Reduction of reduced graphene oxide from synthetic graphite produced from oil palm trunk waste

Abstract

Graphene has received great attention in various fields, including energy storage, electronics, gas sorption, separation, sensing, and catalysis fields due to its exceptional thermal, electrical, magnetic, optical, and mechanical capabilities as well as its substantial specific surface area. However, this super great graphene is derived from precursor materials, primarily graphite. Synthetic graphite produced from oil palm trunk (OPT) waste has been reported to have excellent chemical properties that are comparable to those of commercial graphite. Through the synthetic graphite from oil palm trunk (OPT) waste, graphene oxide (GO) can be obtained via the modified Hummers' method. The as-produced GO can be reduced to form reduced graphene oxide (RGO) through various processes such as thermal and chemical reduction. In this study, GO that was obtained from synthetic graphite via the modified Hummers' method undergoes chemical reduction to produce RGO. Sodium borohydride (NaBH4) is used as the reducing agent in the chemical reduction. The RGO produced by the chemical reduction is expected to show all the characteristics comparable to those of RGO produced from commercial graphite. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals a peak at 26° (2Ɵ) for all graphene oxide samples. RAMAN spectroscopy confirms the graphitic nature of the produced RGO, with observed D, G, and 2D peaks. Additionally, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicates the presence of functional groups such as amine, phenol, alkene, and alcohol in the RGO produced from synthetic graphite, demonstrating its similarity to RGO derived from commercial graphite.