Free-Standing Reduced Graphene Oxide Paper with High Electrical Conductivity

With high carrier mobility and low cost, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) shows bright prospects for use in the field of thermoelectric materials. To investigate the intrinsic thermoelectric properties of RGO sheets, we prepared RGO papers which were reduced by HBr solution for 5 min, 20 min, and 60 min, respectively. Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and Raman analysis showed that the conjugated carbon network of graphene oxide (GO) was restored during the reduction process and the thermal stability of the RGO papers was much better than that of GO paper. The RGO paper that was reduced for 60 min and then annealed in Ar/H2 atmosphere exhibited the highest electrical conductivity of 3.22 × 105 S/m at 160°C. As the reduction degree of the RGO paper deepens, the Seebeck coefficient gradually transforms from positive to negative, indicating that the conduction type of RGO paper can be controlled by regulating the reduction degree.