Eco-efficient preparation of a N-doped graphene equivalent and its application to metal free selective oxidation reactionElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Detailed experimental procedure, catalyst preparation, catalyst characterization, catalytic result, comparative study, catalyst proposed mechanism and the supplementary results. See DOI: 10.1039/c4gc00049h

• Main Authors: Singh, Ajay K, Basavaraju, K. C, Sharma, Siddharth, Jang, Seungwook, Park, Chan Pil, Kim, Dong-Pyo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 26.05.2014
• ISSN: 1463-9262; 1463-9270
• DOI: 10.1039/c4gc00049h

Here, we demonstrate that graphene oxide (GO) can be converted to N-doped reduced GO (rGO) that could become a substitute for N-doped graphene. Simultaneous doping and reduction can be accomplished for this purpose by simply mixing GO with hydrazine and then continuously sonicating the solution at 65 °C. A high level of reduction is realized, as evidenced by a carbon to oxygen ratio of 20.7 that compares with the highest value of 15.3 ever reported in solution (water + hydrazine) methods. Nitrogen doping is possible up to 6.3 wt% and the extent of doping can be increased with increasing sonication time. Notably, the simple tuning process of N-doping in GO greatly enhanced the efficiency of the carbocatalyst for various kinds of metal free oxidation reactions and hence is proposed as a suitable candidate for future industrial applications. Here, we demonstrate that graphene oxide (GO) can be converted to N-doped reduced GO (rGO) that could become a substitute for N-doped graphene.