SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GRAPHENE OXIDE

In this work, aqueous dispersions of graphene oxide (GO) were prepared using low purity graphite (GR 325) in order to verify its influence on the characteristics of the final GO flakes. The preparation was performed according to the modified Hummers' method. The synthesis was very efficient, obtaining nanomaterials with a high degree of oxidation and exfoliation. The graphite powder proved to be suitable for the synthesis of graphene oxide and it is probably due to greater ease in the oxidation and exfoliation stages of the material. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and RAMAN spectroscopy were used for sample characterization, revealing the typical morphology (sheets) and variations in the intensity ratio of D/G bands. And finally, the ImageJ software allowed the interplanar distance estimation.