Mass spectrometry of laser reduced graphene oxide in vacuum

Graphene oxide (GO) foils were irradiated in high vacuum using an ns pulsed laser operating at 1064 nm and different fluences. Laser irradiation generates plasma and promotes the emission of carbon atoms and molecules, functional groups of oxygen, and absorbed gases, generating a surface GO reduction. The emitted particles have been monitored through a high-sensitivity mass quadrupole spectrometer operating between 1 amu and 300 amu. The produced laser irradiation was investigated using low fluences, as well as the generated plasma. The pristine and laser-irradiated GO were analyzed using different analysis techniques: Optical spectroscopy, time-of-flight measurements and mass spectrometry. The results obtained in previous experiments using other types of analyses were also cited. Results demonstrated that under laser-irradiation graphene oxide loses different functional groups of oxygen becoming richer in sp2 hybridized carbon content, enhancing its carbon content, and becoming more electrically conductive.