  Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite was exfoliated via pulsed discharge plasma
in liquid nitrogen. The potential mechanisms involved were investigated by
observing the treated surface of the graphitic material and the obtained
particles. Non-exfoliating defects from the plasma treatment were observed and
experimental parameter were modified to counteract those. One experiment was
performed without exposing the HOPG directly to the discharges so as to better
understand the plasma role. The exfoliated particles were observed via TEM and
SEM to evaluate the defects, the size, the purity and the crystallinity but no
quantitative characterization of their thickness was possible so the actual
number of layer of each particle is unknown. Nonetheless, few layers graphene
(FLG) was successfully exfoliated through this process. The proposed mechanisms
were extrapolated from the observation of the damaged HOPG surface and the
obtained particles but the correlation found does not prove causation.
