Synthesis and characterization of graphene oxide nanosheets

Abstract

Abstract Graphite is a 3-dimension carbon based material made up of millions of layers of graphene. By the oxidation of graphite using strong oxidizing agents, oxygenated functionalities are introduced in the graphite structure which not only expand the layer separation, but also make the material get dispersed in water. This property enables the graphite oxide to be exfoliated in water using sonication, ultimately producing single or few layer graphene known as graphene oxide (GO). This remains as a very important property when mixing the material with ceramic or polymer materials and trying to improve their electrical and mechanical properties. In this work, Graphene Oxide nanosheets was synthesized by modified hummer’s method. Materials such as graphite power, H2SO4 and KMnO4 solution was used as precursors. The solution formed by the precursors after desired experimental conditions was filtered and washed. Then the suspension was centrifuged and dried which resulted in Graphene Oxide nanosheets. The synthesized samples were characterized by XRD, Raman, FTIR and SEM analyses.