The electrochemical interaction between graphite and molten salts to produce carbon nanostructures is reviewed. It is demonstrated that, depending on the conditions, it is possible to electrochemically convert graphite in molten salts to either carbon nanoparticles and nanotubes, metal filled carbon nanoparticles and nanotubes, graphene or nanodiamonds. The application of metal filled carbon nanotubes as anodes in lithium ion batteries is reviewed. Surprisingly, this method of preparation is relatively simple and very similar to the mass production of aluminium in molten sodium aluminium fluoride-alumina mixtures, which is performed economically on a tonnage scale, indicating that it may be possible to apply it for the production of novel carbon nanostructures.

Experimental evidence for high temperature diffusion of hydrogen into the interlayer space of graphite is provided. This process is discussed as a possible method for the rapid production of high-quality, inexpensive graphene in large quantities, which could lead to the widespread application of graphene. It was found that hydrogen cations, dissolved in molten LiCl, can be discharged on cathodically polarized graphite rods, which then intercalate into the graphite structure, leading to the peeling of graphite to produce graphene. The graphene nanosheets produced displayed a single-crystalline structure with a lateral size of several hundred nanometers and a high degree of crystallinity and thermal stability. The method introduced could be scaled up to produce industrial quantities of high-quality graphene.

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High quality graphene nanosheets produced in molten salts were found to be capable of wrapping silicon nanoparticles, leading to the fabrication of graphene encapsulated silicon nanoparticles with an excellent stable electrochemical performance as anode material for Li-ion batteries.

Since its discovery in 2004, derivatives of graphene have been developed and heavily investigated in the field of tissue engineering. Among the most extensively studied forms of graphene, graphene oxide (GO), and GO/ polymer-based nanocomposites have attracted great attention in various forms such as films, 3D porous scaffolds, electrospun mats, hydrogels, and nacre-like structures. In this review, the most actively investigated GO/ polymer nanocomposites are presented and discussed, these nanocomposites are based on chitosan, cellulose, starch, alginate, gellan gum, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), poly(acrylamide), poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(lactic acid) (PLLA), poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), gelatin, collagen, and silk fibroin (SF). The biological and mechanical performance of such nanocomposites are comprehensively scrutinized and ongoing research questions are addressed. The analysis of the literature reveals overall the great potential of GO/ polymer nanocomposites in tissue engineering strategies and indicates also a series of challenges requiring further research efforts.

A high-quality hierarchical carbon nanostructure consisting of graphene nanosheets and nanoscrolls can be synthesized by a facile and scalable molten salt method. This carbon nanostructure is here proposed as a high-performance supercapacitor electrode material.

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