Preparation of graphene by a low-temperature thermal reduction at atmosphere pressure

It is still a challenge to prepare graphene from graphene oxide (GO) under a mild thermal reduction. Here we report that GO can even be reduced at a low temperature (below 150 °C) at atmospheric pressure in a mixture of N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and water (10 : 3, v/v) under the protection of nitrogen gas. FT-IR, XRD, XPS, Raman, and AFM studies confirmed the thermal reduction of GO and the formation of graphene. The as-prepared graphene can be fully dispersed in pure DMAc to form an organic suspension, and the suspension is stable for at least two months at room temperature.