Quantitative real-time evaluation of c/o ratios and stepwise control of deoxidizationof graphene oxide using plasmonic-based electrochemical spectroscopy

Graphene oxide (GO) is composed of carbon and oxygen functional groups. It has been the subject of extensive research because these oxygen functional groups can be readily processed for various applications. A novel technique to deoxidize GO to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets to enable the stepwise control of surface oxygen content and maximize the quality of carbon-based composites at low cost is needed. This chapter introduces new technology using the electrochemical (EC) technique of cyclic voltammetry to reduce GO, and shows that surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology can be used to detect refractive index variations of dielectric materials near the metal surface while simultaneously using surface plasmon waves (SPWs) to detect the reduction of GO. It is important to understand the mechanisms of the atomic construction of GO surface oxygen-containing functional groups so that they can be developed in bulk for biosensor and opto electronic applications. Directions for future research in the field of rGO film-based composites include increasing the stability of the electrodes, improving charge carrier mobility, tuning the dielectric layer and its optical band-gap properties, enhancing the binding interaction to improve the sensitivity of biosensors using the film, and modulating the SP resonance energy.