One of the most important differences between GO and rGO is the electrical
conductivity. GO is an insulating or semi-conducting material whereas rGO has excellent
electrical conductivity. RGO is almost as good as pristine graphene.
The inter layer spacing in Graphite is 0.335 nm. In RGO it is 0.335–0.4 nm (rGO) and in
GO it is 0.77–0.9 nm (GO). Ther interlayer spacing in GO increase with humidity. The rGO
reduced using NaBH4 shows considerably large flake diameter of the smallest thickness
and average number of graphene layers.

SEM images of GO layers and rGO layers.
IR of GO and RGO
FTIR

The composite is synthesized under uncommonly extreme condition, which provides dual
interactions on polysulfides and Li ion to improve Li-S batteries (IMAGE)

The graphene oxide (GO) is spontaneously turned into the reduced graphene oxide (rGO)
by the reactions with N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan under 1 Pa and -50 ℃. The integrated
N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan (CC) not only functions as a binder to connect reduced
graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets in two-dimension for suppressing the shuttle effect of
lithium polysulfides via physical barrier effect, but also provides abundant active sites by
its heteroatoms with lone pair electrons for repelling polysulfide anions and accelerating
lithium-ion transportation. Since the manufacturing process of the laminar N,O-
carboxymethyl chitosan-reduced graphene oxide (CC-rGO) composite is green and
therefore it is also promising to be applied on large scale for high-performance Li-S
batteries.

When electrically insulating GO is reduced, formed reduced graphene oxide resembles
graphene but contains residual oxygen and other heteroatoms as well as structural
defects.
Nanocomposites of rGO have been used in lithium ion batteries. Electrically insulating
metal oxide nanoparticles were adsorbed onto rGO to increase the performance highly
insulating nano materials in batteries. The energy storage capacity and cycle stability was
shown to increase for Fe3O4 on rGO versus pure Fe3O4 or Fe2O3. High surface area rGO has
been prepared using microwaves synthesis. The high surface area rGO formed is useful as
an energy storage material in supercapacitors.
Graphene oxide is comprised of a single layer graphene sheet, covalently bonded to
oxygen functional groups on the basal planes and edges of the sheet. On the basal planes,
there are both hydroxyl and epoxy groups; the edges can include carboxyl, carbonyl,
phenol, lactone, and quinone groups. These oxygenated functional groups bind covalently
with the carbon atoms in GO, creating oxidized regions of sp3- hybridized carbon atoms
that disrupt the non-oxidized regions of the original sp2 honeycomb network. Graphene
sheets alone have limited solubility in water due to the strong π-π bonds between layers.

The functional groups present on GO are polar, making it very hydrophilic and water-
soluble, which is important for processing and chemical derivatization. On the other hand,
these oxygen-based functional groups can degrade the electronic, mechanical, and
electrochemical properties of GO by creating significant structural defects, reducing
electrical conductivity, and potentially limiting its direct application in batteries, supercaps
and Fuel cells. However, GO can instead be functionalized by partially reducing it to rGO
with various chemical or thermal treatments, in order to facilitate the transport of carriers.
This chemical modification decreases its resistance by several orders of magnitude and
transforms the material into a graphene-like material.
GO/rGO as Energy Storage Device
GO and rGO have an extremely high surface area; therefore, these materials are
considered for usage as electrode materials in batteries and double-layered capacitors, as
well as fuel cells and solar cells (Zhu). Production of GO can be easily scaled-up compared
with other graphene materials, and therefore it may soon be used for energy-related
purposes. Its ability to store hydrogen may, in the future, prove very useful for the storage
of hydrogen fuel cells. Nanocomposites of GO/rGO can also be used for high-capacity
energy storage in lithium ion batteries. In batteries, electrically insulating Titanium oxide,
Iron phosphate nanoparticles were adsorbed onto rGO to increase the performance of
these materials in batteries