Valorization of Sugarcane Bagasse to Sulfur Containing Graphene: Chemistry and Mechanism

ABSTRACT

It is well established that natural occurring carbonaceous materials play a key role in the development of graphene derivatives. In this context, sugarcane bagasse fibers were explored for the development of sulfur-containing graphene (S-graphene) in the presence of sodium bisulfite (NaHSO₃), bypassing inert atmosphere. The cellulose and hemicellulose contents of bagasse fibers were found to be crucial for the formation of few layered nanosheets of graphene. The results showed that NaHSO₃ not only facilitated the insertion of sulfur within the graphitic planes, but also prevented the attack of oxygen at low temperatures during cyclization and aromatization of glucose moieties present in the bagasse fibers. It indicated that bagasse fibers could be one of the versatile carbonaceous precursors to produce graphene and its derivatives.

Graphical abstract

摘要

众所周知, 天然碳质材料在石墨烯衍生物的发展中起着关键作用. 在此背景下, 研究了甘蔗渣纤维在亚硫酸氢钠 (NaHSO3) 存在下绕过惰性气氛制备含硫石墨烯 (S-石墨烯) 的方法. 研究发现, 蔗渣纤维中的纤维素和半纤维素含量对形成几层石墨烯纳米片至关重要. 结果表明, NaHSO3不仅促进了硫在石墨面内的插入, 而且在蔗渣纤维中葡萄糖部分的环化和芳构化过程中, 防止了低温下氧的侵蚀. 研究表明, 甘蔗渣纤维是制备石墨烯及其衍生物的多功能碳质前驱体之一.

KEYWORDS:

• Sugarcane bagasse fibers
• NaHSO₃
• pyrolysis
• S-graphene
• mechanism
• chemistry

关键词:

• 甘蔗渣纤维
• NaHSO₃
• 热解
• S-石墨烯
• 机械装置
• 化学

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the Central Research Facility (CRF) of NIT Agartala for providing XRD data, and TEM micrographs, Tripura University for FESEM with EDX, and Indian Association of Cultivation of Science for Raman spectroscopy.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).