Graphene oxide thin films: influence of chemical structure and deposition methodology

We synthesized graphene oxide sheets of different functionalization by oxidation of two different starting materials, graphite and GANF nanofibers, followed by purification based on alkaline washing. The chemical structure of graphene oxide materials was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the nanoplatelets were characterized by ζ potential and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. The XPS results indicated that the chemical structure depends on the starting material. Two different deposition methodologies, Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) and Langmuir-Schaefer (LS), were employed to build the graphene oxide thin films. The film morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images allow us to conclude that the LB methodology provides the highest coverage. This coverage is almost independent of the chemical composition of sheets. Conversely, the coverage obtained by the LS methodology increases with the percentage of C-O groups attached to sheets. Surface-pressure isotherms of these materials were interpreted according to the Volmer model.