%A Christopher J. Kurpiel
%T THE IMPACT OF COMMON LABORATORY CONTAMINATION ON THE STABILITY OF A COLLOIDAL GRAPHENE SOLUTION
%X Since its isolation in 2004, 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, the ability to produce graphene with homogeneous properties on the industrial scale has been elusive and delayed the material?s 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, the solvent-based exfoliation of graphene in the solvent N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone was explored and the graphene produced characterized through UV-Vis, AFM, 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, 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.   
%D 2016
%K Graphene, colloidal stability, contamination
%I University of Pittsburgh
%L pittir26531