Rapid microwave reduction of electrochemically-derived graphene oxide for high-crystalline graphene membranes

Abstract

Electrochemical oxidation of graphite has emerged as a sustainable and straightforward approach for the scalable synthesis of graphene oxide (GO). However, the reduction of electrochemically-derived GO (EGO) has received limited attention. Here, we present a rapid microwave reduction process specifically tailored for EGO, which exhibits distinct properties compared with chemically-derived GO (CGO). Unlike CGO membranes that require several minutes of microwave irradiation for reduction, EGO membranes can be transformed into high-crystalline graphene membranes (HCGM) in just 3 s, without pre-treatment or additional triggers. The resulting HCGM displays a significant aromatic domain size (∼100 nm), a high C/O atomic ratio (∼33), and impressive electrical conductivity (∼5 × 104 S m−1), surpassing previously reported microwave-reduced graphene. The remarkable efficiency of microwave reduction can be attributed to the unique molecular structure of EGO with abundant aromatic domains which enable efficient microwave absorption, inducing transient volumetric heating of EGO membranes. This study provides mechanistic insights into the microwave reduction process of GO and offers a facile and scalable pathway for HCGM production.[Figure not available: see fulltext.].