Patent ID: 9725601
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: B82Y,C01B,C08K,C09D,C09K,H01B,Y10T

Claim:
1. A method comprising: forming an aqueous suspension comprising carbon nanotubes and a surfactant; agitating the aqueous suspension to form an agitated suspension; centrifuging the agitated suspension to form a supernatant comprising the carbon nanotubes; concentrating the supernatant to form a concentrated suspension comprising the carbon nanotubes; forming a hydrogel from the concentrated suspension, the hydrogel comprising the carbon nanotubes and the surfactant; contacting the hydrogel with a strong acid to form an acidic hydrogel and to remove the surfactant from the hydrogel; neutralizing the acidic hydrogel to form a neutralized hydrogel; contacting the neutralized hydrogel with a fluid comprising a solvent and a polymeric material to deposit the polymeric material on the carbon nanotubes to form a wet gel comprising the polymeric material; forming an aerogel from the wet gel, the aerogel comprising a three-dimensional network comprising carbon nanotubes and defining voids between the carbon nanotubes and nodes at which two of the carbon nanotubes directly contact each other; degassing the aerogel; and heating the aerogel to form graphene from the polymeric material, wherein the graphene is formed on the nodes which are located throughout the three-dimensional network.