in situformation of rGO quantum dots during GO reduction via interaction with citric acid in aqueous medium

Chemical methods represent an economical approach to the mass production of graphene. Their main drawback is the use of environmentally harmful reagents. This work describes a simple, green method to prepare reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets and rGO quantum dots (rGOQD) in a single step using citric acid (CA) as the reductant in aqueous medium at room temperature. The reduction level of the nanocomposite obtained depends strongly on the processing time; the sample treated for 24 h demonstrate significant reduction. It is found that CA not only reduces GO but also functionalizes it to produce well-stabilized rGO aqueous dispersions. Additionally, a mechanism for the reduction and functionalization of GO by CA is proposed.