Graphene oxide/Au nanoparticles: Synthesis, properties, and application: A mini‐review

Abstract

There has been rapid growth in research activities on the potential of graphene oxide/Au (GO:Au) composite for different applications. The GO:Au composite has been widely explored in applications such as biomedicine, electrochemical biosensors, optical limiters, and organic dye degradation. The increased interest in GO:Au for these applications is the consequence of harvesting the electronic bonding structure that is due to the formation of sp3 CC clusters from defected sp2 C═C and attachment of Au atoms onto the C═C carbon matrix. The defection of the sp2 cluster of GO can be achieved by the method of improved synthesis and functionalization with Au surfactants. The current review explores an overview of the different synthesis techniques for producing GO:Au composites, which is an important factor in controlling the particle and size distribution of the composites. The electronic, electrical, and magnetic properties of GO:Au composites are covered as it relates to photochemical, memristive, and biomedical imaging applications. The low coercivity and remanence are consistent with superparamagnetic behavior. Although, GO:Au-nanocomposite (NC) are widely explored for biomedicine and drug delivery applications, future applications of the composite can be useful for magnetic resonance imaging owing to the superparamagnetic behavior. The future possibilities of GO:Au-NP are promising in the field of bioimaging and electronic devices. The electrical property of GO:Au-NC can be fused with its electrochemical property for supercapacitor applications. In some cases, GO:Au-NC is used as an anchor material with conducting polymers to enhance the supercapacitor properties. Furthermore, the synthesis of mono-disperse few-layer graphene is still challenging owing to economic cost and the graphite exfoliation process. The review of GO:Au composite from a material physics perspective aims to elucidate the current trends as well the future possibilities offered by the composite for various promising applications. Novelty Statement This review focused on the graphene oxide-gold nanocomposite which is an outstanding composite material for different applications. The overview of graphene oxide/Au nanoparticles was first presented in this work. The synthesis, properties, and applications of graphene oxide/gold nanocomposites were emphasized. The disadvantages and promising prospect of GO:Au nanocomposites for the ferroelectric and magnetic resonance imaging applications were highlighted.