Controlled synthesis, characterization and reduction of graphene oxide: A convenient method for large scale production

In this work, graphene oxide was synthesized by treating graphite powder with KMnO4 and a mixture of concentrated H2SO4/H3PO4 and reduced with ascorbic acid to produce reduced graphene oxide. The effects of reaction parameters such as reaction time, reaction temperature and amount of KMnO4 on the degree of oxidation of graphite powder to graphene oxide were studied. The prepared graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide were characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, and XRD. The results showed that treating graphite powder with KMnO4 at 40 °C for 12 h resulted in better degree of oxidation. The designed synthesis strategy could be simple/convenient, easily controlled and an alternative approach for large scale production of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO).