Evaluating the Morphological and Functional Properties of Nano Graphene based on Synthetic Graphite Obtained by Modified Hummers Method

Abstract

In this study, graphene oxide was synthesized by modified Hummer’s method. The structural and elemental composition of the samples were observed by high resolution scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (SEM and EDX). The nature of the functional groups and the electrical characterization were analyzed by Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and four-point probing system. The micrograph of the thin film on gold substrate revealed a porous spongy structure, a flate-like surface in layers. EDX pattern showed peaks corresponding to carbon C (86.34%), Molybdenum (10.37%), Potassium (2.38%) and Titanium (0.91%) in K shell. The FTIR indicated that oxidized graphite has an aromatic, carbonyl, carboxyl, epoxy and hydroxyl groups. The strong band at 2363.50 and 1559.32can be attributed to the stretching vibrational mode in carboxyl, carbonyl groups and un-oxidized graphitic domains. This result has revealed that the sample is electrically conductive due to the delocalized pi-electrons at the basal plane and the high electronic conductivity at room temperature. It is suitable for integration in designing photovoltaic cells by improving the efficiency, production cost, and life time.