Research progress in methods and mechanisms of chemical reduction graphene oxide

Abstract

The mass production of graphene sheets is a prerequisite for exploiting the applications of graphene. A major focus of experimental research has been concentrated on the development of effective approaches to produce well-defined graphene in large scale. Due to its high yield and cost efficiency, chemical reduction of graphene oxide has been proofed to be one of the most feasible approaches to achieve this goal. Graphene consists almost entirely of sp2 hybridized carbon atoms, while graphene oxide additionally contains sp3 regions, oxygen functional groups and structural defects. The fundamental understanding of the mechanism of chemical reduction of graphene oxide is a key issue when preparing graphene materials via graphene oxide precursor. Although dozens of methods have been exploited to facilitate the chemical reduction of graphene, only few studies were focused on the reduction mechanism.The chemical reduction strategies of graphene oxide, and as well as their mechanisms were reviewed in this paper. It was suggested that the core issue of the reduction is how to clarify the removal of hydroxyl groups and the simultaneous restoration of a conjugated structure.

Keywords

• graphene
• graphene oxide
• chemical reduction
• reduction mechanism