Mg-assisted reduced graphene oxide fabrication under microwave irradiation of a natural source of carbon

Chemical reduction of graphene oxide to form reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is a long process that needs time and energy. In this work, we present a facile one-step method to produce rGO using a domestic microwave oven for 2 min. The chemical composition is studied by X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Raman and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) that confirm the formation of rGO. They reveal also the benifit effect of MgCl2 addition towards the rGO formation. Different amounts of MgCl2 are added to polyethylene glycol (PEG) and a natural source of carbon (glucose) is used to form rGO. The rGO yield is successfully enhanced by addition of MgCl2 low concentration. The oxygen concentration decreases with Mg addition which means that Mg atoms replaced oxygen or simply adsorbed at the edge sites. Moreover, carbon concentration increases with MgCl2 addition, which means that Mg acts as an activator of rGO formation. At high MgCl2 concentration, Mg(OH)2-rGO is formed and has a lot of applications.