Facile synthesis of thermally reduced graphene oxide-sepiolite nanohybrid via intercalation and thermal reduction method

Hybrid thermally reduced graphene oxide-sepiolite (TRGO-Sep) nanocomposite has been synthesized using via the intercalation of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) with sepiolite (Sep) and graphene oxide (GO) followed by thermal reduction. The physico-chemical characterization of the hybrid was evaluated by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning & transmission electron microscopy. The existence of characteristic (110) reflection of sepiolite at 2θ = 7.48° confirmed the presence of Sep in the TRGO-Sep hybrid. BET analysis resulted that the surface area of the hybrid material was found to 128.2 m2/g. TEM analysis confirmed that the stacking of one dimensional Sep on the graphene sheets.