LAUSR

Abstract The applications of solution-exfoliated graphene oxide (GO) as an electrical/electrochemical conductor require rational design–based approaches. Herein, we show that reduced GO nanosheets with highly ordered or nanoporous structures can be fabricated by treatment of graphite oxide (GrO) having variable-oxidation-degree with hot KOH solution. As model systems, GrO powders fabricated by modified Brodie and Hummers methods (B-GrO and H-GrO, respectively) were exfoliated into GO in alkaline solutions (to afford B-KGO and H-KGO, respectively), followed by 2.5-h refluxing at 100 °C. Notably, B-KGO was exceptionally resistant to hot KOH solution, whereas H-KGO was partially reduced under these conditions, as confirmed by 13C solid-state NMR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses. Moreover, reduced B-KGO featured highly ordered structures, whereas reduced H-KGO contained nanopores resulting from low-temperature activation in KOH solution. These extraordinary reactions of KGO nanosheets were translated into different electrical properties of reduced KGO nanosheets and different rheological properties of the corresponding pastes.