A method of producing graphene sheets from coke or coal powder, comprising: (a) forming an intercalated coke or coal compound by electrochemical intercalation conducted in an intercalation reactor, which contains (i) a liquid solution electrolyte comprising an intercalating agent; (ii) a working electrode that contains the powder in ionic contact with the liquid electrolyte, wherein the coke or coal powder is selected from petroleum coke, coal-derived coke, meso-phase coke, synthetic coke, leonardite, lignite coal, or natural coal mineral powder; and (iii) a counter electrode in ionic contact with the electrolyte, and wherein a current is imposed upon the working electrode and the counter electrode for effecting electrochemical intercalation of the intercalating agent into the powder; and (b) exfoliating and separating graphene planes from the intercalated coke or coal compound using an ultrasonication, thermal shock exposure, mechanical shearing treatment, or a combination thereof to produce isolated graphene sheets.

The present invention relates to the electrolytic splitting of water using a carbon-supported manganese oxide (MnO.sub.x) composite. Specifically, the present electrolytic splitting of water is carried under neutral electrolyte conditions with a high electrolytic activity, while using an oxygen evolution reaction (OER)-electrode comprising the present carbon-supported MnO.sub.x composite. Next, the present invention relates to a process for producing such a carbon-supported MnO.sub.x composite as well as to a composite obtainable by the present process for producing the same and to an OER-electrode comprising the carbon-supported MnO.sub.x composite obtainable by the present process.

A method of producing graphene sheets comprising the steps of, (a) forming a carbonaceous powder by electrochemical erosion of a graphite electrode in a molten salt comprising hydrogen ions, (b) recovering the resulting carbonaceous powder from the molten salt liquid, and (c) thermally treating the carbonaceous powder by heating the carbonaceous powder in a non-oxidising atmosphere to produce a thermally treated powder comprising graphene sheets.

A method of synthesizing three-dimensional (3D) reduced graphene oxide (RGO) foams embedded with water splitting nanocatalysts includes providing a first solution containing nickel (II) nitrate, a second solution containing iron (III) nitrate, and a graphene oxide (GO) aqueous suspension; mixing the GO aqueous suspension with the first solution and the second solution to form a GO-NiFe mixture; adjusting a pH value of the GO-NiFe mixture to be about 3.5; and performing hydrothermal reaction in the GO-NiFe mixture to form RGO-NiFe foams, wherein nanocatalysts containing Ni-Fi oxide particles are embedded in porous structures of the 3D RGO foams.

The invention relates to a device, including: a channel including an inlet at a first end of the channel and an outlet at a second end of the channel; a cathode arranged in the channel, which cathode includes a first segment selected from titanium, stainless steel and titanium provided with a mixed metal oxide coating layer including ruthenium oxide and/or iridium oxide and a second segment including carbon, such as a carbon (felt) segment, arranged downstream of the first segment, an anode, arranged in the channel, selected from titanium or, stainless steel and titanium provided with a mixed metal oxide coating layer including ruthenium oxide and/or iridium oxide, which coating layer faces the cathode; and a power source electrically connected to the cathode and the anode. The invention further relates to a method for the production of chlorine dioxide.

Disclosed herein is an electrode material comprising a carbon-containing substrate, comprising a surface and a plurality of R.sub.F moieties wherein each R.sub.F moiety is covalently bound to the surface; and each R.sub.F moiety comprises a fluorine atom. Also, disclosed herein is a method of preparing an electrode material.

A method of producing graphene sheets comprising the steps of, (a) forming a carbonaceous powder by electrochemical erosion of a graphite electrode in a molten salt comprising hydrogen ions, (b) recovering the resulting carbonaceous powder from the molten salt liquid, and (c) thermally treating the carbonaceous powder by heating the carbonaceous powder in a non-oxidising atmosphere to produce a thermally treated powder comprising graphene sheets.

A method of producing graphene sheets from coke or coal powder, comprising: (a) forming an intercalated coke or coal compound by electrochemical intercalation conducted in an intercalation reactor, which contains (i) a liquid solution electrolyte comprising an intercalating agent; (ii) a working electrode that contains the powder in ionic contact with the liquid electrolyte, wherein the coke or coal powder is selected from petroleum coke, coal-derived coke, meso-phase coke, synthetic coke, leonardite, lignite coal, or natural coal mineral powder; and (iii) a counter electrode in ionic contact with the electrolyte, and wherein a current is imposed upon the working electrode and the counter electrode for effecting electrochemical intercalation of the intercalating agent into the powder; and (b) exfoliating and separating graphene planes from the intercalated coke or coal compound using an ultrasonication, thermal shock exposure, mechanical shearing treatment, or a combination thereof to produce isolated graphene sheets.

Disclosed herein are methods of electrochemically producing halogen using an oxygen consuming gas diffusion electrode, referred to herein as an oxygen depolarized cathode (ODC). The electrode can include heteroatom-doped carbon nanostructures as catalysts for both halogen evolving anodes and oxygen depolarized cathodes. Examples of halogens that can be produced include chlorine and bromine by oxidation of the respective halide ions.

A method of producing graphene sheets comprising the steps of, forming a carbonaceous powder by electrochemical erosion of a graphite electrode in a molten salt comprising hydrogen ions, recovering the resulting carbonaceous powder from the molten salt liquid, and thermally treating the carbonaceous powder by heating the carbonaceous powder in a non-oxidising atmosphere to produce a thermally treated powder comprising graphene sheets. The method allows high production rates of high purity graphene sheets.