Considerations for the sustainable processing of nanomaterials using Cyrene

Considerations for the sustainable processing of nanomaterials using Cyrene | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Considerations for the sustainable processing of nanomaterials using Cyrene Adam G. Kelly, Marta Corvo, Pedro Moreira, Tomás Calmeiro, Ana Pimental, and 8 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6687143/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Cyrene, a bio-derived green solvent, has emerged as a promising sustainable alternative to toxic solvents in the production of electronic nanomaterials. Yet, despite promising early results, little is known about Cyrene’s structural resilience and efficiency during common solution processing steps. Here, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of Cyrene across sonication, thermal treatment, nanomaterial debundling and exfoliation, and network formation, using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene as model systems. We show that while Cyrene degrades under heating, forming aldol condensates and other by-products, low-power processing mitigates this degradation and can produce yields of ~16% individual CNTs, with two concentration-dependent debundling regimes. For graphene, liquid-phase exfoliation is possible despite solvent degradation, but nanosheets are thicker and longer compared to water-based exfoliation due to the high viscosity. However, degradation products, large aldol condensate crystals in particular, can inhibit the formation of conductive networks. Owing to its high boiling point, high-temperature annealing can leave conductivity-limiting residues but that have low impact on transmittance. As the demand for sustainable materials grows, this work provides critical guidance for integrating Cyrene into scalable nanomaterials pipelines for electronics, energy, and beyond. Nanoscience Electronic Materials and Devices Materials Theory and Modeling Cyrene printed electronics solution processing carbon nanotubes debundling graphene exfoliation stability Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6687143","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":458007211,"identity":"ac29e367-ef47-4e2d-88de-63b3003215e4","order_by":0,"name":"Adam G. 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4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eCyrene, a bio-derived green solvent, has emerged as a promising sustainable alternative to toxic solvents in the production of electronic nanomaterials. Yet, despite promising early results, little is known about Cyrene’s structural resilience and efficiency during common solution processing steps. Here, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of Cyrene across sonication, thermal treatment, nanomaterial debundling and exfoliation, and network formation, using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene as model systems. We show that while Cyrene degrades under heating, forming aldol condensates and other by-products, low-power processing mitigates this degradation and can produce yields of ~16% individual CNTs, with two concentration-dependent debundling regimes. For graphene, liquid-phase exfoliation is possible despite solvent degradation, but nanosheets are thicker and longer compared to water-based exfoliation due to the high viscosity. However, degradation products, large aldol condensate crystals in particular, can inhibit the formation of conductive networks. Owing to its high boiling point, high-temperature annealing can leave conductivity-limiting residues but that have low impact on transmittance. 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