ERIC Number: EJ1182209
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Jun
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Reduced Graphene Oxide Joins Graphene Oxide to Teach Undergraduate Students Core Chemistry and Nanotechnology Concepts
Kondratowicz, Izabela; Nadolska, Malgorzata; Z?elechowska, Kamila
Journal of Chemical Education, v95 n6 p1012-1017 Jun 2018
Novel carbon nanomaterials such as reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and graphene oxide (GO) can be easily incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum to discuss basic chemistry and nanotechnology concepts. This paper describes a laboratory experiment designed to study the differences between GO and rGO regarding their physicochemical properties (e.g., color, hydrophobicity, type of functional groups, electrical conductivity, etc.). In this course, students carry out the chemical reduction of GO using ascorbic acid, a mild and environmentally friendly reducing agent. The differences between GO and rGO can be spotted by the naked eye and can be further evaluated by spectroscopic methods, as Fourier transform infrared and UV-vis spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Simple and applicable in all laboratories, use of the multimeter to measure resistance was proposed to reveal the different electrical properties of GO and rGO. Moreover, the proposed laboratory experiment is an ideal pretext to discuss the definition of graphene in the context of the overuse of this term in the literature.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Undergraduate Study, College Science, Interdisciplinary Approach, Hands on Science, Spectroscopy, Molecular Structure, Technology, Science Experiments, Science Laboratories, Laboratory Experiments, Chemistry, Scientific Concepts
Division of Chemical Education, Inc and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A