▎ 摘　　要

NOVELTY - Producing graphene, comprises: (a) providing expandable graphite and subjecting the expandable graphite to thermal treatment; (b) dispersing the expanded graphite obtained from step (a) in an ionic liquid; and (c) exfoliating the expanded graphite into graphene in the ionic liquid, where for exfoliating the dispersion of expanded graphite in the ionic liquid obtained from step (b) is exposed to microwave irradiation. USE - The method is useful for producing graphene which is used for preparing electrode material for electrochemical energy storage devices, preferably as active material for electrodes used in lithium-ion batteries, lithium-ion capacitors and supercapacitors (all claimed). ADVANTAGE - The method: provides high quality (in terms of low defects and number of layers) graphene with very higher yields; is highly reproducible and scalable; is cost-effective, and avoids the use of toxic and volatile solvents thus environmentally friendly; provides high quality few-layer graphene, thus allowing for commercial use of graphene, and allowing the realization of lithium-ion batteries or supercapacitors performing at temperatures as low as -40 degrees C due to graphene anodes; allows microwave heating that effects rapid heating of the expanded graphite, which saving time and energy; and utilizes (I) that shows good effects in promoting a fragmentation of the expanded graphite into thin graphite microplatelets, and stabilizing the microplatelets in the ionic liquid by avoiding a re-stack of the expanded graphitic layers. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is also included for graphene prepared by the method.