Green approach for the synthesis of monolayer reduced graphene oxide: one-step protocol with simultaneous iodination and reduction

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) graphene derivatives are mainly employed for the iodination, oxidation, and reduction of the surface of graphite using the efficient and eco-friendly dual-role oxidants, sodium periodate (NaIO₄) and meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (m-CPBA). The main advantage of these processes is that iodine–oxygen intercalation (forming iodine-intercalated graphene oxide (i-GO)) and the selective removal of oxygen (forming iodinated reduced graphene oxide (i-RGO)) on the surface of graphite occur simultaneously through a one-step synthesis. This is a facile synthesis route to produce halogenated graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) materials through an eco-friendly, single-step, cost-effective, large-scale, and low-toxicity process, for application in various fields. Our current research efforts are concentrated on examining the function of i-RGO in supercapacitor applications.