Synthesis and Performance Evaluation of Exfoliated Graphene Nanoplatelet Hydrogels As Electrodes for Supercapacitors

摘要

Graphene is an excellent material because of its high electrical conductivity, high surface area, and superior mechanical properties. Stable dispersions of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) can be only achieved in organic solvents while in polar solvents the GNPs tend to agglomerate. Therefore, covalent and non-covalent functionalization of the GNP, or the use of surfactants, is required to formulate stable dispersions. Unlike GNP, Graphene oxide (GO) can be readily dispersed in aqueous media because of the hydrophilic oxygen groups on the basal plane and edges. Consequently, GO has amphiphilic material characteristics like a surfactant, and we use it as a dispersing agent for GNP in aqueous solutions.