Thermally stable reduced graphene oxide: An eco-friendly method for the synthesis of graphene compounds

Abstract

In this work, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is generated by an environmentally friendly electrochemical technique using an aqueous solution of 2.5[Formula: see text]M nitric acid (HNO3), followed by thermal degradation at a temperature of 750∘C. To facilitate the exfoliation process, the electrolytic cell was equipped with a continuous supply of 54[Formula: see text]V DC. The microstructure of the rGO sheet has been analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The obtained results show that rGO sheets are irregularly stacked together, have a fractured surface, and porous structure. TGA analysis depicts that the total estimated weight loss was observed to be 40% because of the removal of the oxygen functionalities and volatile gases. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to analyze the phase purity, crystalline nature, interatomic distance as well as crystallite size of the rGO sheet. In the Raman study, the value [Formula: see text], which compares the peak intensity of the D band to intensity of the G band, provides evidence that the structural component associated with the rGO is present.