Geometry-dependent electrochemistry of graphene oxide family

•The electrochemistry of graphene oxides (GOs) is influenced by their geometry.•Geometry shows as conductivity, defect density, oxygen content, and surface state.•Electrode surface state includes surface chemistry, surface coverage, and stack.•Conductivity, defect density, surface coverage, and stack behave positively for GOs.•Surface chemistry and oxygen content impact variably depending on the redox probes.

The influence of graphene oxide geometry on electrochemical performance is of great interest, but there are few reports on this subject. Three different members of the graphene oxide family, graphene oxide nanosheets, graphene oxide nanoribbons, and graphene oxide quantum dots were comparatively investigated as electrode materials to systematically study the effect of geometric structure. The results showed that, as the geometric structure varies, the three graphene oxide materials possess different electrical conductivities, various defect densities and oxygen contents, as well as diverse electrode surface chemistry and microstructures, which combine together to result in the distinct electrochemical responses for the modified electrodes, depending on the redox system involved. This work broadens the method of studying the electrochemical performance of many other materials from the perspective of geometry.

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