Particle size effect on graphene nanoribbons with iron oxide nanoparticles

The particle size effect on nanocomposites made of reduced graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) and iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) is studied. Three nanocomposites with different particle size were prepared by chemical reduction of IONPs formed by the co-precipitation method on graphene oxide nanoribbons. Several experimental techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction determined the particle size distribution and crystalline phases present in the samples. The specific surface area (SSA) of the nanocomposites was measured and discussed with the mean size of the IONPs. Depending on the mean size and surface distribution of the IONPs, samples with high SSA can be achieved. Magnetic measurements indicated that the particle size affects the magnetic properties of the nanocomposites. These results were discussed considering the effect of particle size, defects, amount of particles and interaction between the IONPs and GNRs surface. The potential application of the samples as supercapacitors was evaluated by calculating their specific capacitance from cyclic voltammetry measurements. The results showed that the specific capacitance increases with the SSA. This work confirms that the size of the IONPs significantly affects the properties of the nanocomposites, specifically the SSA, which is of great interest for various applications.