Large-scale production of nanographene sheets with a controlled mesoporous architecture as high-performance electrochemical electrode materials.

Graphene is considered as a rising-star material because of its unique properties and it is a promising material for applications in many fields. In recent years, experiments on graphene fabricated by using versatile methods have shed light on the crucial problem of aggregation and restacking, which is induced by strong π-π stacking and van der Waals forces, but preparation methods for real-world applications are still a great challenge. Here we report a facile, rapid, and environmentally friendly process, the burn-quench method, that allows large-scale and controlled synthesis of ordered mesoporous nanographene with 1-5 layers, which has a high surface area and electric conductivity. Electrodes composed of nanographene with a mesoporous architecture used both in electrochemical capacitors and lithium-ion batteries have a high specific capacitance, rate capability, energy density, and cyclic stability. Our results represent an important step toward large-scale graphene synthesis based on this new burn-quench method for applications in high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices.