Structural Analysis on Reduced Graphene Oxide Prepared from Old Coconut Shell by Synchrotron X-Ray Scattering

Abstract

This work is aimed to identify the distribution of size and structure of the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) particles before and after the mechanical exfoliation process from coconut shell. The burnt sample was heated at 400°C in ambient air, followed by sonication and centrifugation method for various concentration. The characterization were performed by using wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Based on SAXS result, the structure of rGO showed that in low range of momentum transfer (Q), the particle size was too big to be measured using SAXS. In the high Q, the graph shown the apparent absence of change in curvature which indicates that the small particles are typically seen on high Q range, having aggregate with a new shape and big particles. The average fitting slope is -3.3, implying that the particles structure tends to be fractal (rough) surface, where the particles form aggregates to become bigger size and irregular structure. Further, the WAXS characterization shows that the exfoliation step has not affected the rGO phase formed.