Processing of carbonaceous materials using donor-acceptor interactions

A low energy, high yield, one-pot exfoliation and dispersion of carbonaceous materials: graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is demonstrated. The process is driven by donor-acceptor interactions, through addition of non-polar electron-deficient aromatic molecules. As a result, the dispersion yield in organic solvents is increased while reducing the energy input to only 30 minutes of mild bath sonication. It is also reported for the first time the use of dihydrolevoglucosenone, a renewable green solvent in graphene and CNT processing. The work opens up avenues for electronic structure manipulation of van-der-Waals bonded layered materials giving an insight into designing efficient exfoliation methods.