Abstract:
In this work, the reducing power of three reductants: hydrazine (chemical), ascorbic acid (mild) and the extract of Ama ranthus hybridus (green) were investigated. Graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by modifed Hummer’s method and
was reduced by hydrazine (RGO-HZ), ascorbic acid (RGO-AA) and the extract of Amaranthus hybridus (RGO-AH). GO, RGO HZ, RGO-AA and RGO-AH were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron
microscopy and ultraviolet visible spectrometry. The FTIR spectra showed the presence of oxygen functionality groups
in GO which were reduced in all RGOs. The morphological properties showed that RGOs sheets were exfoliated forming
clusters with roughened surfaces while the optical energy band gaps of 2.19, 3.90, 3.60, and 3.20 eV were estimated
for GO, RGO-HZ, RGO-AA and RGO-AH respectively. It can be concluded that the three reductants demonstrated good
reducing capacities. The ascorbic acid and the extract of Amaranthus hybridus, apart from being environmentally friendly,
can also be good substitutes for the dangerous chemical hydrazine.
