# Laser-induced and flash graphene

> Two fast, solvent-free ways to graphene. A pulsed CO₂ laser converts the surface of a polyimide film into porous graphene that can be written straight into micro-supercapacitor electrodes; a sub-second electrical flash through coal, carbon black or plastic waste turns it into gram-scale turbostratic graphene.

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- Open in the LabCanvas editor (LabCanvas account): https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?template=laser-induced-and-flash-graphene
- Updated: 2026-10-14
- Category: Graphene research
- Method: Laser and flash synthesis, bottom-up
- Starting materials: Polyimide (Kapton) film for LIG; coal, petroleum coke, biochar, carbon black, food waste, rubber tyres or mixed plastic waste for flash graphene
- Product: Patterned porous graphene on the film (LIG); bulk turbostratic graphene (flash graphene)
- Key result: Drawings by LabCanvas; numbers quoted from the papers
- Figure: 1920 × 1080 px, 45 editable layers (6 generated objects with settings)

## Steps

1. **Write**: A pulsed CO₂ infrared laser photothermally converts the sp³ carbon of commercial polymer films into sp² carbon: porous graphene with three-dimensional networks, made in one step in air (Lin et al. 2014)
2. **Structure**: An unusual ultra-polycrystalline lattice of pentagons and heptagons, which calculations partly link to its enhanced capacitance (Lin et al. 2014)
3. **Devices**: Written directly on the polyimide as interdigitated electrodes that are also their own current collectors, LIG makes in-plane micro-supercapacitors (tested in aqueous 1 M H₂SO₄ and in an ionic liquid) with specific capacitances above 4 mF cm⁻² and power densities of about 9 mW cm⁻²; one-step processing in air suits roll-to-roll manufacturing (Lin et al. 2014)
4. **Flash**: Flash Joule heating turns inexpensive carbon into gram-scale graphene in less than a second, with no furnace, solvents or reactive gases (Luong et al. 2020)
5. **Yield**: From high-carbon sources such as carbon black, anthracitic coal or calcined coke, 80–90 % yield at over 99 % carbon purity, with no purification (Luong et al. 2020)
6. **Product**: Turbostratic flash graphene with a weak or absent Raman D band; its disordered stacking lets it exfoliate quickly when mixed into composites; the electricity costs about 7.2 kJ per gram (Luong et al. 2020)

## Strengths

- LIG is made and patterned in one step in air (Lin et al. 2014)
- Flash graphene comes from cheap or waste carbon in under a second (Luong et al. 2020)

## Limitations

- LIG is porous and ultra-polycrystalline, not a single crystal (Lin et al. 2014)
- Flash graphene is turbostratic bulk material, not a film (Luong et al. 2020)

## Uses

- Polymer-written electronics and energy storage (LIG; Lin et al. 2014)
- Composites of plastics, metals, plywood and concrete (flash graphene; Luong et al. 2020)

## References

1. Lin et al., “Laser-induced porous graphene films from commercial polymers”, Nat. Commun. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms6714 (primary)
2. Luong et al., “Gram-scale bottom-up flash graphene synthesis”, Nature 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-1938-0 (primary)
3. Ye, James & Tour, “Laser-induced graphene: from discovery to translation”, Adv. Mater. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201803621 (review)

Credit: After Lin et al., Nat. Commun. 2014 (doi:10.1038/ncomms6714), Ye, James & Tour, Adv. Mater. 2019 and Luong et al., Nature 2020 (doi:10.1038/s41586-020-1938-0). Drawn by LabCanvas.

## Questions

**What does the “Laser-induced and flash graphene” template show?** Two fast, solvent-free ways to graphene. A pulsed CO₂ laser converts the surface of a polyimide film into porous graphene that can be written straight into micro-supercapacitor electrodes; a sub-second electrical flash through coal, carbon black or plastic waste turns it into gram-scale turbostratic graphene.

**What are the steps shown in “Laser-induced and flash graphene”?** 1. Write: A pulsed CO₂ infrared laser photothermally converts the sp³ carbon of commercial polymer films into sp² carbon: porous graphene with three-dimensional networks, made in one step in air (Lin et al. 2014). 2. Structure: An unusual ultra-polycrystalline lattice of pentagons and heptagons, which calculations partly link to its enhanced capacitance (Lin et al. 2014). 3. Devices: Written directly on the polyimide as interdigitated electrodes that are also their own current collectors, LIG makes in-plane micro-supercapacitors (tested in aqueous 1 M H₂SO₄ and in an ionic liquid) with specific capacitances above 4 mF cm⁻² and power densities of about 9 mW cm⁻²; one-step processing in air suits roll-to-roll manufacturing (Lin et al. 2014). 4. Flash: Flash Joule heating turns inexpensive carbon into gram-scale graphene in less than a second, with no furnace, solvents or reactive gases (Luong et al. 2020). 5. Yield: From high-carbon sources such as carbon black, anthracitic coal or calcined coke, 80–90 % yield at over 99 % carbon purity, with no purification (Luong et al. 2020). 6. Product: Turbostratic flash graphene with a weak or absent Raman D band; its disordered stacking lets it exfoliate quickly when mixed into composites; the electricity costs about 7.2 kJ per gram (Luong et al. 2020).

**What are the starting materials and the product?** Starting materials: Polyimide (Kapton) film for LIG; coal, petroleum coke, biochar, carbon black, food waste, rubber tyres or mixed plastic waste for flash graphene. Product: Patterned porous graphene on the film (LIG); bulk turbostratic graphene (flash graphene).

**Which papers is “Laser-induced and flash graphene” based on?** Lin et al., “Laser-induced porous graphene films from commercial polymers”, Nat. Commun. 2014 (doi:10.1038/ncomms6714); Luong et al., “Gram-scale bottom-up flash graphene synthesis”, Nature 2020 (doi:10.1038/s41586-020-1938-0); Ye, James & Tour, “Laser-induced graphene: from discovery to translation”, Adv. Mater. 2019 (doi:10.1002/adma.201803621).

**Can I edit the “Laser-induced and flash graphene” template?** Yes. Open it in the LabCanvas editor: all 45 layers are editable, including 6 generated objects (structures, plots, equipment) with their own settings. Change the text, colours and layout, then export PNG, TIFF, SVG or PDF.

**Do I need an account to use this template?** Not to view it here. To open and edit it, sign in to LabCanvas or create a free account (the free plan keeps up to 3 designs). Downloading the figure is part of LabCanvas Pro (US$19 a month or US$199 a year).