Chemical reduction of FeCl3–graphite intercalation compounds with potassium–naphthalene complex in tetrahydrofuran

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Abstract
The reduction reaction between FeCl3 intercalated into graphite and potassium has been studied. The reduction of FeCl3 to metallic Fe and KCl occurred in the graphite gallery and, as a consequence, the reduction products were supposed to be confined within the graphite matrix. By coupling energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses of the products obtained during the reaction, it was concluded that the reaction between tetrahydrofuran(THF)-solvated K and FeCl3 was the rate-determining step, and not the diffusion of THF-solvated K ions into the graphite gallery. Experimental results indicated that a strong constraint for the reaction was the limited space in the graphite gallery. When heated at different temperatures, the flakes of the product showed remarkable exfoliaton with subsequent appearance of metallic Fe and KCl as reaction products on the surface.