OSU researcher explores novel carbon material with energy potential

OSU researcher explores novel carbon material with energy potential

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Media Contact: Desa James | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-2669 | [email protected]

Carbon is regarded as the most diverse atom.

On its own, carbon forms a vast range of molecular and crystalline structures that underpin both life and modern materials science. It is no wonder that carbon has become the central atom to life on our planet. When carbon atoms bond in different ways, they can form distinct structures known as allotropes, each with their own physical and chemical properties.

Dr. Kaan Kalkan, associate professor for the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, is an expert in nanostructured materials.

With support from a new research grant from Phillips 66, Kalkan is now characterizing a carbon allotrope synthesized from a petroleum-based precursor using a proprietary process.

Some of the most familiar carbon allotropes include graphite and diamond. Graphite consists of stacked layers of graphene - single-atom-thick sheets of carbon arranged in a hexagonal pattern - making it electrically conductive and relatively soft. Diamond, by contrast, forms when each carbon atom bonds symmetrically with four others in three dimensions, resulting in a transparent, electrically insulating material that is the hardest known substance.

The past four decades have seen the discovery and realization of new carbon structures, such as Bucky balls, nanotubes, graphene, Schwarzites and fluorescent carbon dots, two of which have been recognized with Nobel Prizes. In these advances, a nondestructive laser-based characterization technique, Raman spectroscopy, has proven to be very powerful.

At Oklahoma State University, Kalkan has used Raman spectroscopy for more than 20 years on a wide variety of media from automobile paints, cancer tissues and single human cells to single nanoparticles of catalysts and single protein molecules. His expertise in this capacity has made him an in-demand figure for academic and industrial scientists who conduct research in carbon allotropes.

In this recent project, Kalkan's work examines an emerging carbon material derived from petroleum using a custom process that alters how the carbon forms. Although the material appears similar to graphite, its Raman signature analysis reveals a structure more closely resembling single-layer graphene.

The measurements indicate that the graphene layers are stacked with rotational offsets rather than in the aligned arrangement found in conventional graphite, creating larger spacing between layers and weaker interlayer bonding. These structural features give the material unique and potentially valuable properties.

The expanded spacing between layers can improve ion movement, making the material attractive for energy-storage applications such as high-performance supercapacitors and next-generation batteries that use lower-cost elements instead of lithium. The weaker bonding between layers also allows the material to be more easily separated into individual graphene sheets, supporting scalable graphene production methods.

This characteristic opens the door to advanced structural applications, including high-strength nanocomposites reinforced with graphene fillers. Through this research, OSU is helping advance the understanding of novel carbon materials with potential impacts across energy, manufacturing and materials engineering.