| Summary: | Graphene-based hydrogel had been formed by chemical reduction process of graphene
oxide using ascorbic acid as a reducing agent in this study. Oil adsorption capacity of the
hydrogels that were synthesized using different parameters, including type of graphene oxide
feedstocks (powder or flake graphite), concentration of graphene oxide used (2 mg/mL or 5
mg/mL), as well as the amount of ascorbic acid added into the graphene oxide (5 grams or 8
grams), had been evaluated in this work. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) results
showed that the oxygen-containing functional groups which were initially present in the
graphene oxide could be removed or reduced to form the 3-dimensional π-π interactions
hydrogel. In overall, hydrogel produced from flake graphene oxide with the use of higher
concentration of graphene oxide (5 mg/mL) and the lower amount of ascorbic acid (5 g), showed
the best performance in oil adsorption capacity. The hydrogel produced from these parameters
showed the highest adsorption capacity of 7.90 g of oil adsorb per g of hydrogel. This study has
provided useful information on the functional groups of graphene-based hydrogels in addition to
their oil adsorption capability.
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