A method for graphene synthesis by controlled detonation has been developed and patented by Kansas State University physicists.

The 13 grams of low-density graphene aerosol gel in this container were created by hydrocarbon detonation method recently patented by a Kansas State University team of physicists.Unlike other techniques for producing graphene, researchers say this method is less energy-intensive and proceeds without the use of catalysts or dangerous chemicals. Hydrocarbon gas, oxygen, and a spark plug are all that’s needed.

The process yields graphene in grams rather than milligrams. A vehicle spark plug is used to create a contained detonation in a chamber filled with acetylene or ethylene gas and oxygen. The graphene that forms afterward is collected (see video).

The researchers stumbled upon the approach when developing carbon soot aerosol gels. They created the gels by filling a 17-liter aluminum chamber with acetylene gas and oxygen. Using a spark plug, they created a detonation in the chamber. The resulting soot formed aerosol gels that looked like "black angel food cake," they say.

After further analysis, the aerosol gel was determined to be graphene.

The team is now working to improve the quality of the graphene and scale the laboratory process to an industrial level. They are upgrading some of the equipment to make it easier to get graphene from the chamber in seconds — rather than minutes — after the detonation.