The exfoliation characteristics of graphite as a function of applied anodic potential (1 to 10 V) in
combination with shear field (400 to 74000 s-1) has been studied in a custom-designed microfluidic
reactor. Systematic investigation by atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicates that at
higher potentials, thicker and more fragmented graphene sheets are obtained, while at potentials
as low as 1 V, pronounced exfoliation is triggered by the influence of shear. The shear-assisted
electrochemical exfoliation process yields large (~10 micron) graphene flakes with a high proportion of single, bi-layer,

and tri-layer graphene, and small ID/IG ratio (0.21 to 0.32). This method comprises intercalation of sulphate and hydroxyl ions followed by exfoliation using
shear induced by a flowing electrolyte. Our findings on the crucial role of hydrodynamics in
accentuating the exfoliation efficiency suggests a safer, greener and more automated method for
production of high quality graphene from graphite.