Synthesis and Characterisation of Graphene Oxide Nanoparticle

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) is a carbon nanomaterial with two dimensional structure having excellent electronic, optical, mechanical and thermal properties and finds application in biomedicine, electronic devices, energy storage devices, supercapacitors, biosensors and water purification. This study focused on the synthesis and characterisation of GO. Herein, GO was synthesised from graphite powder using the improve Hummers method. Characterisation of the synthesised GO was done using Ultra Violet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (HRSEM-EDS), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. The UV-visible spectrum shows absorption peak at maximum wavelength of 228.5 nm. FTIR result shows the presence of functional groups such as O-H, C=O, C-O-C and C-O. HRSEM micrograph reveal the formation of flake-like network having C/O ratio of 1.41, while the XRD spectrum demonstrated the appearance of a wide diffraction peak at 2θ value of 11.6° with crystallite size of 18.1 nm. All the characterisation results confirm the successful synthesis of high-purity graphene oxide which can be useful in wastewater treatment