Making graphene ‘bread’ – leavening technique results in freestanding graphene oxide films (Nanowerk Spotlight) Integration of graphene sheets and its functional derivatives into three-dimensional (3D) macroscopic structures is drawing much attention since it is an essential step to explore the advanced properties of individual graphene sheets for practical applications, such as chemical filters and electrodes for energy storage devices.
However, a major problem in scaling up production of graphene is the tendency of individual graphene sheets to aggregate due to strong van der Waals attraction. Restacking of sheets not only reduces their solution processability, but also compromises their properties such as accessible surface area. By Michael Berger.