GRAPHENE-POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITES: SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Graphene, a two-dimensional (2-D) monoatomic layer of sp2 hybridized carbons has received considerable attention due to its excellent thermal, optical, electrical and mechanical properties. However, graphene itself does not occur naturally. Many methods, such as mechanical exfoliation of graphite, chemical vapor deposition and reduction of graphene oxide (GO) have been reported for the preparation of high-quality graphene. Nevertheless, it is desirable to explore other low-cost and environmentally-friendly methods for the reduction of GO in bulk quantities. Reduced GO (RGO) has a tendency to agglomerate irreversibly through van der Waals and p-p stacking interactions. Accordingly, it is important to modify or functionalize RGO to improve its stability and dispersity (and thus processability). This research focused on the effective and mild means of reduction of GO nanosheets, as well as on the modification of obtained RGO nanosheets with functional polymers to improve their stability, dispersity and functions.