Ethanol induced formation of graphene fractions suspended in acetonitrile

Ethanol has etching effect on the side wall of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Under proper treating temperature and employing ultrasonic treatment, graphene fractions might form and suspend in acetonitrile due to the ethanol induced breaking down of the ektexine of the MWCNTs. High resolution images by transmission electron microscopy validated these processes. Furthermore, due to the requirements of industrial applications, entropy driven selective adsorption was successfully tested for separation of the graphene layers from the remained MWCNTs.