Covalent Functionalization of Graphene Oxide- Characterization and Its Electrochemical Performance for Supercapacitor

Abstract

There has been a remarkable advancement in graphene research since the famous discovery in 2004. Research on graphene has revealed huge theoretical and practical advantages such as large surface area, excellent conductivity, very good capacitance and relatively low production cost. Graphene, simply a single layer of carbon atoms, is progressively making its room into a wide range of applications, from nano-composites to biosensors to supercapacitors to flexible/transparent displays. Graphene oxide (GO), a derivative of graphene has proved a feasible route to the accessibility of graphene through chemical ex-foliation process. In the present work, graphene oxide was synthesized through chemical ex-foliation process from graphite flakes. GO was further covalently functionalized with Levofloxacin (LOF) by Steglich esterification reaction. Herein, we describe a method for the chemical functionalization and insitu reduction of graphene oxide by LOF. GO was reduced and remained well dispersed after reduction in the solution even after 6 months. The functionalized and reduced GO was characterized through range of analytical techniques. Functionalized GO was further used as a supercapacitor (SC) electrode material and its electrochemical behavior was compared with GO and reported. Capacitance of functionalized GO was found to be four times the capacitance of GO, indicating significantly enhanced electrochemical performance of functionalized GO as compared to pure GO.