Sustainable Graphene Production: New Insights into Cannabis sativa Engineered Carbon Dots Based Exfoliating Agent for Facile Production of Graphene

Abstract

The direct exfoliation of graphite (Gr) produces high-quality graphene (G) having enormous industrial applications. Exploring sustainable sources as an exfoliating agent offers advantages in terms of cost and ease of production. Herein, sustainably sourced Cannabis sativa engineered carbon dots (N@CSDs) were used as an exfoliant for direct exfoliation of Gr into G (GN@CSDs). The present method opens a new avenue toward exploring a zero-dimensional carbon material (0D) for exfoliating Gr (3D) to G (2D). High-temperature sonication (60 °C) facilitates the exfoliation process by disrupting Ï€-πinteractions between Gr sheets. The N@CSDs stabilizes the exfoliated sheets via electrostatic interaction into GN@CSDs. The Raman spectroscopy confirms successful exfoliation and formation of few-layer graphene sheets, whereas atomic force microscopy reveals the presence of N@CSDs on the GN@CSDs sheets. GN@CSDs shows excellent stability over 1 month under various harsh conditions, confirming the role of N@CSDs in the stabilization process. Interestingly, GN@CSDs exhibit antibacterial nature by hindering the growth of bacteria. © 2019 American Chemical Society.