Synthesis and characterization of bio-nanocomposites: Functionalization of graphene oxide with a biocompatible amino acid

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) is a complicated composite which can be synthesized from graphite or other carbon sources by a simple top-down method. Graphene is a two-dimensional carbon sheets which can be oxidized to synthesis its oxide structure. The graphene oxide sheets can be functionalized in order to be used actively in different areas. The graphene oxide nanocomposite materials have attracted researches and scientists’ attention due to their wade applications from electrochemical industry to drug delivery. In this novel work the authors have synthesized graphene oxide films and then functionalized with an amino acid, Lysine, and Cu in order to synthesize the Lysine-Cu-Graphene oxide combination. The novelty of this investigation is the authors have functionalized graphene oxide with l-lysine as an amino acid at diverse temperature. Also, this product is environmentally friendly product since it is soluble in aqueous medium and can be applied as an active antibacterial material. After the synthesizing process, the obtained materials had been characterized using different techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to confirm the success of the functional reaction. Ultra violet visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal gravimetric (TG) analysis, were also utilized to approve the covalent attachment of Lysine and also to show the improvement in the thermal stability of GO.