A team of physicists led by Dr Jonathan P. Rourke, University of Warwick Chemist, and Dr Neil Wilson, has been researching on the properties of graphene oxide.
While treating the Graphene Oxide with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to try to increase the functionality of the oxygen that consisted of groups until now believed to be bound to the grapheme, the scientists discovered that it impacted the process in a negative manner instead of in a positive manner. At high concentrations of NaOH, they found a black suspension.
The researchers found that a wash with a base can remove oxidative debris. Experiments revealed that oxidative debris formed nearly one quarter of the oxidized carbon nanotubes. The researchers thought that a similar process could occur in the Graphene Oxide they were studying.
On centrifuging the black debris the team found a heap of black powder that was actually Graphene Oxide that could have been soluble before the base had been applied but did not reveal any sign of being soluble in its present state. It was similar to graphene; and had sheets of electrically conducting carbon atoms, not similar to the insulating Graphene Oxide. The remaining fluid was also dried to leave a white powder that contained the oxidative debris or OD that consisted of tiny, low molecular weight compounds of less than 100 atoms. The Graphene Oxide formed 64% of the Graphene Oxide at the start of the process. The OD formed 30% of the weight of the original Graphene Oxide.
Source http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/