Study of properties of graphene oxide nanoparticles obtained by laser ablation from banana, mango, and tangerine peels

The physical and chemical properties of graphene oxide nanoparticles (GONs) obtained by laser ablation from banana, mango, and tangerine were studied in this work. To obtain the GONs low laser power were used. The GONs showed different chemical and physical properties depending from the peel used as source. Scanning electron microscopy characterization showed that the size of the GONs depends on the peel used to obtain them. The characterization obtained by energy dispersive spectroscopy showed that GONs are mainly composed of carbon and oxygen. The morphological analysis was realized through transmission electron microscopy and the formation of graphene was observed. Selected area electron diffraction patterns were used to study the crystallinity of the GONs obtained. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shows the chemical changes among the GONs obtained from the different peels used as source. Raman spectra demonstrate the obtention of GONs and their defect densities were estimated. The X-ray patterns suggest that the samples obtained are composed of different carbon structures. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy shows that the GONs has different absorptions bands related to the peels used as source. Photoluminescence analysis demonstrate that the GONs obtained from all peels has luminescent properties, those obtained from mandarin shows the greater intensity. The main emission was observed at 496 nm and is related to the characteristic graphene oxide. The electrical conductivity analysis demonstrated that only the GONs obtained from banana peels can show an enhancement in the conductivity of fluids. The results demonstrated that the nanoparticles obtained in this work can be used in the development of optoelectronic devices.