Temporary Setbacks

Unfortunately, this week has been a little slower compared to the previous two weeks. The isolation of graphene oxide is challenging and this compound is not very cooperative. I went through several rounds of heating and drying, but graphene oxide retains moisture really well regardless of the solvent making it difficult to work with and manipulate. After heating and drying the sample overnight, GO was dry and stuck to the walls of the container. I had to spend quite a bit of time scraping the walls of the container with a spatula. The good news is that enough GO was produced for several uses and that I should not have to repeat the synthesis.

After this is accomplished, GO will be reduced using hydrazine and ammonia. This will remove oxygen-containing functional groups from the surface of GO. With a quick search on the web, I found that hydrazine is known for being a strong reducing agent and is also a common component of rocket fuel. Hydrazine is highly toxic and will react in the presence of metals, releasing heat up to 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Rocket

It is crazy that the program is almost half over. Each day here in El Paso seems to go by faster than the day prior. I also paid for a membership to the recreation center so that I can workout a couple times a week. I have been hanging out with my coworkers and the other intern, Sophia, quite a bit in my free time. I had the opportunity to take a ride on scenic drive over the weekend (pictured below). Not having a car limits my exploration, but I am thankful that all of the essentials are within walking distance. Since I have been here, my use of the Uber app has reached unprecedented heights.

Scenic Drive

I know some other bloggers have mentioned it, but I definitely recommend taking in as many experiences as possible during the internship (both in and out of the lab). I have realized that this internship offers so much more than raw knowledge from another lab. This internship has given us all the opportunity to travel to a new place alone and essentially fend for ourselves. While it is vital to have minds that are well versed in science, I think it is equally important to be able to adapt to new environments. I encourage my fellow NEWT interns to step out of their comfort zone and embrace everything that this summer program has to offer.

Perspective

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