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A highly efficient flocculant for graphene oxide recycling and its applications
Ruiying Luan1, Hui Pan1, Yuning Ma2
1State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.
Nanotechnology
|November 14, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed an efficient graphene oxide (GO) recycling method using ZnO colloids and HCl. This process yields a reduced graphene oxide/ZnO (rGO/ZnO) composite for high-performance supercapacitors.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Graphene oxide (GO) is a crucial material in various applications.
- Efficient recycling methods for GO are needed to reduce waste and cost.
- Developing advanced electrode materials for energy storage is a key research area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel and efficient method for recycling graphene oxide (GO).
- To investigate the self-assembly of ZnO nanorods within recycled GO.
- To evaluate the performance of the resulting reduced GO/ZnO (rGO/ZnO) composite as a supercapacitor electrode.
Main Methods:
- Mixing graphene oxide (GO) solutions with ZnO colloids.
- Inducing and reversing flocculation using hydrochloric acid (HCl).
- Characterizing the rGO/ZnO composite structure and electrochemical performance.
Main Results:
- GO was efficiently recycled by flocculation with ZnO colloids, reversible with HCl.
- ZnO nanorods self-assembled into an ordered structure between rGO sheets in the composite.
- The rGO/ZnO composite (1:1 ratio) achieved a specific capacitance of 175 F g-1.
- The electrode maintained 89.6% capacitance after 5000 cycles.
Conclusions:
- A new, efficient method for recycling graphene oxide (GO) was successfully developed.
- The rGO/ZnO composite exhibits promising properties for supercapacitor applications due to its unique structure.
- The recycling process enhances the performance and stability of GO-based electrode materials.
