Preparation and characterization of graphite nanosheets from detonation technique

A mixture of natural graphite and HNO3 was used to form graphite intercalation compounds to prepare graphite nanosheets through destroying van der Waals forces between adjacent sheets with detonation technique. The average grain size, microstructure and morphology of the graphite nanosheets were characterized by XRD, TEM and SEM. The specific surface area was tested by nitrogen adsorption and the structure information was obtained from Raman spectra. The results indicated that the prepared graphite nanosheets have two-dimensional plane structure and nanosized thickness. The specific surface area of the nanosheets is 8 times higher than that of the raw graphite. It indicates that detonation method is convenient and effective in preparing graphite nanosheets.