Cellular graphene films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022049115-A1
Application number	US-202117388082-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 29, 2021
Priority date	Dec 22, 2015
Publication date	Feb 17, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure provides supercapacitors that may avoid the shortcomings of current energy storage technology. Provided herein are electrochemical systems, comprising three dimensional porous reduced graphene oxide film electrodes. Prototype supercapacitors disclosed herein may exhibit improved performance compared to commercial supercapacitors. Additionally, the present disclosure provides a simple, yet versatile technique for the fabrication of supercapacitors through the direct preparation of three dimensional porous reduced graphene oxide films by filtration and freeze casting.

First claim

1 . (canceled)

2 . A method of fabricating a graphene oxide film, comprising:
(a) suspending a graphene oxide in a first solvent to form a graphene oxide suspension; (b) dispersing the graphene oxide suspension in a second solvent to form a graphene oxide dispersion; (c) reducing the graphene oxide dispersion; (d) filtering the graphene oxide dispersion through a membrane to form a graphene oxide film on the membrane; and (e) freeze-casting the graphene oxide film on the membrane.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein a concentration of the graphene oxide in the first solvent is from about 1 mg/mL to about 6 mg/mL.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the graphene oxide film has a thickness of about 1 nm to about 1.4 nm.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first solvent comprises water, formic acid, n-butanol, isopropanol, n-propanol, ethanol, methanol, acetic acid, or any combination thereof.

6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the second solvent comprises a weak acid.

7 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the weak acid comprises formic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, ascorbic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, oxalic acid, benzoic acid, carbonic acid, or any combination thereof.

8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein (c) comprises heating the graphene oxide dispersion at a temperature of from about 250 C to about 1000 C.

9 . The method of claim 2 , wherein (c) comprises heating the graphene oxide dispersion over a period of from about 1 minute to about 100 minutes.

10 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the membrane has a pore size of from about 0.1μη to about 0.5 um.

11 . The method of claim 2 , wherein filtering the graphene oxide dispersion comprises vacuum filtering the graphene oxide dispersion.

12 . The method of claim 2 , wherein freeze-casting the graphene oxide film forms a continuous 3D porous network.

13 . The method of claim 2 , wherein (e) comprises:
(f) freezing the graphene oxide film on the membrane; (g) thawing the graphene oxide film on the membrane; (h) heating the graphene oxide film on the membrane; and (i) immersing the graphene oxide film on the membrane in a third solvent.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the graphene oxide film is frozen on the membrane for a period of time of at least about 15 minutes.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the graphene oxide film is frozen by liquid nitrogen, dry ice, ethanol, or any combination thereof.

16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the heating of the graphene oxide film on membrane occurs at a temperature of from about 50° C. to about 200° C.

17 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the heating of the graphene oxide film on membrane occurs over a time period of about 1 minute to about 100 minutes.

18 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising thawing the graphene oxide film on the membrane.

19 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising shaking the graphene oxide dispersion before step (d).

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein shaking the graphene oxide dispersion is performed over a period of time of about 1 minute to about 10 minutes.

21 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the graphene oxide film has a thickness of from about 6 μm to about 60 μm.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Kaner Richard Barry
• Shao Yuanlong

Classifications

• Y02E60/13

  Energy storage using capacitors · CPC title

• H01G11/86

  specially adapted for electrodes (carbonisation or activation of carbon for the manufacture of electrodes H01G11/34) · CPC title

• H01G11/64

  characterised by additives · CPC title

• H01G11/60

  characterised by the solvent · CPC title

• H01G11/52

  Separators · CPC title