Patents
The invention describes a process for development of heteroatom doped layered graphene from boron carbide. Graphene, because of its unique physicochemical properties such as high surface area, excellent electrical and thermal conductivities, chemical inertness, electrochemical activities, and mechanical robustness, has wide applications in various fields including energy storage and conversion, catalysis, environmental protection related fields etc. Moreover, it is established that the electronic and electrochemical properties of graphene can be tuned by doping with various external elements such as B and N atoms. But the synthesis of high quality doped graphene in large quantities still remains as a challenge. In the present invention, bulk production of carbide derived heteroatoms (B and N) doped graphene from boron carbide by thermal treatment method. Results showed that successful production of heteroatom doped hexagonal graphene sheet from bulk boron carbide of rhomobohedral structure in a controllable manner. This carbide derived heteroatom doped graphene showed good electroctalytic performance in oxygen reduction reaction and followed an energy efficient four electron transfer pathway. This indicates that thus developed synthesis route for high yield and high quality product is suitable for fabrication of cathode materials and catalysts for various electrochemical processes.