Dispersion behaviour of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide

• Investigation of GO and rGO dispersion behaviour in eighteen organic solvents.
• Comparing the stability and the dispersion quality of the two derivatives.
• Determining specific solubility values of GO and rGO.
• Estimating the Hansen and Hildebrand parameters of GO and for the first time, of rGO.
• Model for identifying mixtures of solvents for large-scale graphene ink production.

The dispersion behaviour of graphene oxide (GO) and chemically reduced GO (rGO) has been investigated in a wide range of organic solvents. The effect of the reduction process on the GO solubility in eighteen different solvents was examined and analysed, taking into consideration the solvent polarity, the surface tension and the Hansen and Hildebrand solubility parameters. rGO concentrations up to ∼9 μg/mL in chlorinated solvents were achieved, demonstrating an efficient solubilization strategy, extending the scope for scalable liquid-phase processing of conductive rGO inks for the development of printed flexible electronics.

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