Reduced Graphene Oxide Joins Graphene Oxide To Teach Undergraduate Students Core Chemistry and Nanotechnology Concepts

Abstract

Novel carbon nanomaterials such as reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and graphene oxide (GO) can be easily incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum to discuss basic chemistry and nanotechnology concepts. This paper describes a laboratory experiment designed to study the differences between GO and rGO regarding their physicochemical properties (e.g., color, hydrophobicity, type of functional groups, electrical conductivity, etc.). In this course, students carry out the chemical reduction of GO using ascorbic acid, a mild and environmentally friendly reducing agent. The differences between GO and rGO can be spotted by the naked eye and can be further evaluated by spectroscopic methods, as Fourier transform infrared and UV–vis spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Simple and applicable in all laboratories, use of the multimeter to measure resistance was proposed to reveal the different electrical properties of GO and rGO. Moreover, the proposed laboratory experiment is an ideal pretext to discuss the definition of graphene in the context of the overuse of this term in the literature.