · CPC title

• C02F2101/32

  Hydrocarbons, e.g. oil · CPC title

• C09K5/14

  Solid materials, e.g. powdery or granular · CPC title