Graphene Oxide (GO) occupies a unique paradox in materials science: though discovered over 160 years ago [1], it remains one of our most promising frontiers for a sustainable future. However, unlocking its true potential hinges on our ability to precisely manipulate its structure. This talk presents innovative, bespoke approaches to tailoring the microstructure and physicochemical properties of reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) to meet the rigorous demands of next-generation green technologies. We will explore three distinct, cutting-edge thermochemical engineering strategies that transform ordinary GO into high-performance, functionalized architectures:
- Rapid Annealing for Advanced Energy Storage: Traditional graphene restacking often chokes ion transport in energy storage devices. To bypass this, we introduce a rapid thermal annealing process that coaxes flat GO sheets into highly curved, "turbostratic" graphene crystallites. This structural geometry creates open, interconnected nanochannels, vastly improving the material's capacity to store and rapidly discharge ions, a critical breakthrough for next-generation supercapacitors and batteries. [2]
- Combustion-Driven Doping for Printed Electronics: By harnessing the intrinsic energy of combustion from selected amines, we demonstrate a single-step, highly efficient reaction. This localized energy implosion simultaneously accelerates the graphitization of the carbon lattice while seamlessly promoting the in-situ doping of Nitrogen. The resulting highly conductive, nitrogen-doped rGO serves as the foundation for high-resolution printable inks, designed for wireless, chipless RFID sensing technologies. [3,4]
- Low-Temperature Esterification for Selective Membranes: For water purification and resource recovery, precision is everything. We discuss low-temperature and UV-assisted esterification reactions of GO using intercalating amines and macrocyclic cyclodextrin molecules. This gentle chemical tailoring acts as affinity-based transport regulators, creating highly controlled, sub-nanometer "smart gates" within the membranes that impart exceptional selectivity for targeted transport and molecular separation. [5,6]
Ultimately, these diverse processing pathways prove that GO is not a monolithic material, but an adaptable canvas. By engineering the nanoscale features of rGO through customized thermochemical interventions, we can bridge the gap between historic carbon chemistry and the scalable, sustainable technologies of tomorrow.
[1] Brodie, B. C. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 149, 249-259 (1859).
[2] Jovanovic et al., Nature Communications volume 16, Article number: 8271 (2025)
[3] Oluwole et al., npj 2D Materials and Applications volume 9, Article number: 52 (2025)
[4] Mohonta et al. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2026,18,26800−26811
[5] Vilayatteri et al., Nano Lett. 2025, 25,15322−15330
[6] Mahofa et al., ACS Nano, 2025,19,14742−14755