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Reduced Graphene Oxide: Characterization sheet

Reported data: Transmission Electron Microscopy, IR spectroscopy, X-ray
diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), UV-VIS spectroscopy,
elemental analysis and surface area.

Transmission Electron Microscopy

IR spectroscopy

Transmitance (a.u.)

Transmitance (a.u.)

reduced GO
GO

reduced GO
GO

4000

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500
-1

Wavenumber (cm )

1000

500

2000

1800

1600

1400

1200

1000

-1

Wavenumber (cm )

Assignation (cm-1): for graphene oxide 1725 C=O (carbonyl/carboxy); 1618

C=C (aromatics); 1407 C-O (carboxy); 1225 C-O (epoxy); 1057 C-O (alkoxy). In
comparison peaks due to oxygen functional groups are almost entirely removed
in reduced graphene oxide.

XRD
Reduced Graphene Oxide

Arbitrary Intensity

Arbitrary intensity

Graphene Oxide
Reduced Graphene Oxide
Graphite

10

20

30

40

50

2 theta

60

70

80

90

100

10

15

20

25

30

35

2 theta

Left, XRD pattern of graphite, graphene oxide and reduced graphene

oxide. Right, fitting curve for reduced graphene oxide (002) peak.
In the XRD pattern of GO, the strong and sharp peak at 2 = 11.7
corresponds to an interlayer distance of 7.6 (d002).
Reduced graphene oxide shows a broad peak that can be fitted by using
a Lorentzian function into three peaks centered at 2 = 20.17 , 23,78
and 25.88, corresponding to interlayer distances of 4.47, 3.82 and 3.53
, respectively. These XRD results are related to the exfoliation and
reduction processes of GO and the processes of removing intercalated
water molecules and the oxide groups.

TGA

The first 5.71% mass loss (approx 100 C) it is due to water solvent molecules
absorbed into the reduced GO bulk material, the following 8.239% decrease
(400 C) stands for elimination of remaining functional groups, further
decomposition take place up to 800C. Experiment settings: temperature
scanning rate: 1 C/min; temperature range 20-800 C; purging inert gas: N2.

UV-VIS
0.6

0.5

Reduced graphene oxide

Graphene Oxide

Absorbance

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0
200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Wavelength (nm)

The UV-VIS spectra of GO exhibits a maximum absorption peak at about 223

nm, corresponding to -* transition of aromatic C-C bonds. The absorption
peak for reduced GO had red shifted to 270 nm. This phenomenon of red shift
has been used as a monitoring tool for the reduction of GO.

Elemental analysis

GO
Reduced GO

%C
57.09 0.14
76.38 0.41

Surface Area 103.2 m2/g

%H
2.55 0.07
1.44 0.08

%N
0.135 0.007
3.72 0.03