Spectroscopic investigations of graphene derivatives coated with nanostructured Fe3O4

Abstract

Nanocomposites based on graphene oxide (GO)–iron oxide Fe3O4 and reduced GO (rGO)–Fe3O4 were synthesized by using a simple hydrothermal method, and their morphology and structure are investigated aiming to get an insight into on how the removal of oxygen group affects the dispersibility of Fe3O4 on GO layers. Transmission electron microscopy observations showed that nanostructured Fe3O4 with diameters of about 6–11 nm and lengths of 46–56 nm evenly spread over the GO/rGO sheets decorating their surface. The X-ray diffraction patterns prove the presence of the Fe3O4 on the surface of GO/rGO nanosheets leading to their disaggregation in addition to an in situ reduction of GO. Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopic studies provide evidence of donor–acceptor interaction between the Fe3O4 and GO/rGO which can display additional functionalities of these heterostructures and thus will have great advantage for potential applications.