Characterization on the exfoliation degree of graphite oxide into graphene oxide by UV-visible spectroscopy

The exfoliation degree of graphite oxide into graphene oxide plays an important role in the massive production method of reduced graphene oxide. It is significant to find a simple and feasible method to analyze the exfoliation degree of graphite oxide. In the present work, graphite oxide was synthesized by a modified Hummers method, and then graphene oxide colloids were obtained by exfoliation of graphite oxide dispersed in de-ionized water. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to characterize the absorption of the graphene oxide colloids, and the concentration of graphene oxide colloids indicated by absorption area of UV-visible spectra was studied. Results show that there is a relatively stable relationship between them, indicating that UV-visible spectroscopy is a potential method for analyzing the exfoliation degree of graphite oxide into graphene oxide.