Chiral Nematic Graphene Films with a mesoporous Structure.

Abstract

Ordering a crucial material like pure-graphene into the chiral nematic structure can potentially revolutionize the fields of photonics, chiral separation, and energy storage. However, the controlled fabrication of highly ordered graphene films with a long-range chiral nematic mesoporous structure is very challenging and as such, has not been achieved. Here, a chiral-template-directed chemical vapor deposition growth strategy is presented for the precise fabrication of mesoporous chiral nematic graphene films by using nanocrystalline cellulose as templates. It is evidenced that such graphene films possess the left-hand helical ordering, chiral nematic mesoporous structure with adjustable pore sizes (6.4-13.1 nm), tailored pitch, excellent electrical conductivity (556 S cm^-1), high specific surface area (1508 m² g^-1) and mechanical flexibility. By coating Na anode with this film, uniform Na plating is achieved with no dendrite formation, resulting from its unique chiral nematic structure and tunable physicochemical properties. The films also achieved impressive thickness-dependent electromagnetic shielding, i.e., 35-63 dB, demonstrating their potentially multi-disciplinary applications.