Studies on Optical Band Gap and Optical Conductivity of Ex-situ Fabricated rGO:V2O5 Composites

In this present study, Graphene oxide (GO) is synthesized by modified Hummer’s method. The GO formed is further used to prepare V2O5 embellished reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composites (rGO: V2O5) in varying ratios via an in-situ process. UV-Vis spectroscopy was employed to study optical properties such as band gap and optical conductivity of the composites and individual species. rGO synthesized was studied to have a narrow band gap of 1.93 eV, which was much lower than the metal oxide used. Thus, rGO enticing material is to be used to modify the band gap of the prepared composites, thus lowering the optical band gap to 1.32 eV for rGO: V2O5 (2:1) and enhancing the optical conductivity to 5.34×1010 S.cm-1. Characterization of the compound is done using various analytical techniques, including FTIR, SEM, XRD, and TGA. All these studies designate the successful fabrication of the required composites with specific properties. Thus, it is concluded from the study that rGO:V2O5 in 2:1 can be used as a potent material in optoelectronic applications.