Fast and Simple Reduction of Graphene Oxide in Various Organic Solvents Using Microwave Irradiation

The fabrication of graphene has been widely studied and chemical reduction is considered the most suitable approach to achieve large-scale production and graphene functionalization due to its versatility of chemical routes. We report here a fast and simple reduction of graphene oxide in various organic solvents using microwave irradiation. The reduction can be completed in several minutes, and the oxygen content and conductivity (10,000 S/m) of the reduced graphene oxide were comparable to the previously reported results which reported between 1 hr and 24 hrs for the reduction. We also found that an amide group containing a solvent like NMP or DMF reduced graphene oxide (GO) more effectively than did other solvents. Further, free radicals generated from NMP significantly enhanced deoxygenation of graphene oxide. Moreover, this approach is a non-toxic and environmentally-friendly method to obtain highly conductive reduced GO for a wide range of applications including graphene-based composites, batteries, and electrodes for super-capacitors.