Rodney S. Ruoff

Research summary

Synthesis, characterization, and energy applications of graphene and related sp^2-carbon materials anchor this body of work. Large-area, predominantly single-layer graphene films were grown on copper foils by chemical vapor deposition of methane, with less than 5% few-layer area, continuity across copper steps and grain boundaries, and a self-limiting process attributed to the low solubility of carbon in copper; film-transfer protocols enabled deposition onto arbitrary substrates [2]. The chemistry of graphene oxide, including synthesis, structural models, and chemical transformations to graphene-like materials, was reviewed in a 91-reference critical review aimed at synthetic chemists [1], and a complementary materials-science overview of graphene and graphene oxide synthesis, properties, and applications followed [3]. Graphene-based supercapacitors exploited the 2630 m^2/g specific surface area of a single graphene sheet via chemically modified graphene (CMG), yielding specific capacitances of 135 F/g in aqueous and 99 F/g in organic electrolytes with good performance across voltage scan rates owing to high electrical conductivity [4]. Chemical activation of exfoliated graphite oxide produced a porous sp^2 carbon with BET surface area up to 3100 m^2/g, a continuous three-dimensional network of highly curved atom-thick walls forming 0.6–5 nm pores, low oxygen and hydrogen content, and high electrical conductivity, configured into two-electrode supercapacitor cells [5]. In situ tensile loading of individual multiwalled carbon nanotubes inside an SEM, using a nanostressing stage, measured outermost-layer tensile strengths from 11 to 63 GPa and Young's moduli from 270 to 950 GPa across 19 MWCNTs, with sword-in-sheath failure of the outer wall [6].

Recent publications

1. Synthesis of graphene-based nanosheets via chemical reduction of exfoliated graphite oxide2007 · Carbon · 13694 citationsDOI
2. Graphene-based composite materials2006 · Nature · 12763 citationsDOI
3. The chemistry of graphene oxide2009 · Chemical Society Reviews · 11276 citationsDOI
4. Large-Area Synthesis of High-Quality and Uniform Graphene Films on Copper Foils2009 · Science · 11110 citationsDOI
5. Graphene and Graphene Oxide: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications2010 · Advanced Materials · 10403 citationsDOI
6. Graphene-Based Ultracapacitors2008 · Nano Letters · 8287 citationsDOI
7. Chemical methods for the production of graphenes2009 · Nature Nanotechnology · 6610 citationsDOI
8. Carbon-Based Supercapacitors Produced by Activation of Graphene2011 · Science · 6087 citationsDOI
9. Preparation and characterization of graphene oxide paper2007 · Nature · 5551 citationsDOI
10. Strength and Breaking Mechanism of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Under Tensile Load2000 · Science · 5256 citationsDOI

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External profiles

• ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6599-6764
• OpenAlex: openalex.org

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