Expanding graphene properties by a simple S-doping methodology based on cold CS2 plasma

Abstract

For the first time, graphene has been successfully doped with sulfur via short exposition to CS2 microwave cold plasmas, avoiding high-temperature and time/chemicals-consuming treatments. Different S-doped samples were obtained by varying the duration of plasma treatments, reaching a remarkable 2.3 at % of S content after only 5 min of exposition. The S-doped graphenes present several sulfur containing moieties, among which thioether groups resulted to be predominant. These moieties are covalently bond to graphene layers and exhibit good thermal and water stability. In addition, unlike others more conventional methods, S-doping via CS2 plasmas do not damage the structural order of graphene. The influence of sulfur doping on the graphene properties has been assessed through two different tests: on one side, the capture of Pd2+ ions in aqueous solution, and on the other, the electrocatalytic activity towards the production of oxygen from water (OER process). In both cases, the performance of the pristine graphene was significantly enhanced with S-doping. In addition, the capture of Pd2+ allows the formation of sulfur-Pd nanoclusters supported on the graphene surface, which are very useful in electrochemical devices.