Graphene oxide (GO) thick films were successfully fabricated on glass substrates using a simple and cost-effective screen-printing technique and systematically investigated for their morphological, structural and optical properties. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a crumpled, wrinkled, and flake-like morphology with loosely stacked GO sheets, forming a porous surface network. The specific surface area measured by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method was found to be 3.29 m²/g, indicating partial restacking of GO layers in the thick-film configuration. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirmed the presence of carbon and oxygen elements, verifying the successful formation of graphene oxide without detectable impurities. X-ray diffraction analysis showed a characteristic (001) diffraction peak of GO, consistent with JCPDS data, confirming the layered structure with expanded interlayer spacing. The average crystallite size, calculated using the Debye–Scherrer equation, was found to be 65.84 nm.Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed prominent oxygen-containing functional groups such as hydroxyl, epoxy, carbonyl, and alkoxy groups, confirming the oxidized nature of the GO films. UV–Visible absorption studies exhibited a strong absorption peak in the ultraviolet region attributed to π–π* transitions, along with a shoulder corresponding to n–π* transitions of C=O bonds. The optical band gap ~3.2–3.6 eV estimated using the Tauc method indicated the semiconducting nature of the GO thick films. The combined results demonstrate that screen-printed graphene oxide thick films possess suitable structural and optical characteristics for potential applications in optoelectronics, sensing, and energy-related devices.

Keywords: Graphene Oxide; Screen-Printing Technique; Optical Properties; BET Surface Area; Semiconducting Materials