Sorption and desorption behavior of water and organic solvents from graphite oxide

The sorption–desorption of water and different organic solvents (methanol, 1-propanol, benzene, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride) from the vapor phase in graphite oxide (GO) was studied. Changes observed in the GO interlayer distance, initially due to solvent uptake, were subsequently monitored during desorption by means of time-resolved X-ray diffraction so providing desorption kinetics. A limiting geometric stability in the GO interlayer distance was envisaged, corresponding to an expansion of about 60%, with an intercalation of about 45 mL of solvent/100 g of GO. Specific desorption kinetics behavior was found for each solvent to be related to their chemical nature and geometry. Finally, from this study it was also found that the layer distortions of GO, when exposed to water and organic solvent vapors, occurred in a lesser extent than that found when the intercalation occurred from the liquid solvents.