Graphene aerogels: part 1 - derived from graphene oxide and thermally reduced graphene oxide via supercritical carbon dioxide drying

Abstract

Graphene aerogels have become promising materials in many areas of industry, especially in energy applications due to their superior physical and electrochemical properties. Generally, graphene oxide (GO)-derived aerogels (A) are synthesized by using the hydrothermal method. In this study, both GO and reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-derived aerogels were synthesized by using the sol-gel method coupled with the supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) drying process. It aims to examine the changes in the structure of the final aerogel by changing the amount (0.25–0.5–1% wt.) and type of graphene-based precursor materials used in the synthesis. Physical characterizations of graphene aerogels were conducted using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), micro-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer (XRD) to highlight their structural properties. Additionally, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses were performed to determine the oxidation levels on the surface of the RGO-1 aerogel. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) method was used to examine the electrochemical behavior of the graphene aerogels against corrosion. Specific capacitance values of the synthesized materials were calculated before and after corrosion. Furthermore, the surface charge changes that occur after corrosion were examined. GOAs displayed the highest specific capacitance value among graphene aerogels. Notably, the RGOA-1 aerogel exhibited the highest corrosion resistance. The pseudo-capacitive charge ratio of RGOA-1 after corrosion was measured at 0.5 mC cm–2.