Graphite Minerals and Graphene

Graphite is a layered mineral with strong sp2 hybridization carbons within each graphene layer, and these graphene layers are bonded by the weak van der Waals interaction forces. The structural features endow graphite with great physical and chemical properties. Graphite consumption has increased rapidly with the development of electric cars and energy storage power stations in recent years, because large amounts of graphite were used as anodes of lithium-ion batteries. Demand for high-quality natural graphite and synthetic graphite derived from petroleum coke under high temperature increases dramatically. People also try to synthesize graphite directly from coal to reduce dependence on petroleum and lower the cost. In this special issue, we collected papers on graphite made from coal, naturally coal-derived graphite, flake graphite, the application of graphitic carbons, etc. These will contribute to our knowledge of graphite minerals and their value-added utilization.