Abstract
Graphite oxide sheet, now referred to as graphene oxide (GO), is the product of chemical exfoliation of graphite and has been known for more than a century. A GO sheet is characterized by two abruptly different length scales; the apparent thickness of the functionalized carbon sheet is approximately 1 nm, but the lateral dimensions can range from a few nanometers to micrometers. In this paper, an improved method for the preparation of graphene oxide within a mild condition is described. We have found that cancelling the high-temperature stage and prolonging the reaction time of mid-temperature can improve the efficiency of oxidation process. We utilized FTIR, XRD, Ultraviolet-visible, TGA, Raman spectrum, and XPS measurements to characterize the successfully synthesized GO. SEM images were employed to reveal the interior microstructure of as-prepared GO dispersion. We also wondrously found that the GO dispersion could be used as profile control agent in the oilfield water-flooding. Flooding experiments showed that the GO dispersion has an ability to adjust water injection profile, reduce permeability ratio, and improve conformance factor. So the GO dispersion would have potential applications in oilfield exploitation.
Highlights
Characterized as “the thinnest material in our universe” [1], graphene, a new class of two-dimensional carbon nanostructure, has stimulated wide interests in both the experimental and theoretical scientific communities due to its extraordinary material properties
We called off the step of hightemperature, which was replaced with prolonging the reaction time of mid-temperature to improve the extent of oxidation of graphite and avoid the damage of eruption in the high-temperature reaction
A simple chemical route has been developed for the preparation of water dispersed nanosized graphene oxide, which cancelled high-temperature stage and prolonged the reaction time of mid-temperature to improve the extent of oxidation of graphite and avoid the damage of eruption in high-temperature reaction
Summary
Characterized as “the thinnest material in our universe” [1], graphene, a new class of two-dimensional carbon nanostructure, has stimulated wide interests in both the experimental and theoretical scientific communities due to its extraordinary material properties. Graphene can be produced by several methods: micromechanical cleavage of nature graphite, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced CVD, electric arc discharge, epitaxial growth on electrically insulating surface such as SiC, unzipping of carbon nanotubes, and the oxidation-dispersion-reduction [7,8,9]. Among these methods, the oxidation-dispersionreduction process is widely used for it possesses great potential for large-scale synthesis of graphene. A number of research groups have devoted themselves to applying graphene in a variety of technological applications including methanol oxidation, lithium-ion battery, solar cell, and transparent conducting film
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