Micromechanical properties of intercalated compounds of graphite oxide with dodecahydro-closо-dodecaboric acid

Abstract

The micromechanical properties (Young’s modulus, deformation, and adhesion) of the intercalated compound of graphite oxide with dodecahydro-closo-dodecaboric acid were studied by atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy and compared with the same characteristics of the starting graphite oxide. The significant difference in the micromechanical properties of the materials under study is dictated by differences in the topography and properties of their film surface, which, in turn, can be determined by their chemical composition. The introduction of dodecahydro-closo-dodecaboric acid in the interplanar space of graphite oxide affects the structuring of the latter. A considerable increase in the adhesion of the intercalated compound relative to that of oxide graphite is explained by high adhesive properties of the introduced acid, the Young’s modulus of graphite oxide being higher than that of the intercalated compound. This was attributed to the high hydrophilicity of dodecahydro-closo-dodecaboric acid and the difficulty of water removal from the interplanar space; water plasticizes the material, which becomes softer than graphite oxide. The difference in the structure of the coating of the intercalated compounds and the starting graphite oxide was found to be also reflected by their Raman spectra, namely, by the increased intensity of the D line with the preserved position of the G line, which points to the impurity nature of the intercalate and the unchanged hexagonal lattice of graphite.