Reduction Expansion Synthesis as Strategy to Control Nitrogen Doping Level and Surface Area in Graphene
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Authors
Canty, Russell
Gonzalez, Edwin
MacDonald, Caleb
Osswald, Sebastian
Zea, Hugo
Luhrs, Claudia C.
Subjects
reduction-expansion-synthesis
nitrogen-doped graphene
nitrogen-doped graphene
Advisors
Date of Issue
2015-10-16
Date
October 16, 2015
Publisher
Language
Abstract
Graphene sheets doped with nitrogen were produced by the reduction-expansion (RES)
method utilizing graphite oxide (GO) and urea as precursor materials. The simultaneous graphene
generation and nitrogen insertion reactions are based on the fact that urea decomposes upon
heating to release reducing gases. The volatile byproducts perform two primary functions:
(i) promoting the reduction of the GO and (ii) providing the nitrogen to be inserted in situ as the
graphene structure is created. Samples with diverse urea/GO mass ratios were treated at 800 C
in inert atmosphere to generate graphene with diverse microstructural characteristics and levels
of nitrogen doping. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy
(TEM) were used to study the microstructural features of the products. The effects of doping on the
samples structure and surface area were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy,
and Brunauer Emmet Teller (BET). The GO and urea decomposition-reduction process as well as
nitrogen-doped graphene stability were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled with
mass spectroscopy (MS) analysis of the evolved gases. Results show that the proposed method
offers a high level of control over the amount of nitrogen inserted in the graphene and may be used
alternatively to control its surface area. To demonstrate the practical relevance of these findings,
as-produced samples were used as electrodes in supercapacitor and battery devices and compared
with conventional, thermally exfoliated graphene.
Type
Article
Description
The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma8105359
Series/Report No
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE)
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office
Funder
Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office
Format
11 p.
Citation
Canty, Russell, et al. "Reduction Expansion Synthesis as Strategy to Control Nitrogen Doping Level and Surface Area in Graphene." Materials 8.10 (2015): 7048-7058.
Distribution Statement
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.