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Updated: May 7, 2026

Scalable Syntheses of Graphene Oxide and Reduced Graphene Oxide using Cascade Design Oxidation and Highly Basic Reduction Reactions
Published on: July 3, 2025
Chemical reduction of graphene oxide: a synthetic chemistry viewpoint
Chun Kiang Chua1, Martin Pumera
1Nanyang Technological University - Chemistry and Biological, Chemistry, Singapore 637371, Singapore. pumera@ntu.edu.sg.
Abstract:
The chemical reduction of graphene oxide is a promising route towards the large scale production of graphene for commercial applications. The current state-of-the-art in graphene oxide reduction, consisting of more than 50 types of reducing agent, will be reviewed from a synthetic chemistry point of view. Emphasis is placed on the techniques, reaction mechanisms and the quality of the produced graphene. The reducing agents are reviewed under two major categories: (i) those which function according to well-supported mechanisms and (ii) those which function according to proposed mechanisms based on knowledge of organic chemistry. This review will serve as a valuable platform to understand the efficiency of these reducing agents for the reduction of graphene oxide.
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