Renewable Resources as Promising Materials for Obtaining Graphene Oxide-like Structures

Currently, one of the topical directions in the field of production and application of graphene-like nanostructures is the use of renewable natural raw materials, which have unlimited resources for an economically efficient large-scale yield of a product with environmental safety. In this regard, we present the production of graphene oxide (GO) from a renewable natural raw material of plant biomass, birch activated carbon (BAC), and a comparison of the obtained physicochemical, mechanical, and electrical properties of birch activated carbon-graphene oxide (BAC-GO) and graphite-graphene oxide (G-GO) synthesized from the initial materials, BAC and graphite (G). Results obtained from this study confirm the successful oxidation of BAC, which correlates well with the physical-chemical dates of the G-GO and BAC-GO samples. Change in data after the oxidation of graphite and BAC was facilitated by the structure of the starting materials and, presumably, the location and content of functional oxygen-containing groups in the G-GO and BAC-GO chains. Based on the results, the application of a cost-effective, eco-friendly colloidal solution of nanodispersed BAC-GO from a plant biomass-based high-quality resource for producing large-scale nanostructured graphene is validated which has potential applicability in nanoelectronics, medicine, and other fields.