(393as) Preparation of Au Nanoparticles Decorated Graphene Sheet

Recently, graphenes functionalized with metal nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted great interest because of their potential properties. In particular, many researchers are interested in Au-NP-hybridized graphene sheets that show electrical properties, Raman scattering signal, catalytic behavior, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). In this study, we successfully synthesized Au-NP-decorated graphene sheets (AuN-GrS) by using phytochemicals as reducing agents at room temperature. The synthesis reaction occurred in two steps: the first step was the intercalation of Au ions in graphene flake multilayers and the second step was the reduction of Au ions, resulting in the conversion of Au NPs in the graphene layers, accompanied by a simultaneous exfoliation process. The physiochemical properties of AuN-GrS were characterized by TEM, SEM, UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD, and a semiconductor parameter analyzer. It was observed that Au NPs were well dispersed on the graphene layers. In addition, the electrical conductivity of AuN-GrS was enhanced. Therefore, this novel synthesis route for AuN-GrS by using phytochemical reducing agents may be effectively exploited for non-thermal-assisted reactions and one-pot processes.