ABSTRACT
Graphene oxide (GO) is a single-atom-thick two-dimensional (2D) layered material, produced by the oxidation of graphite. In contrast to pristine graphite and graphene, carbon atoms in GO are heavily oxygenated. The presence of oxygen functional groups makes GO sheets strongly hydrophilic. A promising application of GO is to make composites, for example, with metal nanoparticles (NPs), for improved function by concerto effects. The oxygen functional groups and defects on the GO surface could provide NP nucleation sites. In this manner, GO acts as a support material for metal NPs. In this chapter, we describe the tunable synthetic method of GO, preparation methods of metal-GO composites, and applications as catalysts in several organic reactions.
