Low-cost Process of Converting Asphaltene into Valuable Graphene-like Materials

The proposed project is aimed to develop a green, scalable and economic process of converting asphaltenes into graphene-like carbon nanomaterials with a market value up to ~$50/g. As feedstock to make carbon materials, the aromatic nuclei in asphaltenes become an essential advantage: it minimizes the C-C bonds reconstruction requirements in the formation of the graphitic structure. The successful development of this disruptive technology will enable the mass production of graphene-like carbons at significantly lower cost compared to the widely used chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and graphite-exfoliation method.