Methods include producing tunable carbon structures and combining carbon structures with a polymer to form a composite material. Carbon structures include crinkled graphene. Methods also include functionalizing the carbon structures, either in-situ, within the plasma reactor, or in a liquid collection facility. The plasma reactor has a first control for tuning the specific surface area (SSA) of the resulting tuned carbon structures as well as a second, independent control for tuning the SSA of the tuned carbon structures. The composite materials that result from mixing the tuned carbon structures with a polymer results in composite materials that exhibit exceptional favorable mechanical and/or other properties. Mechanisms that operate between the carbon structures and the polymer yield composite materials that exhibit these exceptional mechanical properties are also examined.

The present disclosure relates to a method for preparing graphene, including: forming a dielectric material; and applying heat treatment concurrently with a gaseous carbon source on the dielectric material to grow.

A method for producing graphene includes: a pretreatment process of drying and pulverizing a vegetable material to obtain a carbon source; a carbonization process of carbonizing the carbon source to obtain a carbide; and a purification process of removing an impurity containing silica from the carbide obtained in the carbonization process, wherein the carbonization process including a heating process of supplying an inert gas into a chamber and heating the carbon source in the chamber in a plasma atmosphere.

Provided is a graphene foam-based sealing material comprising: (a) a graphene foam framework comprising pores and pore walls, wherein the pore walls comprise a 3D network of interconnected graphene planes or graphene sheets; and (b) a permeation-resistant binder or matrix material that coats and embraces the exterior surfaces of the graphene foam framework and/or infiltrates into pores of the graphene foam, occupying from 10% to 100% (preferably from 10% to 98% and more preferably from 20% to 90%) of the pore volume of the graphene foam framework.

Disclosed are the methods for fabricating holey graphene nanoplatelets using microwave irradiation to treat a dry graphite powder. In particular, the methods can be used to treat graphite intercalation compounds either with or without partial oxidation to obtain holey graphene nanoplatelets with predetermined hole size, hole edge shape, thickness and lateral dimension. The method does not involve any toxic reagents or metal-containing compounds, and without generating toxic byproducts, thus enabling a variety of eco-friendly applications.

A electronic method, includes receiving, by a graphene structure, a microwave signal. The microwave signal has a driving voltage level. The electronic method includes generating, by the graphene structure, optical photons based on the microvolts. The electronic method includes outputting, by the graphene structure, the optical photons.

Provided is a process for producing a solid graphene foam-based sealing material. The process comprises: (a) preparing a graphene dispersion having a graphene material dispersed in a liquid medium, which contains an optional blowing agent; (b) dispensing and depositing the graphene dispersion into desired shapes and partially or completely removing the liquid medium from these shapes to form dried graphene shapes; (c) heat treating the dried graphene shapes at a first heat treatment temperature from 50° C. to 3,200° C. at a desired heating rate sufficient to induce volatile gas molecules from the non-carbon elements or to activate the blowing agent for producing the graphene foam; and (d) coating or impregnating the graphene foam with a permeation-resistant binder or matrix material to form the sealing material.

Provided is an anode for a lithium battery or sodium battery, the anode comprising multiple porous graphene balls and multiple particles or coating of a lithium-attracting metal or sodium-attracting metal at a graphene ball-to-metal volume ratio from 5/95 to 95/5, wherein the porous graphene ball comprises a plurality of graphene sheets forming into the ball having a diameter from 100 nm to 20 μm and a pore or multiple pores having a pore volume fraction from 10% to 99.9% based on the total graphene ball volume, and wherein the particles or coating of lithium-attracting metal or sodium-attracting metal, having a diameter or thickness from 1 nm to 20 μm, are selected from Au, Ag, Mg, Zn, Ti, K, Al, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Sn, V, Cr, an alloy thereof, or a combination thereof.

Proposed are a photocatalyst, including titanium dioxide particles including titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2), a carbon material located on all or part of the surface of the titanium dioxide particles and including at least one selected from the group consisting of graphene, reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and bimetallic nanoparticles supported on the carbon material and including first metal nanoparticles and second metal nanoparticles, and a water treatment method using the same. In the photocatalyst and the water treatment method using the same, the photocatalyst including bimetallic nanoparticles and graphene oxide is prepared, thereby exhibiting high reduction efficiency and high selectivity to nitrogen gas even without the use of an external electron donor.

An array of graphene sheets configured to generate electricity from a flow of an ion-containing fluid, wherein the array comprises a plurality of graphene sheets, each graphene sheet comprising first and second electrical contacts, having a surface extending between the first and second electrical contacts for contacting the flow of ion-containing fluid, and wherein each graphene sheet is in electrical contact with at least a further graphene sheet.