Efficient decoration of graphene oxide with a narrow size distribution of noble metal nanoparticles : green reduction and integration into a thermoelastic composite

Vella, Daniele (author), Vengust, Damjan (author), Umek, Polona (author), Rezaei, Ali (author), Jezeršek, Matija (author), Mrzel, Aleš (author)

We have developed a significantly enhanced method for the effective and homogeneous decoration of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (r-GO) flakes with gold (Au) and platinum (Pt) nanoparticles. This method involves the direct nucleation of nanoparticles on the surface of dispersed GO through a single-step reaction. By carefully controlling the stepwise introduction of gold and platinum complexes at elevated temperatures, without additional reducing agents, we successfully achieved a homogeneous distribution of Au and Pt nanoparticles, ∼ 20 nm and ∼ 3 nm in size, densely covering the GO sheets. The decoration yield in a mass ratio between Au and GO was up to 20 %. Reduced GO with attached gold and platinum nanoparticles was obtained using ascorbic acid as a reducing agent. Finally, we embedded Au-decorated r-GO in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form a composite. We show how this stable hybrid material composite can be spin-coated to form a thin thermoelastic film on a flexible substrate, enabling promising photoacoustic properties that could be exploited further in biomedical applications.

• Language: English
• Keywords: graphene oxide, decoration, nanoparticles, nanocomposites
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 10 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 313, art. 117894
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-169563
• UDC: 621.7+621.9
• ISSN on article: 1879-3290
• DOI: 10.1016/j.synthmet.2025.117894
• COBISS.SI-ID: 238129667
• Publication date in RUL: 04.06.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Synthetic metals
• Shortened title: Synth. met.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1879-3290
• COBISS.SI-ID: 175353347

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: grafenov oksid, nanodelci, nanokompoziti, oksidi

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: J7-50094
• Name: Piezofotonski kompoziti na osnovi dvodimenzionalnih materialov za ultrazvočno stimulacijo v bioloških sistemih (2D-UltraS)

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P2-0392
• Name: Optodinamika