Graphene-like materials from Coal – Microwave Treatments

Since discovery in 2004, graphene has attracted plenty of attentions owing to its excellent physical properties. Many ways for producing graphene have been developed, such as mechanical exfoliation, chemical exfoliation, and chemical vapor deposition etc. Here, making use of one of our planet’s most abundant natural resources, coal, graphene-like materials are synthesized through very simple and easy processes. In this presentation, a low cost and environmental friendly method to produce graphene-like materials directly from coal will be discussed. With the use of a reduced environment, copper foil, and 900 W microwave oven, we have found evidences of the graphene-like materials through Raman spectroscopy, SEM, and TEM images. Further refinement on producing higher quality and quantity of graphene-like and graphene materials directly from raw coal will be pursued.