An Electrochemical Route for the Synthesis of Low Oxygen Containing Reduced Graphene Oxide through 2B Grade Graphite

Abstract

The requirement for restoring graphene’s electrical and thermal properties necessitates the implementation of reduction processes that remove oxygen atoms from the surface of graphene oxide sheets. Nevertheless, has been reported that the synthesis of graphene with a minimal oxygen content remains an obstacle in the field of graphene synthesis. The partial restoration of the initial graphene characteristics brought on by the recombination of carbon–carbon double bonds is primarily constrained by the existence of leftover oxygen atoms and lattice flaws. However, the absence of polar dioxide-based groups of function makes it difficult for the substance to disperse. Oxygen-containing functional groups also serve as reaction sites to bond active molecules to reduce graphene sheets. The literature describes many chemical methods to reduce graphene oxide for these reasons. It’s crucial to choose a chemical method that allows a thin modulation of residual oxygen content to tune the end product’s properties. This research demonstrates a synthesis mechanism for the low oxygen-containing thermally reduced graphene oxide (T-R-GO) by employing an electrochemical technique, which is then followed by thermal reduction. An environment-friendly, eco-friendly, simpler, and scalable electrochemical approach was initially used to synthesize graphite oxide. A steady power source of 24[Formula: see text]V DC (direct current) has been applied while the exfoliation process is being carried out. It has been noticed that there is a potential difference of 1[Formula: see text]V during the process of exfoliation. This difference is because the electrochemical cell creates a resistance, which results in a potential difference. Within the muffle furnace, the preoxidized graphite was subjected to a thermal reduction process at a temperature of 900[Formula: see text]C. The microstructure, elemental composition, as well as C/O ratio (ratio of carbon and oxygen), was analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy as well as energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). According to the results of EDX, reduction temperature serves a crucial role in the elimination of oxygen functionalities or their derived compounds. The surface topography and thermal stability analysis were analyzed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The crystallinity and disorder in microstructure were investigated using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy analysis. X-Ray data show that high-temperature annealing restored the RGO structure of the crystal. The interplanar distance is 3.824[Formula: see text]Å and the diffraction peak is 26.42[Formula: see text]. Raman bands measured the defect’s I[Formula: see text]/I[Formula: see text] ratio (intensity ratio) as 0.423. The Raman study shows that the flaws are minimal. This research offers a massive, economical, and environmentally friendly method for synthesizing graphene for use in industry.