Combustion Elemental Analysis

Flake Graphene Research Group is involved in the production of graphene-related materials, commercially available under G-Flake® brand. In order to ensure the reproducibility of the offered materials’ properties, production control, and enhance our scientific skills, tools for adequate characterization of the chemical composition of our materials are necessary. That’s why today’s post is dedicated to combustion elemental analysis.

Elemental analysis of solid materials via combustion is a method that enables the examination of the chemical composition of the studied material, broken down into the weight percentage of individual atoms (C, H, N, S, O). In our group working at Łukasiewicz – Institute of Microelectronics and Photonics, this method allows us to investigate the degree of oxidation (or, in other words, the oxygen content) of G-Flake® materials. It helps us differentiate between graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), for example. Additionally, we can determine the amount of other pollutants based on the detected nitrogen and sulfur content, which is crucial for certain graphene applications.

The method involves the combustion of the sample at high temperatures (800-1500°C, depending on the apparatus) to convert it into oxides (such as H2O, NOx, COx) in the gas phase. The quantity of produced oxides is then measured using appropriate sensors and calculated to obtain specific outputs. Results can be obtained within a few minutes with an accuracy of 0.01 wt%.