Laser technique turns wood into graphene

(Credit: Tour Group/Rice University)

The research, described in the journal Advanced Materials, could lead to the development of biodegradable electronics. A standard industrial laser is used for the process, operating at room temperature. However, the laser is fired in an inert atmosphere, where the lack of oxygen prevents the wood from burning. Instead, the surface is transformed into wrinkled flakes of graphene foam bound to the wood beneath.

"It's a union of the archaic with the newest nanomaterial into a single composite structure," said Rice chemist James Tour.

LIG was first discovered at Rice in 2014, but has previously been made using thin sheets of polyimide, an inexpensive plastic. Experimenting with different types of wood, the current team first tried birch and oak before settling on pine. According to the researchers, pine's cross-linked lignocellulose structure makes it better for the production of high-quality graphene than woods with a lower lignin content.