Effect of electric potential on the structure and yield of graphene oxide using electrochemical exfoliation method

Optimization of the electrochemical exfoliation of graphene oxide synthesis was investigated in this report using varying potentials. Graphite from waste lithium-ion batteries was used as the electrodes for the DC (direct current) electrochemical set-up. Electric potentials of 7.5 V, 12 V, and 15 V were applied for 225 minutes using 0.2M H2SO4 as the electrolyte. The characterization of the produced graphene oxide was done using Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) attached to the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results obtained showed that both the rate of graphene oxide yield and the C/O ratio increased correspondingly with the increase in electric potential. However, the structure of graphene oxide produced at 7.5 V was of superior quality compared to others produced at higher potentials with regards to the crystallite lattice characteristics such as defects, lateral dimensions, thickness, and the number of graphene layers. Consequently, tailor-made graphene oxide properties (and yield) for target applications may be achieved using the electrochemical exfoliation method via the choice of the electric potential.