We report an easily controllable, eco-friendly method for tailoring the properties of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) by means of oxygen plasma. The effect of oxygen plasma treatment time (1, 5 and 10 minutes) on the surface properties of rGO was evaluated. Physicochemical characterization using microscopic, spectroscopic and thermal techniques was performed. The results revealed that different oxygen-containing groups (e.g. carboxyl,...

Graphene hydrogels were prepared by ascorbic acid-assisted gelation of graphene oxide (GO) aqueous suspensions both in acidic and basic conditions. Different mass ratio of ascorbic acid (AA) to GO was used (namely 20:1 and 10:1). In order to eliminate the influence of AA on the final structure of hydrogels, samples without AA were prepared by a hydrothermal gelation of GO in an autoclave. An in-depth structural characterization...

Novel carbon nanomaterials such as reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and graphene oxide (GO) can be easily incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum to discuss basic chemistry and nanotechnology concepts. This paper describes a laboratory experiment designed to study the differences between GO and rGO regarding their physico-chemical properties (e.g. color, hydrophobicity, type of functional groups, electrical conductivity etc.)....