Hydrothermal Unzipping of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes and Cutting of Graphene by Potassium Superoxide

Abstract

The dual use of potassium superoxide (KO2) to unzip multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and cut graphene under hydrothermal conditions is described in this work. The KO2-assisted hydrothermal treatment was proven to be a high-yield method for forming graphene nanoribbons and dots or sub-micro-sized graphene nanosheets. Starting with functionalized MWCNTs, the method produces water-dispersible graphene nanoribbons with characteristic photoluminescence depending on their width. Using pristine graphene, the hydrothermal treatment with KO2 produces nanosized graphene sheets and graphene quantum dots with diameters of less than 10 nm. The latter showed a bright white photoluminescence. The effective hydrothermal unzipping of MWNTs and the cutting of large graphene nanosheets is a valuable top-down approach for the preparation of graphene nanoribbons and small nanographenes. Both products with limited dimensions have interesting applications in nanoelectronics and bionanotechnology.