Plasma Meets Graphene: Surface Engineering and Functionalities

Graphene, as a single atomic layer two-dimensional carbon material, shows revolutionary potential in aerospace, energy storage, high-sensitivity sensing, and other fields with its excellent tensile strength, ultrahigh specific surface area, and carrier mobility at room temperature. However, the traditional graphene preparation technology generally faces bottlenecks such as high energy consumption, a complex process, and a lack of precision in structure regulation. With the advantages of nonequilibrium thermodynamic properties, controllable reactivity, and environmental friendliness, plasma technology provides an innovative solution for the controllable synthesis and performance optimization of graphene. In this paper, we systematically review the latest progress of plasma-assisted technologies in graphene synthesis, modification, and functionalization: in the field of synthesis, we focus on the mechanism and optimization strategy of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), plasma jet (PJ), and solution plasma (SP). In the field of modification, the mechanisms of plasma modulation of graphene electronic structure, surface chemistry, and defect engineering are deeply analyzed. At the application level, the breakthroughs of plasma-engineered graphene materials in the fields of supercapacitors, high-efficiency filtration membranes, electrocatalysis, and metal-air batteries are reviewed. Finally, an outlook on the industrialization challenges and future directions of plasma technology is presented to provide theoretical references for the precise design and cross-disciplinary applications of graphene materials.