Improvement of catalytic activity of graphene oxide by plasma treatment

A considerable enhancement of the catalytic activity of graphene oxide (GO) was achieved as a result of plasma treatment in a hydrogen glow discharge. The results obtained for the hydroisomerization of 1-octene, together with the catalyst characterization showed that plasma exposure leads to the formation of defects in the material and of surface acidic species. Optical emission spectroscopy diagnostics of the plasma revealed that the electron temperature and the dissociation of molecular hydrogen are important parameters that can be tuned for optimization of the treatment process.