Rapid and Low-Cost Fabrication of Graphene from Pencil Lead

A fast, simple and cost-effective electrochemical exfoliation of graphene using pencil lead has been reported. The synthesized graphene was characterized using a field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), and Raman spectroscopy to validate physical properties. The graphene exhibited a few-layered structure with small number of defects was produced, with an ID/IG ratio of 0.19. The layer graphene was then deposited onto the SPCE, where electrical properties were also determined. The findings of this study suggests that an alternative low-cost graphite precursor can potentially be applied to produce high- quality graphene, increasing the availability of the precursor, and preparing towards commercialization.