Hydrothermal deoxygenation of graphene oxide: chemical and structural evolution

A green and facile approach for the partial deoxygenation of graphene oxide (GO) at moderate temperature (100 °C) and under atmospheric pressure, catalyzed by acidic conditions in water is reported. The chemical and structural changes in GO as a function of hydrothermal time were probed to understand the deoxygenation events. The brown GO dispersion in water was found to gradually turn black over the hydrothermal-treatment time on account of the increasing graphitic content. FTIR, thermogravimetric (TG), Raman, and XRD analyses revealed that the labile oxygen functionalities are progressively eliminated, thereby partially restoring the π-conjugated network. This was further corroborated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies based on quantitative analysis of each carbon component associated with the different chemical functionalities. Carbonyl, carboxyl, ether, and phenolic groups were found to be thermally stable, which hinders complete deoxygenation of GO and makes their dispersion in water stable, as monitored by the ζ potential. It is worth noting that deoxygenation events are expedited under acid-catalyzed hydrothermal treatment relative to thermal deoxygenation in air.