Effects of Electron-Beam Irradiation on Graphene Oxide

Graphene oxide (GO) is a nanofilm composed of graphene with various oxygen functional groups attached. GO is of interest due to its unique mechanical-enhancement properties, its tunable electronic properties, and its potential use in the wide-scale production of graphene. Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are frequently used to characterize and study GO films. The purpose of this project was to study the effects of SEM-imaging on GO films. Using an SEM, we irradiated GO samples at electron beam-energies of 10, 20, and 30 keV (at a constant emission current of ~40 micro-amps) for times ranging from 15 minutes to one hour. Raman D- and G-band intensities were used to examine structural modifications/damage to GO samples as a function of beam energy and exposure time. The results suggest that imaging with a 30 keV electron beam for 30 minutes may lead to the formation of amorphous carbon, while imaging with 10 keV or 20 keV beams for 30 minutes does not have a significant effect on GO samples.