A Low-Cost Method To Improve The Thermal Stability Of Graphene Nanoplatelets

Abstract

In this work, the Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNP) surface was modified by reducing the precursors of SiO and GNP to form Silicon carbide (SiC) coating at different temperatures of 1150^oC, 1250^oC and 1350⁰C for 30 min holding time using a carbothermal reduction process. The surface morphology and phase analysis of SiC coating and GNP were characterized by SEM and XRD studies. X-RD Spectrum reveals a crystalline phase of β-SiC and graphene in all the samples. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation indicates that SiC nanoparticles are uniformly decorated on graphene, forming a continuous and dense SiC coating. Moreover, the thermal stability of GNP was improved to 697^oC as is evident by TGA studies by developing SiC coating. The enhancement in the thermal stability of graphene has shown great potential in heat sinks in electronics, cutting tools, solar cells, and nuclear applications.