摘要
Graphene oxide (GO), an oxidized form of graphene, has attracted lots of attention due to its solution processability and chemical reactivity from its functional groups. GO is known as a promising flame retarding nano-additive in polymers. Interestingly, a local hot spot can trigger a rapid and self-propagating reaction to convert GO into a more stable form, reduced-GO (r-GO). However, the presence of potassium salt impurities causes catastrophic reduction (carbon combustion) of GO (r-GO) once these chemically modified graphene materials are triggered by a hot spot. The self-propagating reduction from GO solids is due to its highly energetic nature, suggesting that caution needs to be adopted against a possible fire hazard. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.