Achieving high-yield and scalable synthesis of ultrastable nano graphene oxide via photochemical defect engineering and oxidative cleavage

With the rapid development of graphene industry, high yield and sustainable synthesis of nano graphene oxide (nGO) has become more and more important for many applications such as composite materials, thermal management, energy storage and biomedical engineering. Although various top-down methods have been developed, their widespread industrial implementation is hindered by low efficiency, low yields and high consumption. Here, we report a highly efficient and scalable approach, coupling photochemical defect engineering and oxidative cleavage for the fragmentation of micron-sized GO into nGO flakes. We show that irradiation induces the formation of porous structure on the GO basal plane, which subsequently undergoes rapid fragmentation upon H ₂ O ₂ treatment. This method yields uniform nGO with lateral dimensions of 20–60 nm, featuring a sp²-hybridized carbon core surrounded by carboxylic acid-rich edge and exceptional stability, maintaining its structure and spectrum under 333 K ripening over 20 days or continuous solar irradiation more than 120 h. It also shows the resistance toward chemical reduction methods. Our process achieves a high conversion yield of ~ 84.8%, and its industrial viability is further demonstrated by a pilot-scale production line (550 tons of slurry or 5 tons of powder annually). This work provides a sustainable and efficient route for the large-scale production of high-performance nGO, paving the way for its next-generation application in graphene-based material.