Plasma Fluorination of Graphene and Graphene Oxide

Abstract

Plasma fluorination of graphene includes surface modification of graphene using plasma SF6 to modify and enhance its surface physical, electronic, and conduction properties. Experiments of plasma fluorination have been performed in the vacuum and VFD systems in this project and characterising the fluorinated graphene To develop a deep understanding of plasma fluorination process. The characterisation process involved investigating the chemical-bonding of fluorinated graphene sheets using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy. The research also attempted to compare and contrast the results of plasma fluorinated graphene in a high vacuum environment, with the plasma fluorinated graphene using the VFD device. Based on the obtained results, the researcher will propose new, greener, and optimised fluorination route(s) that can be employed in the future when undertaking plasma fluorination of individual graphene sheets for commercial applications. In this project, Vacuum system and plasma VFD were used to produce Fluorinated graphene via plasma. Fluorination of graphene was done in the vacuum system by exposing to O2 plasma as pre-treatment and then SF6 plasma X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy were used to investigate plasma fluorination process. It was determined from the obtained results, Fluorinated graphene that produced using vacuum system was partly fluorinated, and when the time increased in order to increase the fluorination level, the damage appeared on graphene sheets and the samples in general and increased by increasing the time which could consider as a limitation for this method since it could limit the use of production from this method. Plasma fluorination was also done using plasma VFD. From the obtained results, fluorination of graphene and Graphene oxide in the plasma VFD were successful. Fluorination process of graphene after trying to eliminate the risk of HF generation by redispersing materials was not achieved since this process remove most of fluorine content. However, XPS and AES confirmed the productions of FGO in plasma VFD.