Graphene and expanded graphite exhibit different behaviors in both material structure and application fields. Expanded graphite can be used as a raw material for the production of graphene. For example, the Hummers method can be used to obtain graphene oxide through ultrasonic expansion of graphite oxide. When the expanded graphite is peeled off into a single piece, it becomes graphene. Peeling off into several layers is a few layers of graphene, and graphene nanosheets can be prepared from about ten to thirty layers.

Practical application fields of expanded graphite

1. Application of Medical Materials

Medical dressings made of expanded graphite have many excellent properties and can replace most traditional gauze.

2. Application of Military Materials

Crushing expanded graphite into micropowders has strong scattering and absorption properties for infrared waves, making it an excellent infrared shielding material and playing an important role in modern optoelectronic warfare.

3. Application of environmentally friendly materials

Due to its low density, non-toxic, pollution-free, easy to handle, and excellent adsorption properties, expanded graphite has a wide range of applications in the field of environmental protection.

4. Biomedical materials

Carbon materials have excellent compatibility with the human body and are a good biomedical material. As a new type of carbon material, expanded graphite materials have excellent adsorption properties for organic and biological macromolecules, and have good biocompatibility, non-toxic, odorless, and no side effects. They have broad application prospects in biomedical materials.