HOW THEY DID IT
In their experiments, the researchers mixed the graphene oxide with water. They then printed the lattice framework on a surface of -25°C. The graphene is sandwiched between the layers of frozen ice, which act as a structural support.
After the process is completed, the lattice is dipped in liquid nitrogen, which helps form even stronger hydrogen bonds. The lattice is then placed in a freeze dryer, where the ice is changed into gas and removed. The end result is a complex, three-dimensional structure made of graphene aerogel that retains its shape at room temperature.
“By keeping the graphene in a cold environment, we were able to ensure that it retained the shape we designed. This is an important step toward making graphene a commercially viable material,” says Dong Lin, assistant professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering at Kansas State University and the study’s other corresponding author.
The researchers plan to build on their findings by investigating how to create aerogel structures formed of multiple materials.
Republished from Futurity.org as a derivative work under the Attribution 4.0 International license. Original article posted to Futurity by Cory Nealon-Buffalo.
Featured Phot Credit: University at Buffalo
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