  Graphene oxide (GO) is a nanofilm composed of graphene with various oxygen
functional groups attached. GO is of interest due to its unique
mechanical-enhancement properties, its tunable electronic properties, and its
potential use in the wide-scale production of graphene. Scanning electron
microscopes (SEMs) are frequently used to characterize and study GO films. The
purpose of this project was to study the effects of SEM-imaging on GO films.
Using an SEM, we irradiated GO samples at electron beam-energies of 10, 20, and
30 keV (at a constant emission current of ~40 micro-amps) for times ranging
from 15 minutes to one hour. Raman D- and G-band intensities were used to
examine structural modifications/damage to GO samples as a function of beam
energy and exposure time. The results suggest that imaging with a 30 keV
electron beam for 30 minutes may lead to the formation of amorphous carbon,
while imaging with 10 keV or 20 keV beams for 30 minutes does not have a
significant effect on GO samples.
