Graphene, a new material with various advantageous properties, has been actively used in various fields in recent years. Applications of graphene oxide are increasing in combination with other materials due to the different properties of graphene oxide, depending on the number of single and multiple layers of graphene. In this study, single-layer graphene oxide and multi-layer graphene oxide are spray coated on polystyrene, and the physicochemical properties of the coated surfaces are characterized using SEM, Raman spectroscopy, AFM, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and contact angle measurements. In singlelayer graphene oxide, particles of 20 μm are observed, whereas a 2D peak is less often observed, and the difference in surface height increases according to the amount of graphene oxide. Adhesion increases with an increase in graphene oxide up to 0.375 mg, but decreases at 0.75 mg. In multi-layer graphene oxide, particles of 5 μm are observed, as well as a 2D peak. According to the amount of graphene oxide, the height difference of the surface increases and the adhesive strength decreases. Both materials are hydrophilic, but single-layer graphene oxide has a hydrophilicity higher than that of multi-layer graphene oxide. We believe that multi-layer graphene oxide and single-layer graphene oxide can be implemented based on the characteristics that make them suitable for application.
Successful application of graphene requires development of various tools for its chemical modification. In this paper, we present a Raman spectroscopic investigation of the effects of UV light on single layer graphene with and without the presence of O2 molecules. The UV emission from a low pressure Hg lamp photolyzes O2 molecules into O atoms, which are known to form epoxy on the basal plane of graphene. The resulting surface epoxy groups were identified by the disorder-related Raman D band. It was also found that adhesive residues present in the graphene samples prepared by micro-mechanical exfoliation using adhesive tape severely interfere with the O atom reaction with graphene. The UV-induced reaction was also successfully applied to chemical vapor deposition-grown graphene. Since the current method can be readily carried out in ambient air only with UV light, it will be useful in modifying the surfaces of graphene and related materials.