The aim of this paper is to prepare and characterize partially-oxidized graphite oxide and consider if it is possible to affect the level of oxidation of particles by an adjustment of the oxidizing agent. Several samples were prepared, using different amounts of oxidizing agent. The samples were subsequently analyzed. The C/O ratio was evaluated from XPS, EDS, and EA. The amount and type of individual oxygen functionalities were characterized by XPS, Raman spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The structure was studied by SEM and XRD. Thermal stability was investigated by STA-MS in argon atmosphere. The results can be useful in order to design simple technology for graphite oxide synthesis with required oxygen content.
Keywords: graphene derivatives; graphite oxide; modified Tour method; partial oxidation.