Clean and effective catalytic reduction of graphene oxide using atomic hydrogen spillover on Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalyst

We report a clean and eco-friendly method to prepare reduced graphene oxide (RGO) using atomic hydrogen. Pt/γ-Al2O3 was used as a catalyst for the dissociation of H2 molecules to form atomic hydrogen, which served as a strong reducing agent for the reduction of graphene oxide (GO). The resulting RGO exhibited a high C/O ratio (∼8.6) and high electrical conductivity (∼4,420 S/m). This novel reduction process provides facile, one-pot catalytic reduction of GO on the large scale.

► A novel, clean approach to synthesize reduced graphene oxide (RGO).
► Atomic hydrogen spillover on Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalyst was used as reducing agent.
► RGO possesses the C/O ratio up to 8.6 and electrical conductivity of 4420 S/m.