Advances in scalable 2D material synthesis: Flash Joule heating and beyond

Flash Joule Heating (FJH) utilizes a variety of carbonaceous waste, such as garbage, biomass, plastic, and coal, to produce high-quality 2D materials, such as turbostratic flash graphene, in a scalable, low-energy, and green route. Unlike conventional strategies, FJH produces instantaneous heating (up to 3000 K) in milliseconds, enabling carbon conversion directly without the need for catalysts, solvents, or any additional energy. The obtained graphene exhibits excellent structural, thermal, and electrochemical performance, with high purity defined as ≥95 at.% carbon, as determined by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and with minimal heteroatom impurities (e.g., oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur). The approach also allows morphological adjustment as well as control over porosity, and therefore it can find application in energy storage, composites, electrocatalysis, and environmental clean-up. Life cycle and techno-economic evaluation confirms drastic greenhouse gas emission, water usage, and production cost savings in comparison with the traditional synthesis technique. Its coupling with machine learning has further encouraged process optimization and material quality, precisely predicting yield and crystallinity. FJH's capability to convert low-value waste into high-value nanomaterials means that it can become a central point in promoting sustainable nonmanufacturing and the circular economy. FJH-based manufacturing of graphene has been covered within this review which also discusses the trend toward industrialization and commercialization of green technology.