Fast simple determination of nitrogen in reduced graphene oxide by pulse furnace heating combined with thermal conductivity detection technique

The fast accurately determining the contents of various elements in reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has long been the most important research topic in the field of analytical chemistry for a long time. In this study, a new method was developed for fast and simple determination of total nitrogen content in rGO via pulse furnace heating combined with a thermal conductivity detection technique. Two key parameters, extraction power and sample weight were optimized experimentally. A nitrogen release curve was obtained through pulse furnace heating combined with thermal conductivity detection. The quantification limit of nitrogen element was calculated based on the results of the multiple blank experiments, and the accuracy and precision of the new method were verified by measuring nitrogen contents in rGO samples. The accuracy of this method was verified through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and a CHNOS analyzer comparisons. This is the first study, in which pulse furnace heating combined with thermal conductivity detection was used to determine the total nitrogen content in rGO.