Enhancing the Electrical Conductivity of Graphene Oxide Reduced by L-Ascorbic Acid via Microwave-Assisted Method

In the present work, L-Ascorbic Acid (LAA) has been employed as a green reducing agent for graphene oxide (GO) by simple and cost-effective microwave-assisted process. Complete GO reduction was achieved within 20 minutes using LAA and different radiation time on the low mode level of microwave radiation. The resulting sample was characterized by the four-point probe, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterizations. The SEM images of graphene oxide reduced (rGO) by LAA provides clear evidence for the formation of the sheets of graphene (rGO). The electrical conductivity of rGO was affected by time microwave radiation and the annealing process. The highest electrical conductivity of 3281 S/m was obtained at 20 minutes in low mode of microwave radiation. This conductivity still increased after annealing at a temperature of 300°C. By varying the heating duration, the optimum electrical conductivity was achieved up to 5910 S/m. Resulting in charge transfer resistance (Rct) value of 10.52 ohm from the sample rGO with low mode 20 minutes. The result presented here may pave the way for promising application in high energy storage system.