Argon-assisted electrical explosion of graphite powder in a constraint tube: Experimental and MD insights into the exfoliation mechanism

WL Zhu and L Zhu, CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL, 51, 21689-21701 (2025).

DOI: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2025.02.330

We report a top-down electrical explosion approach in a constraint tube under an argon atmosphere for highyield production of few-to multi-layer graphene. By coupling high-voltage discharges with inert gas support, this technique imparts intense shock loading that surmounts the interlayer van der Waals forces in graphite. Systematic experimental analyses (FE-SEM, TEM/HRTEM, AFM, Raman) confirm efficient exfoliation into largely few-layer graphene with minimal defects and residual graphite. To elucidate the atomistic mechanisms, largescale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations replicate key stages of the process-annealing, shock-induced delamination, and cooling-revealing how shock loading and argon interactions drive interlayer expansion, bending, and partial delamination. Notably, argon significantly mitigates re-agglomeration during the cooling stage, preserving dispersed graphene flakes. This synergy between experiment and simulation establishes electrical explosion in an argon-rich environment as a scalable method potentially suitable for commercial graphene production. Moreover, it highlights the crucial role of controlled shock conditions and argon gas interactions in enabling robust, few-layer exfoliation, paving the way for further optimization and industrial implementation.

Return to Publications page