Solvothermal Reduction of Graphite Oxide Using Alcohols

A sulfuric acid treatment before the reduction process was also applied to evaluate its influence on the epoxy group ring-opening reaction. Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) samples were obtained with morphology like crumpled sheets.

X-ray diffraction analyses (XRD) showed that the RGO produced via ethylene glycol (EG) reduction followed by treatment with sulfuric acid (RGOEGH) presented the largest d-spacing (0.4114 nm). For reduction with ethanol (RGOEt), the d-spacing value was 0.3883 nm. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results indicated that RGOEt exhibited very low-intensity bands related to oxygenated functional groups, suggesting a high reduction degree, while the sample reduced with EG contained oxygen group bands in the spectrum that disappeared when H2SO4 pretreatment was performed.