Synthesis of columnar carbon nanoscrolls by vibratory milling of expanded graphite

•Carbon nanoscrolls (CNSs) are produced by simple vibratory milling method.•The fabrication process of the CNSs was trailed.•The carbon nanoscrolls are columnar structure without large hollow core.•The graphene thickness plays an important role on the formation of CNSs.

Columnar carbon nanoscrolls are synthesized by vibratory milling of expanded graphite under ambient atmosphere. Different from tubular carbon nanoscrolls, these nanoscrolls are solid and their compactly stacked layers are parallel to one another, with an interlayer spacing of 0.34 nm. The columnar structure of the carbon nanoscrolls is independent of their diameters. The formation of this columnar structure can be attributed to the thinness of graphene nanosheets, the elevated temperature, and the vacancies of graphene nanosheets produced by prolonged ball milling.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide