Characterization of reduced graphene oxide produced through a modified Hoffman method

Abstract Large-scale fabrication of graphene and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is important for industrial and research applications of this material. Chemical solution methods offer a low-cost alternate to produce rGO with high yield. This research is to explore the effect of chemical and thermal reduction on the quality of chemically synthesized graphene and its derivatives. A top-down process involved the chemical oxidation of the precursor graphite powder (size ~10 μm) using a concentrated mixture of sulphuric acid and nitric acid. Oxidized graphite powder was thermally exfoliated at 1,050°C for 30 s to produce graphene oxide (GO). Chemical reduction in GO sheets with sodium borohydride led to the formation of rGO. Characterization by Raman spectroscopy revealed an intensity ratio of 2D/G bands of rGO as approximately 0.5 indicating a multi-layered structure. X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) results indicated a multi-layered rGO with a lateral size up to 5 μm.