Solvent-controlled formation of a reduced graphite oxide gel via hydrogen bonding

Abstract

As a promising material with broad applications, reduced graphite oxide (rGO) hydrogels have attracted more and more great attention recently. However, most reports on rGO hydrogels focused on their applications, while the formation mechanism has not been paid enough attention. For the first time, we demonstrated the higher the ability of the solvents to form hydrogen bonds with the rGO sheets, the better the structural stability and properties of gel are. This study indicates that hydrogen bonding between solvent molecules and the oxygen-containing functional groups on rGO sheets is vital to achieve high-performance gels.