Graphene is renowned as the "King of New Materials" due to its exceptional mechanical, electrical, optical, and thermal properties, along with immense application potential, making it a strategic frontier material. Our team used graphene oxide as a representative research model of two-dimensional macromolecules and conducted systematic studies on graphene oxide liquid crystals and macroscopic assembly materials through strategies such as wet assembly, chemical reduction, and high-temperature reduction.
In 2011, our team pioneered a wet-spinning assembly strategy for graphene oxide liquid crystals, producing meter-long continuous graphene fibers for the first time, thereby opening a new preparation route "graphite to graphene to carbon fibers". We also proposed a defect-engineering strategy to comprehensively control structural defects in graphene fibers from the molecular to macroscopic scale. Based on the "defect-free design principle", our team successfully fabricated macroscopic highly thermal conductive graphene films using ultra-large, debris-free graphene oxide sheets with low edge defects as assembly units.
Additionally, our team developed a hydroplastic foaming method for the continuous preparation of graphene aerogels under ambient temperature and pressure, effectively overcoming fundamental challenges in traditional methods, such as complex drying processes, difficulties in structural control, and excessive junction defects. By deeply investigating the structure-property relationship of defects, our team provided new insights into the controllable preparation of high-performance macroscopic graphene materials.
References:
[1] Li P., Wang Z., Cai G.#, Zhao Y., Deng Z., Wang B., Li Z., Ming X., Gao W., Xu Z.*, Xu Z.*, Liu Y.*, Gao C.*. Nature Materials, 2025, DOI : 10.1038/s41563-025-02384-7.
[2] Li P., Wang Z., Qi Y., Cai G., Zhao Y., Ming X., Lin Z., Ma W., Lin J., Li H., Shen K., Liu Y.*, Xu Z.*, Xu Z.*, Gao C.*. Nat. Commun. 2024, 15, 409.
[3] Pang K., Xia Y., Liu X., Tong W., Li X., Li C., Zhao W., Chen Y., Qin H., Fang W., Peng L., Liu Y., Gao W., Xu Z.*, Liu Y.*, Gao C.*. Dome-celled aerogels with ultrahigh-temperature superelasticity over 2273 K. Science, 2025, 389, 6757, 290.
[4] Xia Y., Qin H., Tong W., Qi Y., Li K., Liu Y., Xu Z., Liu Y., Pang K.*, Gao C.*, Gao W.*. Adv. Mater. 2024, 2417462.
[5] Chang D., Liu J., Fang B., Xu Z., Li Z.*, Liu Y.*, Brassart L., Guo F., Gao W., Gao C.*. Science 2021, 372, 614.
[6] Sun H., Xu Z., Gao C.*. Adv. Mater. 2013, 25, 2554.
[7] Xu Z., Gao C.*. ACS Nano 2011, 5, 2908.
Prof. Chao Gao is a “Qiushi Distinguished Professor” of Zhejiang University, ever supported by the National Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. His research interests mainly include macro-assembly of graphene oxide. He reported graphene oxide liquid crystal in 2011, and invented graphene fibers, highly thermal conductive and flexible graphene films, and ultralight graphene aerogels.He has published more than 290 papers in SCI, including Science (2), Nat. Mater., Nat. Nanotech., Nat. Electron., Adv. Mater. etc.. He has authorized more than 100 China national invention patents and 25 international patents. He has received QIAN Baojun Fiber Award-Young Scholar, and realized industrialization of single-layer graphene oxide, graphene fibers and its macro-materials.
Graphene is renowned as the "King of New Materials" due to its exceptional mechanical, electrical, optical, and thermal properties, along with immense application potential, making it a strategic frontier material. Our team used graphene oxide as a representative research model of two-dimensional macromolecules and conducted systematic studies on graphene oxide liquid crystals and macroscopic assembly materials through strategies such as wet assembly, chemical reduction, and high-temperature reduction.
In 2011, our team pioneered a wet-spinning assembly strategy for graphene oxide liquid crystals, producing meter-long continuous graphene fibers for the first time, thereby opening a new preparation route "graphite to graphene to carbon fibers". We also proposed a defect-engineering strategy to comprehensively control structural defects in graphene fibers from the molecular to macroscopic scale. Based on the "defect-free design principle", our team successfully fabricated macroscopic highly thermal conductive graphene films using ultra-large, debris-free graphene oxide sheets with low edge defects as assembly units.
Additionally, our team developed a hydroplastic foaming method for the continuous preparation of graphene aerogels under ambient temperature and pressure, effectively overcoming fundamental challenges in traditional methods, such as complex drying processes, difficulties in structural control, and excessive junction defects. By deeply investigating the structure-property relationship of defects, our team provided new insights into the controllable preparation of high-performance macroscopic graphene materials.
References:
[1] Li P., Wang Z., Cai G.#, Zhao Y., Deng Z., Wang B., Li Z., Ming X., Gao W., Xu Z.*, Xu Z.*, Liu Y.*, Gao C.*. Nature Materials, 2025, DOI : 10.1038/s41563-025-02384-7.
[2] Li P., Wang Z., Qi Y., Cai G., Zhao Y., Ming X., Lin Z., Ma W., Lin J., Li H., Shen K., Liu Y.*, Xu Z.*, Xu Z.*, Gao C.*. Nat. Commun. 2024, 15, 409.
[3] Pang K., Xia Y., Liu X., Tong W., Li X., Li C., Zhao W., Chen Y., Qin H., Fang W., Peng L., Liu Y., Gao W., Xu Z.*, Liu Y.*, Gao C.*. Dome-celled aerogels with ultrahigh-temperature superelasticity over 2273 K. Science, 2025, 389, 6757, 290.
[4] Xia Y., Qin H., Tong W., Qi Y., Li K., Liu Y., Xu Z., Liu Y., Pang K.*, Gao C.*, Gao W.*. Adv. Mater. 2024, 2417462.
[5] Chang D., Liu J., Fang B., Xu Z., Li Z.*, Liu Y.*, Brassart L., Guo F., Gao W., Gao C.*. Science 2021, 372, 614.
[6] Sun H., Xu Z., Gao C.*. Adv. Mater. 2013, 25, 2554.
[7] Xu Z., Gao C.*. ACS Nano 2011, 5, 2908.
Prof. Chao Gao is a “Qiushi Distinguished Professor” of Zhejiang University, ever supported by the National Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. His research interests mainly include macro-assembly of graphene oxide. He reported graphene oxide liquid crystal in 2011, and invented graphene fibers, highly thermal conductive and flexible graphene films, and ultralight graphene aerogels.He has published more than 290 papers in SCI, including Science (2), Nat. Mater., Nat. Nanotech., Nat. Electron., Adv. Mater. etc.. He has authorized more than 100 China national invention patents and 25 international patents. He has received QIAN Baojun Fiber Award-Young Scholar, and realized industrialization of single-layer graphene oxide, graphene fibers and its macro-materials.
