The effect of NaOH and HCl on the stability of the carbon framework in graphene oxide (GO) after substitution or etherification reaction in GO is demonstrated at 10 °C and 40 °C, respectively. Our results allow the preparation of functionalized GO based architectures with an intact σ-framework of carbon atoms.

Graphite sulphate is utilized as a precursor to single layers of graphene with an average density of defects of 0.06%.

We present the first example of azide functionalization on the surface of graphene oxide (GO), which preserves thermally unstable groups in GO through the mild reaction with sodium azide in solids. Experimental evidence, by ¹⁵N solid-state NMR and other spectroscopic methods, indicates the substitution of organosulfate with azide anions as the reaction mechanism.