Electro-magneto-chemical synthesis and characterization of thermally reduced graphene oxide: Influence of magnetic field and cyclic thermal loading on microstructural properties

Abstract

Electro-Magneto-Chemistry is a novel scientific approach in which electrochemical investigations were carried out in an externally applied magnetic field. Moreover, graphene produced electrochemically contains numerous defects and architectural irregularity. As a result, minimizing defects in graphene produced electrochemically is a critical challenge. Whether high-temperature heat treatment cleans graphene or causes new flaws and structural disorder is widely contested. We report a comparison of thermally reduced graphene oxide (TrGO) synthesized under externally applied magnetic field and without magnetic field and their possible effects on microstructural features (microstructure, surface topography, and structural disorder). We also explored the influence of cyclic thermal loading with temperature variations at 800, 850, and 900 ​°C respectively on the microstructural properties of TrGO's synthesized in an externally applied magnetic field. The graphene oxide (GO) has been synthesized via high voltage (60 ​V), electrolyte heating approach (50–70 ​°C). The XRD and Raman spectral reveal that magnetic field, as well as cyclic thermal loading, have a significant impact on diffraction peak, inter-planar distance, crystallite size, and a structural disorder of the TrGO. Magnetic field and cyclic thermal loading strongly influenced the microstructural features and surface topography, as shown by FE-SEM, TEM, and AFM analysis. The magnetic field and cyclic thermal loading appear to have little effect on the thermal stability and oxygen-containing functional groups.