- Yan, Zhengyu;
- Guimarey, María JG;
- Parvez, Khaled;
- Dun, Chaochao;
- Read, Oliver;
- Forrest, Thomas;
- Urban, Jeffrey J;
- Abdelkader, Amor;
- Casiraghi, Cinzia;
- Mirihanage, Wajira
Chemical exfoliation is an attractive approach for the synthesis of graphene due to its low cost and simplicity. However, challenges still remain in the characterization of solution-processed graphene, in particular with atomic resolution. Through this work we demonstrate the x-ray pair distribution function as a novel approach to study solution-processed graphene or other 2D materials with atomic resolution, directly in solution, produced by liquid-phase and electrochemical exfoliations. The results show the disappearance of long-range atomic correlations, in both cases, confirming the production of single and few-layer graphene. In addition, a considerable ring distortion has been observed as compared to graphite, irrespective of the solvent used: the normal surface angle to the sheet of the powder sample should be less than 6°, compatible with ripples formation observed in suspended graphene. We attribute this effect to the interaction of solvent molecules with the graphene nanosheets.