Density functional theory modeling of multilayer "epitaxial" graphene oxide

CONSPECTUS: Graphene oxide (GO) is a complex material of both fundamental and applied interest. Elucidating the structure of GO is crucial to achieve control over its properties and technological applications. GO is a nonstoichiometric and hygroscopic material with a lamellar structure, and its physical chemical properties depend critically on synthesis procedures and postsynthesis treatments. Numerous efforts are in place to both understand and exploit this versatile layered carbon material. This Account reports on recent density functional theory (DFT) studies of "epitaxial" graphene oxide (hereafter EGO), a type of GO obtained by oxidation of graphene films grown epitaxially on silicon carbide. Here, we rely on selected X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements of EGO, and we discuss in great detail how we utilized DFT-based techniques to project out from the experimental data basic atomistic information about the chemistry and structure of these films. This Account provides an example as to how DFT modeling can be used to elucidate complex materials such as GO from a limited set of experimental information. EGO exhibits a uniform layered structure, consisting of a stack of graphene planes hosting predominantly epoxide and hydroxyl groups, and water molecules intercalated between the oxidized carbon layers. Here, we first focus on XPS measurements of EGO, and we use DFT to generate realistic model structures, calculate core-level chemical shifts, and through the comparison with experiment, gain insight on the chemical composition and metastability characteristics of EGO. DFT calculations are then used to devise a simplistic but accurate simulation scheme to study thermodynamic and kinetic stability and to predict the intralayer structure of EGO films aged at room temperature. Our simulations show that aged EGO encompasses layers with nanosized oxidized domains presenting a high concentration of oxygen functionalities and local structural order, surrounded by regions of pristine graphene. Through the analysis of XRD and IR measurements, our DFT calculations finally show that in EGO, the oxidized domains of stacked layers overlap and locally confine about a monolayer of water molecules. The overall water content in EGO remains below 10%, and intralayer and interlayer spatial ditribution of oxygen species in EGO lead to a layered porous film with an interlayer spacing of about 10 Å. The basic insight gained from our DFT studies, from chemical composition to a nanoscale characterization of the film structure, will be used to fine-tune synthesis methods and EGO properties.