Synthesis and Properties of Nitrogen and Iodine Co-Functionalized Graphene Oxide and Its Electrochemical Applications

Abstract

Nitrogen and iodine co-functionalized and reduced graphene (NI-rGO) is easily synthesized using hydrazine based reductants containing nitrogen and iodine atoms at a relatively low temperature. The reductant, 4-iodophenylhydrazine, can removes numerous oxygen functional groups bonded to graphene oxide and simultaneously functionalize the nitrogen and iodine atoms all over the basal planes and edge sites of the graphene oxide. NI-rGO exhibits superior electrochemical characteristics to those of graphene oxide. The functionalized heteroatoms with high electronegativity on graphene can be attributed to the improvement in activity for oxygen reduction reaction due to the electronic modifications of the graphene structure. The NI-rGO showed stable durability beyond 10,000 cycles.