Preparation and Characterization of Thermally Reduced Graphene Oxide for Electronic Applications

Graphene and reduced graphene oxide act as promising materials in various applications, especially electronic applications. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was chemically synthesized using the improved Hummers method, followed by thermal reduction at 750°C in ambient air at a relatively rapid heating rate to obtain thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRGO). To characterize the TRGO sample, various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used. These techniques provided valuable insights into the structural, morphological, and chemical properties of these graphitic samples. A high-quality factor (Q) of 0.24 was calculated for the TRGO sample. The electrical conductivity of the prepared TRGO sample was investigated and found to be 7.788 S/cm, indicating favorable conductivity for electronic applications. Furthermore, the detectivity range and the optical energy band gap of the TRGO sample were measured, revealing an exceptionally high absorbance level in the near-infrared band and an energy band gap equal to 0.74 eV. This aligns well with the future application of the TRGO sample as an infrared (IR) detector based on reduced graphene oxide.