Thermal Disproportionation of Oxo-Functionalized Graphene

Graphene production by wet chemistry is an ongoing scientific challenge. Controlled oxidation of graphite introduces oxo functional groups; this material can be processed and converted back to graphene by reductive defunctionalization. Although thermal processing yields conductive carbon, a ruptured and undefined carbon lattice is produced as a consequence of CO₂ formation. This thermal process is not understood, but it is believed that graphene is not accessible. Here, we thermally process oxo-functionalized graphene (oxo-G) with a low (4-6 %) and high degree of functionalization (50-60 %) and find on the basis of Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy performed at atomic resolution (HRTEM) that thermal processing leads predominantly to an intact carbon framework with a density of lattice defects as low as 0.8 %. We attribute this finding to reorganization effects of oxo groups. This finding holds out the prospect of thermal graphene formation from oxo-G derivatives.