Single-step, single-precursor synthesis
of nitrogen-doped graphene
oxide (N-GO) was demonstrated in this work. By choosing aniline as
the sole source of carbon and nitrogen, N-GO films were fabricated
using microwave plasma at a power as low as 80 W in atmospheric conditions.
The aniline vapor dissociated under plasma formed islands of N-GO
nanosheets on the substrates or walls of the quartz deposition chamber.
The interplanar spacing in the pristine N-GO films was observed to
be lower than that of GO films, which indicated a lower concentration
of oxygen and other species present in the space between the N-GO
layers. The as-fabricated N-GO demonstrated superior antiscaling and
algicidal properties that are deemed imperative for water purification
applications.
Graphene is a highly sought-after material for a wide range of applications, particularly in areas such as energy harvesting and storage, electronics, electrochemical sensors, biomedical, composites, and coatings. The synthesis of high-quality graphene is a precondition for its real-time application. However, conventional synthesis methods have certain drawbacks including laborious procedures and structural defects in graphene nanosheets. Plasma-based synthesis techniques such as plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and atmospheric pressure microwave plasma are high-tech synthesis practices that can produce graphene without any solvents in a few seconds. This article reviews these state-of-the-art techniques emphasizing mainly their process parameters for the synthesis of high-grade graphene, which is defect-free, and comprises mono to few layers, great carrier mobility, and high purity. The applications of as-synthesized graphene in various fields are also provided. Moreover, the potential breakthroughs and the prospect of these techniques are also discussed in this work.
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