Synthesis of Graphene Oxide Under Differing Conditions and its Characterization

Abstract

Carbon based graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by a modified Hummer's method with different ratios of graphite to sodium nitrate of 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1. These variations were carried out to determine which conditions would afford more oxygen functional groups. The products obtained, namely, GO 1:1 , GO 1:2 , GO 2:1 , were characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), elemental analysis (EA) and Raman spectroscopy. XRD revealed that GO 2:1 is more crystalline than either GO 1:1 or GO 1:2 , while Raman spectroscopy confirmed the in-phase vibration (G-band) of GO 2:1 at 1596 nm and the disorder band (D-band) at 1347 nm. Also, TEM showed the expected layer structure of the graphene oxide sheet. FTIR revealed the presence of oxygen functional groups while the elemental analysis confirmed that GO 2:1 has more oxygen functional groups than GO 1:1 and GO 1:2. Thus, the synthesis of GO with a limited amount of sodium nitrate provided a more crystalline and oxygen-functionalized material.