{
  "abstract": "Low-value fuel-grade petroleum coke (petcoke), an abundant byproduct from petroleum refining operations, is traditionally used in low-value fuel and metallurgical applications owing to its high carbon content and ability to be used in the synthesis of advanced carbon materials. In this paper, we demonstrate a non-oxidation-based route for producing conductive few-layer graphene from petcoke through sequential isopropanol assisted pre-treatment, thermal desulfurization, and CO ₂ assisted liquid phase exfoliation. Unlike conventional graphene synthesis processes using high temperature chemical vapor deposition, oxidation reduction-based Hummer’s type methods, or exfoliation from expensive graphite sources, our approach enables the conversion of inexpensive petcoke into graphene nanosheets using a scalable solvent assisted route. Thermal treatment increased the graphitization degree of petroleum coke to approximately 78%, demonstrating its potential as a precursor for advanced graphitic materials. The optimized CO₂-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation and centrifugation procedure achieved approximately 90% recovery of dispersed exfoliated carbon solids. Combined optical microscopy, Raman, TEM, HRTEM, AFM, and electrical analyses confirmed the formation of well-dispersed, conductive few-layer graphene nanosheets, with thicknesses corresponding to approximately 3–5 layers. The graphene dispersions display stability up to six months and can be transformed into conductive films with a maximum electrical conductivity of 872 S m⁻ ¹ after thermal annealing. This work establishes petcoke as a promising low-cost carbon resource for sustainable graphene production and offers a practical route for transforming refinery waste into value-added materials for energy storage, conductive coatings, composites, and carbon-based technologies.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Masfer H. Alkahtani"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yahya A. Alzahrani"
    },
    {
      "name": "Abdulmalik M. Alessa"
    },
    {
      "name": "Abdulaziz Alromaeh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Majed M. Aljomah"
    },
    {
      "name": "Faisal Alghannam"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fahad H. Albaqami"
    },
    {
      "name": "Anas Almuqhim"
    },
    {
      "name": "Abdulaziz Aljuwayr"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ramu Banavath"
    },
    {
      "name": "Micah J. Green"
    },
    {
      "name": "Philip R. Hemmer"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/269zs7c3evx32.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41598-026-74440-4",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "269zs7c3evx32",
  "issns": [
    "2045-2322"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74440-4",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2505|Graphene research and applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220655290",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74440-4_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-07",
  "publisher": "Springer Science and Business Media LLC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/269zs7c3evx32.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:24Z",
      "native_id": "10.1038/s41598-026-74440-4",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74440-4"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2505|Graphene research and applications",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Valorization of petroleum coke into high-quality few-layer graphene through liquid-phase exfoliation",
  "title_text": "Valorization of petroleum coke into high-quality few-layer graphene through liquid-phase exfoliation",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:24Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/269zs7c3evx32",
  "venue": "Scientific Reports",
  "versions": [
    {
      "doi": "10.21203/rs.3.rs-9893745/v1",
      "pid": null,
      "relation": "preprint",
      "title": null,
      "venue": null
    }
  ]
}