Raman Signatures of Single Layer Graphene Dispersed in Degassed Water, “‘Eau de Graphene”’

We report a detailed Raman study of single layergraphene dispersed in degassed water without additives (SLGiw), so-called “‘eau de graphene”’ (EdG).23 The most characteristic signature of SLGiw is a narrow (28 ± 2 cm−1) and symmetric 2D band. The intensity of the D band is dominated by the contribution of sp3 defects due to slight functionalization of the basal-planes. The density of defects is estimated in the range 200-650 ppm by studying thin films prepared from EdG. These defects can be fully and easily cured by annealing the films at 800 °C. The position of the G and 2D bands, blue-shifted with respect to pristine SLG, are assigned to moderate biaxial compressive strain (≈0.09 ± 0.02%) and likely weak n doping (