Fabrication of free-standing graphene paper decorated with flower-like PbSe0.5S0.5 structures

We report a simple preparation procedure for free-standing and flexible rGO/PbSe0.5S0.5 paper. The fabrication process includes two steps: first, graphene oxide (GO) paper was obtained by vacuum-filtration of a GO dispersion through a membrane and then the GO paper was transformed to rGO paper by chemical reduction with HI. The second step includes formation of a rGO/PbSe0.5S0.5 hybrid paper electrode by one-pot electrodeposition of PbSe0.5S0.5 nanoparticles onto an rGO paper electrode from a solution containing saturated PbS and PbSe. The electrodeposition process is based on underpotential deposition of Pb2+, Se4+, and S2− electroactive species which are produced by the dissolution of both PbS and PbSe in the solution at 70 °C. For this purpose, the electrodeposition step was initially tested on Au(111) electrodes and then applied on an rGO paper electrode. Suitable constant electrodeposition potentials were determined as −300 and −450 mV on Au(111) and rGO paper electrodes, respectively. Characterization of the prepared samples has been performed using scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, electron dispersive spectroscopy, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, UV-vis-NIR, chronoamperometry, and cyclic voltammetry techniques.