Interactional Fingerprints Offer Accessible, Rapid, and Qualitative Characterization of Graphene Oxide

Graphene-based materials (GBMs), including graphene oxide and graphene, are atomically thin materials with great promise, but efforts to realize their potential have been hampered by inconsistent material supply and the lack of rapid, accessible characterization methods. Here we present a new approach to characterization, based on surface interactions with a series of probe molecules. We demonstrate that our method facilitates qualitative comparisons of graphene oxide materials─for example, if batches of material differ─an accessible quality control method for materials producers and users alike, using widely available instruments. Furthermore, we show that in some circumstances, we may quantify systematic differences, such as surface modifications. Since many applications of materials depend on surface interactions, we suggest that this approach is applicable beyond quality control as a more direct approach to probe material surfaces and a valuable alternative to instrumental methods in GBMs and beyond.