review · FlatChem
Graphene-based nanomaterials possess large surface areas, notable mechanical and chemical strength, and strong electrical properties. Conventional synthesis methods often require toxic chemicals, high temperatures, and long processing times. In contrast, gamma irradiation provides an eco-friendly alternative that operates at ambient conditions and yields high-purity graphene composites. A critical benefit of gamma radiolysis is the ability to regulate processing duration and radiation dose, which helps limit nanomaterial aggregation, a major barrier to commercial manufacturing. Materials treated with gamma irradiation demonstrate superior optical and electrical characteristics, enhancing their performance in supercapacitance, sensing, and catalytic functions. The review examines synthesis protocols, operational parameter controls, structural modifications, and resulting material performance. It also surveys progress across catalysis, energy, sensor, and biomedical applications while identifying existing technical challenges and future research directions.
Graphene has immense potential across clean energy and medicine, but standard chemical manufacturing processes rely on hazardous reagents and intense heat. Using gamma radiation allows manufacturers to create cleaner, purer materials under mild conditions. By addressing particle clumping during production, this approach could help resolve a critical roadblock that prevents graphene from reaching broader everyday use.
This work points towards improved manufacturing routes for developers of supercapacitors, industrial catalysts, chemical sensors, and biomedical devices. Controlling aggregation removes a known bottleneck in scaling graphene production. However, because this is a literature review examining synthesis principles, parameters, and early-stage experimental applications across multiple fields, the underlying technologies remain at an early research and development stage rather than near-market deployment.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNMs) are versatile due to their large surface area, great mechanical, chemical strength, and excellent electrical properties. The versatility of graphene has increased its applicability therefore several synthesis methods to produce high quality graphene simpler, faster, and cost-effectively are actively explored. The conventional synthesis methods however employ toxic chemicals, high temperature, and lengthy synthesis times. On the other hand, the gamma (γ) irradiation approach is facile, occurs under ambient conditions and produces graphene composites of high purity. Noteworthy, this technique enables the user to control the synthesis time and total dose, hence minimising the aggregation of the nanomaterial as the main drawback hindering the commercial production of GBNMs. γ-radiolysis of GBNMs exhibit superior optical and electrical properties and hence improved supercapacitance, catalytic, and sensing abilities. Although other reviews addressed the γ-ray synthesis of metallic nanomaterials, and polymers, as well as usage of a variety of radiation techniques to fabricate graphene composites this review focuses solely on the synthesis, modifications of GBNMs via the γ-synthesis technique. Properties of graphene and conventional methods used to reduce graphene oxide to graphene as well as their shortcomings are highlighted. This is followed by detailing the γ-radiation synthesis technique, its advantages over the conventional methods and the principles thereof. Effects of γ-irradiation and the conditions required for the structural modification of graphene to obtain different graphene composites are detailed. The influence of operational parameters on the fabricated graphene-based composites are discussed followed by summaries of recent developments in the applicability of γ-irradiated GBNMs in catalysis, energy, sensing, and biomedical fields. In addition, this paper presents insights into the challenges posed and provides future research directions and prospects in the field of γ-irradiated GBNMs.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.flatc.2024.100662
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