sp2/sp3 Carbon Ratio in Graphite Oxide with Different Preparation Times

Graphite oxide is an amorphous insulator. Although several models have been suggested, its structure remains controversial. To elucidate this issue, five samples were prepared by the Brodie process and the Staudenmaier process. The electronic structure of graphite oxide was examined with X-ray absorption near edge structure and the ratio of sp 2 to sp 3 bonded carbon atoms was investigated with X-ray photoemission spectroscopy as a function of sample preparation times. It was found that this ratio approaches 0.3 exponentially with a characteristic time of 1.5 weeks. We believe this long characteristic time is the reason the structure has remained unclear.