N-acetyl cysteine | Ricerc@Sapienza

Biocompatible N-acetyl cysteine reduces graphene oxide and persists at the surface as a green radical scavenger

We demonstrate that N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) reduces graphene oxide (GO) at room temperature. This represents a new green method to produce reduced GO (rGO). NAC adheres to the rGO surface as demonstrated by several spectroscopy techniques and avoids GO-mediated oxidation of glutathione. This method offers new opportunities for the production of green biocompatible rGO and NAC-based therapies. © 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

A compared experimental and theoretical study of the mechanism of graphene oxide mild reduction by ascorbic acid and N-acetyl cysteine for biomedical applications

A first comparison of the behavior of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and ascorbic acid (H2A) towards reduction of graphene oxide (GO) is reported, along with the novel proposition of the associated reaction mechanisms. NAC and H2A are green multi-valent reducing agents, which lead to a mild and biocompatible chemical reduction of oxygenated functional groups in GO. Such reduction has been demonstrated to significantly improve the suitability of GO as a substrate in biomedical applications.