Role of water oxidation in the photoreduction of graphene oxide†
Abstract
By means of a H218O labeling experiment in combination with mass spectrometry tracking, we studied GO photoreduction. Observation of 18O labeled O2 provides direct evidence to confirm that water oxidation occurs during GO photoreduction. In combination with DFT calculations, we propose a mechanism for O2 and CO2 evolution in the photoreduction of GO.