Effect of microwave irradiation on reduction of graphene oxide films

Abstract

In this study, the effect of microwave irradiation on reduction of graphene oxide films was investigated. The few-layer graphene (FLG) sheets were prepared by the electrochemical exfoliated method. The reduction process was completed with a microwave power as low as 42 W below a temperature of 250 °C in air. The Raman and XPS spectra demonstrated that a larger amount of oxygen functional groups were removed by microwave irradiation, which is much more effective than the usual method of mild-thermal treatment at 250 °C for 30 min. The FLG films treated by microwave irradiation showed a low value of sheet resistance around 6 × 10³ Ω □⁻¹. The results demonstrate that the use of microwave irradiation provides a simple and effective method for eliminating oxygen functional groups to produce highly conductive graphene films.