A facile synthesis of reduced graphene oxide with Zn powder under acidic condition

The traditional synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) from graphene oxide (GO) involves harmful chemical reducing agents and is undesirable for practical applications. Here, we have demonstrated a green and facile approach to synthesize RGO with Zn powder under acidic condition at room temperature, which results in a substantial removal of oxygen functionalities, and yields a C/O ratio as high as 8.2. The conductivity of RGO is 6.5×102 S/m, which is about 14 times higher than that of NaBH4-reduced-GO. Furthermore, the approach offers a potential for cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and large-scale production of RGO.

► Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) is prepared by Zn power reduction under acidic condition.
► Morphology of RGO signifies that RGO has multilayer structure.
► Conductivity of RGO is 6.5×102 S/m, which is about 14 times higher than that of NaBH4-reduced-GO.
► C/O ratio of RGO is 8.2 after reduction.