Graphite rapidly forms via annihilation of screw dislocations
Graphite is the thermodynamically stable form of carbon and yet is remarkably difficult to synthesize. We show the annihilation of screw dislocations is critical for graphitization. These dislocations wind through the layers like a spiral staircase, inhibiting lateral growth of the graphenic crystal...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
2023
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| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT140100191 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96013 |
| _version_ | 1848766073355108352 |
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| author | Martin, Jacob Fogg, Jacob Francas, Gabriel Putman, Kate Turner, Ethan Suarez-Martinez, Irene Marks, Nigel |
| author_facet | Martin, Jacob Fogg, Jacob Francas, Gabriel Putman, Kate Turner, Ethan Suarez-Martinez, Irene Marks, Nigel |
| author_sort | Martin, Jacob |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Graphite is the thermodynamically stable form of carbon and yet is remarkably difficult to synthesize. We show the annihilation of screw dislocations is critical for graphitization. These dislocations wind through the layers like a spiral staircase, inhibiting lateral growth of the graphenic crystallites (La) and preventing AB stacking of Bernal graphite. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy identifies screws as interdigitated fringes with narrow focal depth in graphitizing polyvinyl chloride. Molecular dynamics simulations of parallel graphenic fragments confirm that screws spontaneously form during heating, with higher annealing temperature driving screw annihilation and crystallite growth. The time evolution and kinetics of graphitization is tracked via X-ray diffraction, showing the growth of La and reduction of the interlayer spacing, consistent with screw annihilation. We find that graphite forms orders of magnitude faster than previously assumed, taking less than ten seconds at 3000 °C and just minutes at 2500 °C. This rapid transformation suggests major cost savings in synthetic graphite production, important for lithium-ion batteries and smelting electrodes. By reducing the time spent at ultra-high temperatures, energy costs and component degradation can be significantly lower. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:45:21Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-96013 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:45:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-960132024-11-07T02:12:08Z Graphite rapidly forms via annihilation of screw dislocations Martin, Jacob Fogg, Jacob Francas, Gabriel Putman, Kate Turner, Ethan Suarez-Martinez, Irene Marks, Nigel Graphite is the thermodynamically stable form of carbon and yet is remarkably difficult to synthesize. We show the annihilation of screw dislocations is critical for graphitization. These dislocations wind through the layers like a spiral staircase, inhibiting lateral growth of the graphenic crystallites (La) and preventing AB stacking of Bernal graphite. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy identifies screws as interdigitated fringes with narrow focal depth in graphitizing polyvinyl chloride. Molecular dynamics simulations of parallel graphenic fragments confirm that screws spontaneously form during heating, with higher annealing temperature driving screw annihilation and crystallite growth. The time evolution and kinetics of graphitization is tracked via X-ray diffraction, showing the growth of La and reduction of the interlayer spacing, consistent with screw annihilation. We find that graphite forms orders of magnitude faster than previously assumed, taking less than ten seconds at 3000 °C and just minutes at 2500 °C. This rapid transformation suggests major cost savings in synthetic graphite production, important for lithium-ion batteries and smelting electrodes. By reducing the time spent at ultra-high temperatures, energy costs and component degradation can be significantly lower. 2023 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96013 10.1016/j.carbon.2023.118386 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT140100191 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Martin, Jacob Fogg, Jacob Francas, Gabriel Putman, Kate Turner, Ethan Suarez-Martinez, Irene Marks, Nigel Graphite rapidly forms via annihilation of screw dislocations |
| title | Graphite rapidly forms via annihilation of screw dislocations |
| title_full | Graphite rapidly forms via annihilation of screw dislocations |
| title_fullStr | Graphite rapidly forms via annihilation of screw dislocations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Graphite rapidly forms via annihilation of screw dislocations |
| title_short | Graphite rapidly forms via annihilation of screw dislocations |
| title_sort | graphite rapidly forms via annihilation of screw dislocations |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT140100191 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96013 |