?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fd-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu%2F26531%2F&rft.title=THE+IMPACT+OF+COMMON+LABORATORY+CONTAMINATION+ON+THE+STABILITY+OF+A+COLLOIDAL+GRAPHENE+SOLUTION&rft.creator=Kurpiel%2C+Christopher+J.&rft.description=Since+its+isolation+in+2004%2C+graphene+has+captured+the+imagination+of+the+scientific+community+with+its+unique+physical+and+chemical+properties.++These+properties+hold+promise+in+revolutionizing+many+industries+with+applications+in+electronics+and+protective+coatings.++However%2C+the+ability+to+produce+graphene+with+homogeneous+properties+on+the+industrial+scale+has+been+elusive+and+delayed+the+material%E2%80%99s+wide+scale+use.++One+method+of+graphene+synthesis+that+has+shown+promise+in+producing+large+amounts+of+graphene+is+solvent-based+exfoliation.++Graphene+produced+through+solvent-based+exfoliation+is+often+manipulated+in+a+colloidal+solution+where+the+stability+of+the+suspension+can+impact+the+quality+of+the+graphene.++In+this+study%2C+the+solvent-based+exfoliation+of+graphene+in+the+solvent+N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone+was+explored+and+the+graphene+produced+characterized+through+UV-Vis%2C+AFM%2C+and+Raman+spectroscopy.++Additionally+the+identity+of+a+suspected+laboratory+contaminant+observed+to+stabilize+the+colloidal+solution+was+investigated+through+analytical+techniques+and+identified+as+a+low+molecular+weight+copolymer+consisting+of+mostly+polyisoprene.++Finally%2C+the+effect+of+the+contaminant+on+the+stability+of+the+colloidal+graphene+suspension+was+confirmed+through+observation+and+UV-Vis+kinetic+studies.++The+experimental+results+were+then+compared+to+current+literature+and+mechanisms+of+colloidal+stability+to+understand+the+stabilization+effect+that+was+observed+and+quantify+it+for+future+use.+++&rft.date=2016-01-27&rft.type=University+of+Pittsburgh+ETD&rft.type=PeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.language=en&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fd-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu%2F26531%2F1%2Fkurpielcj_etd2015.pdf&rft.identifier=++Kurpiel%2C+Christopher+J.++(2016)+THE+IMPACT+OF+COMMON+LABORATORY+CONTAMINATION+ON+THE+STABILITY+OF+A+COLLOIDAL+GRAPHENE+SOLUTION.++Master's+Thesis%2C+University+of+Pittsburgh.++++(Unpublished)++