Freshmen-Level Chemistry Solves the Solubility Mystery of Graphene Oxide Films
EVANSTON, IL - A Northwestern University-led team recently found the answer to a mysterious question that has puzzled the materials science community for years, and it came in the form of some surprisingly basic chemistry.
Like many scientists, Jiaxing Huang did not understand why graphene oxide (GO) films were highly stable in water. When submerged, the individual GO sheets become negatively charged and repel each other, which should cause membrane to disintegrate. But earlier papers noted that instead of disintegrating, the films stabilized.