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Photochemical transformation of graphene oxide in sunlight (journal)
Citation:
Hou, W., I. Chowdhury, D. Goodwin, Matt Henderson, D. Fairbrother, D. Bouchard, AND R. Zepp. Photochemical transformation of graphene oxide in sunlight (journal). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 49(6):3435-3443, (2015).
Impact/Purpose:
Published in Environmental Science and Technology.
Description:
Graphene oxide (GO) is a graphene derivative that is more easily manufactured in large scale and used to synthesize reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with properties analogous to graphene. In this study, we investigate the photochemical fate of GO under sunlight conditions. The result indicates that GO readily photo-reacts in simulated sunlight exposure and photo-disproportionates to CO2, reduced photoproducts similar to rGO that are strongly fragmented, and also likely low molecular-weight organic species that are light-absorbing. Kinetic studies show that the initially rapid photo-reaction of GO is insensitive to the dissolved oxygen content although in the presence of dissolved oxygen the low molecular-weight species produced in the initial fragmentation of GO are converted into CO2 via photochemical reactions that involve electron-hole pair creation in the rGO species. However, the rGO species themselves persist in the presence of dissolved oxygen, even after extended irradiation equivalent to two months in natural sunlight. Overall, our findings indicate that GO photo-transforms in sunlight exposure, resulting in chemically reduced and persistent photoproducts that are likely to exhibit transport and toxic properties unique from parent GO.
