Synthesis and structural characterization of separate graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide nanosheets

Graphene, being a unique carbon allotrope with a structure that is one atom thick, is known as a mysterious material in the current era due to its strange nature. It has attained global attention due to its amazing mechanical, electrical, thermal and optical properties. Recent progress has revealed that materials built with graphene can have a limitless impact on nanocomposites, electronic, optoelectronic and energy storage devices as well as chemical sensors. In the present study, graphite flakes were chemically oxidized in graphite oxide via the modified Hummers' method, i.e. without adding sodium nitrate. The graphite oxide was exfoliated in distilled water by using an ultrasonic bath to fabricate graphene oxide nanosheets. The graphene was acquired through an inexpensive and large-scale production route to eliminate functional groups containing oxygen by using hydrazine monohydrate as a reducing agent. The reduced graphene oxide obtained through this route contained residual oxygen-functional groups which can act as active sites for gas molecular interaction and be used in a variety of applications like gas sensing. The prepared samples were analyzed using the dynamic light scattering technique, UV–visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. (paper)