Acta Medica Okayama 0008-6223 49 4 2011 Exfoliated graphene sheets decorated with metal / metal oxide nanoparticles: simple preparation from cation exchanged graphite oxide 1118 1125 EN Kazuma Gotoh Taro Kinumoto Eiji Fujii Aki Yamamoto Hideki Hashimoto Takahiro Ohkubo Atsushi Itadani Yasushige Kuroda Hiroyuki Ishida We produced carbon hybrid materials of graphene sheets decorated with metal or metal oxide nanoparticles of gold, silver, copper, cobalt, or nickel from cation exchanged graphite oxide. Measurements using powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray absorption spectra revealed that the Au and Ag in the materials (Au-Gr and Ag-Gr) existed on graphene sheets as metal nanoparticles, whereas Cu and Co in the materials (Cu-Gr and Co-Gr) existed as a metal oxide. Most Ni particles in Ni-Gr were metal, but the surfaces of large particles were partly oxidized, producing a core-shell structure. The Ag-Gr sample showed a catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction in 1.0 M KOH aq. under an oxygen atmosphere. Ag-Gr is superior as a cathode in alkaline fuel cells, which should not be disturbed by the methanol cross-over problem from the anode. We established an effective approach to prepare a series of graphene-nanoparticle composite materials using heat treatment. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.