Large-area graphene-based thin films using rapid reduction of graphene-oxide

TLDR: In this article, a method to fabricate large-area graphene-based thin films using rapid low temperature reduction of graphene-oxide was proposed, where the reduced graphene oxide thin films showed decreased interlayer spacing and higher carbon-to-oxygen ratio.

Abstract: In the present study, we propose a method to fabricate large-area graphene-based thin films using rapid low temperature reduction of graphene-oxide. Large area (~17.5 sq.cm.) graphene oxide (GO) thin films are fabricated by vacuum filtration of GO solution synthesized by the modified Hummers' method. The graphene-oxide thin films are reduced in a MTS testing machine equipped with a controlled atmosphere furnace. Reduction is carried out at temperatures from 200 °C to 400 °C, for different time durations. The fabricated reduced GO thin films are characterized using powder x-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The reduced graphene oxide thin films show decreased interlayer spacing and higher carbon-to-oxygen ratio. Conductivity measurements show an increase in conductivity by over _ve orders of magnitude compared to GO. This method offers a scalable new way of fabricating conductive large-area graphene-based thin films.