Li, Huanxin;
Chen, Haotian;
Pang, Boyi;
Zhang, Jincan;
Luo, Bingcheng;
Silva, S Ravi P;
Wang, Yi-Chi;
... Novoselov, Kostya S; + view all
(2025)
Van-der-Waals-forces-modulated graphene-P-phenyl-graphene carbon allotropes.
Nature Communications
, 16
, Article 10011. 10.1038/s41467-025-64971-1.
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Abstract
Graphene has received much attention due to its monoatomic, unique two-dimensional structure, which results in remarkable mechanical, physical, and electrical properties. However, synthesizing high-quality graphene-based composites with high conductivity and ionic mobility remains challenging. Here, we report an allotrope to the nanocarbon family, Graphene-P-phenyl-Graphene, synthesized by inserting π-π-conjugated p-phenyls between graphene layers and connecting them via C–C σ bonds. Graphene-P-phenyl-Graphene is thermally and dynamically stable, as verified by density functional theory and molecular dynamics, and can be produced at kilogram scale. The p-phenyl bridges swell the layer spacing from ~0.34 to ~0.56 nm, reducing van der Waals forces and enhancing electron delocalization. Electrons in these separated graphene layers benefit from low mass and efficient 3D screening of charge scattering, resulting in high Hall mobility (10,000–13,000 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹) in freestanding films. The expanded spacing also enables decoupling of layer electrons and rapid ion storage and transport—even for large ions. For example, potassium-ion batteries using Graphene-P-phenyl-Graphene exhibit high reversible capacity, long-term stability, and high charge-discharge rates. Graphene-P-phenyl-Graphene holds promise for large-scale, portable, high-performance electronics with energy storage capabilities.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Van-der-Waals-forces-modulated graphene-P-phenyl-graphene carbon allotropes |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41467-025-64971-1 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64971-1 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10217243 |
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