Structural and Optical Properties of Reduced Graphene Oxide

Abstract

A wide range of doped materials, including fluorescence, optical fibres, lasers, and heterojunction PV devices, have many uses for carbon-based materials due to their intriguing structural and optical characteristics. Graphene has a special character of high electron transfer rate, this attribute leads to structural modifications, enhancing the optical properties of various substances. Here, using a variety of characterisation approaches, we have evaluated the methods used to create graphene-based nanoparticles and emphasised their structural (X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)) and optical properties (UV–Visible spectroscopy). The structural and optical qualities of diverse materials are improved with an increase in the concentration of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The diffraction peak of rGO in the XRD diffraction pattern was virtually centred at 2θ = 26°, indicating the crystalline character of rGO. Additionally, as rGO concentration grows, existing grain boundaries in FESEM characterisation increases as a result of electron–hole recombination, and these GO nanoparticles also intensify the G and D bands in Raman spectra. It is obvious that altering the oxidation level of graphene, which can be demonstrated using the UV–Visible spectroscopic characterisation method, can result in significant control over the band gap. The increase in surface roughness of rGO doped material leads to an increase in surface area of rGO doped samples, making photon absorption easier and increasing the rate of light absorption, which is why the UV–Vis absorbance spectrum peak’s intensity rises at 255 nm. Because rGO can readily tune the band gap of the material, there have been a wide range of futuristic research opportunities due to the multiple applications based on its optical features.