X-ray absorption spectroscopy of graphite oxide

¹  BK21 Physics Division, Center for Nanotubes and Nanostructured Composites, Sungkyunkwan Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University - Suwon 440-746, Korea
²  Department of Physics, Chonnam National University - Gwangju 500-757, Korea
³  Pohang Accelerator Laboratory & Department of Physics, POSTECH - Pohang 790-784, Korea

Corresponding authors: outron@gmail.com leeyoung@skku.edu

Received: 24 March 2008
Accepted: 5 May 2008

Abstract

We have investigated the electronic structure of graphite oxide using X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the carbon and oxygen K-edges. The unoccupied π^* and σ^* states associated with sp² hybridization in graphite, are also apparent in the graphite oxide, which indicates that it has a graphitic structure even though it experiences oxidation and annealing. Additional electronic states of the graphite oxide which are not present in its precursor, graphite, are ascribed to the functional groups such as epoxide, carboxyl, and hydroxyl groups.