Preface
Graphene oxide (GO), an individual layer from graphite oxide (GO) has been recognized as a versatile and valuable material only recently, despite studies on graphite oxide that extend back to the 1850s.“Expandable” graphite, typically prepared by intercalating graphite with oxidants such as sulfuric acid, is a valuable material such as for its strong expansion upon heating.Graphene can be considered a relative of graphene oxide (GO) or vice versa.Thousands of publications on fundamental research and applications have appeared in about the past 12-13 years, and this is in part because GO can be fairly readily prepared at the individual layer level. For example, while progress is being made, there is no method currently to exfoliate graphite to predominantly individual layers of graphene.GO has been explored for its potential use in electronics, energy storage, biomedicine, environmental protection, membranes, fabrics, compounds, fibers, and others.After partial removal of oxygen from GO, the carbon “backbone” recovers some features of graphene.The ability to obtain a high yield of single layer GO has thus motivated its conversion to “near-graphene” like individual layers, and the cost factor has motivated industry to be intensely interested in this approach.
It seems to be the case that thousands of companies primarily in Europe, East Asia, and North America, have been started or adopted GO-based products.GObased products are achieving, it seems, commercial success, and (annual) billiondollar level markets for individual products are likely, soon.
It is thus timely to have a well-structured and systematic overview of research done on GO, for scientists and engineers (including students as well as professionals) with an interest.The authors have significant experience both in fundamental R&D and in industrialization of GO materials.
This book starts by describing the basic chemistry related to graphene oxide including its preparation, characterization, and chemical modification, and then goes on to describe how GO is or has been assembled into complex structures or systems. Applications of interest to industry, such as composites with polymeric compounds, energy, biomedicine, water treatment, and photoelectric sensing, are covered next.
This comprehensive book will be of great use for Chinese readers as the readers can readily appreciate and learn more deeply about the major achievements in R&D of GO materials and trends.The 9 chapters in this book provide a “state-of-the-art” overview of R&D, and even now mature or nearly mature, applications.The chapters are well organized and each builds on the prior chapter, but individual chapters can also be read independently depending on the reader's interest.

Rodney S.Ruoff
Director, IBS Center for Multidimensional Carbon Materials
Distinguished Professor, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology



前言
尽管对石墨氧化物的研究可以追溯到大约150年以前,但是直到近些年人们才意识到,石墨氧化物是一类非常有用的材料:轻微氧化后得到可膨胀石墨,可进一步加工成诸多石墨制品;充分氧化得到氧化石墨,解理后可以制备氧化石墨烯或者经还原、改性后得到石墨烯及各种衍生物。在研究过程中,人们也逐渐认识到,对石墨进行氧化,不单可以使其层间膨胀从而便于解理,更是对石墨这一天然碳晶体材料进行结构和化学调控的重要手段;这一路径不但可用于得到各种石墨衍生物,还可成为化学家、材料学家等研究碳基结构和表面的有用“平台”。
随着石墨烯等二维材料引起巨大关注,过去十余年来针对氧化石墨的相关研究出现井喷,发表的论文和专利数以万计。石墨氧化法被认为是规模化制备石墨烯的主要方法之一,对于氧化石墨相关石墨烯的研究引起了工业界的密切关注。世界主要经济体都竞相制定政策,规划大量投入进行研究和开发,催生了众多从事石墨烯相关业务的企业,一些产品成功实现应用,规模化市场开始出现。然而,由于对于氧化石墨相关的研究涉及众多应用领域,在不同研究报道中因原料选择、制备方法、产品特性、评估方法、应用场景的不同,也会出现一些有争议的结果,甚至可能会对非专业人士和行业发展造成误导。
基于以上背景,本书从氧化石墨烯的化学基础开始,对氧化石墨烯相关材料的制备、表征和若干代表性应用进行了系统总结,重点在于突出能够实现特定应用的某些特性以及对这些应用效果的综述评价。本书的主要目的是为初次进入此领域的研究生和工程师们提供一个介绍,使之能对氧化石墨烯相关的基本概念、主要应用和相关技术进行全面了解。在此基础上进一步的研究和开发,还需要研究人员针对特定内容、参考相关文献进行更加仔细的阅读与分析。细心的读者大概已经看出,对这类材料的描述,在本文短短篇幅中已经出现了“石墨氧化物” “氧化石墨” “氧化石墨烯”等不同名称,可以看出这类材料体系中不同处理过程和特性带来的命名复杂性。由于“氧化石墨烯”一词通常用于表述氧化石墨解理后的单层薄片,并可进一步组装、复合或者还原得到多种石墨烯基材料,为方便起见,本书大部分地方以此统称从氧化石墨得到的相关石墨烯材料,仅在若干必要的地方明确加以区分。但是希望读者能够分辨上述名称的不同内涵。
本书的大部分作者兼具基础研究和产品开发经验,希望能够从更加实用的角度为氧化石墨烯类材料提供评述,并尽可能使本书为不具有相关专业背景的人员所理解。因此,虽然尽量努力保证本书的科学性,但在上述原则下难免会牺牲一点严格性。而且,关于氧化石墨烯的文献浩如烟海,且不断有新成果涌现,毫无疑问本书无法做到全部囊括。限于编者水平,书中不足之处还请读者批评指正。如有不同意见和其他建议,也欢迎共同探讨。

编者
2019年2月