Probing the Thermal Deoxygenation of Graphene Oxide Using High-Resolution In Situ X-ray-Based Spectroscopies

Despite the recent developments in graphene oxide due to its importance as a host precursor of graphene, the detailed electronic structure and its evolution during the thermal reduction remain largely unknown, hindering its potential applications. We show that a combination of high-resolution in situ X-ray photoemission and X-ray absorption spectroscopies offer a powerful approach to monitor the deoxygenation process and comprehensively evaluate the electronic structure of graphene oxide thin films at different stages of the thermal reduction process. It is established that the edge plane carboxyl groups are highly unstable, whereas carbonyl groups are more difficult to remove. The results consistently support…

• EA
  Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

  Awards: EP/E025722/1, EP/F01919X/1