The effect of melt blending on the interaction between graphene and polystyrene (PS) matrix has been investigated in this paper. The interaction between graphene and PS was significantly enhanced by melt blending, which led to an increased amount of PS-functional graphene (PSFG) exhibiting good solubility in some solvents. The PS chains on PSFG could effectively prevent the graphene sheets from aggregating and the prepared PS/PSFG composites exhibited a homogeneous dispersion and an improved electrical property. The mechanism of melt blending on this enhanced interaction was attributed to the formation of π-π stacking during the melt blending. Moreover, the formation of chemical bonding during melt blending may have also enhanced the interaction.

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We firstly report a facile approach to produce few-layered graphene sheets by low-temperature (130 C) exfoliation and reduction of graphite oxide under ambient atmosphere with the aid of HCl. The

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Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) functionalized graphene (f-G) was prepared by ultrasonication of pristine graphene (p-G) in a PVA aqueous solution. PVA macroradicals formed by sonochemical degradation of the PVA solution were successfully trapped by graphene and grafted onto its surface. This was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, atomic-force microscopy and 1 H NMR measurements. The content of PVA on graphene was estimated to be y35%. The f-G could be well dispersed in the PVA matrix by a simple solution mixing and casting procedure. Due to the effective load transfer between f-G and PVA matrix, the mechanical properties of the f-G/PVA films were significantly improved. Compared with the p-G/PVA films, a 12.6% increase in tensile strength and a 15.6% improvement of Young's modulus were achieved by addition of only 0.3 wt% f-G. Moreover, our simple ultrasonication technique could enable us to functionalize graphene with other polymers.

Graphene has recently gained revolutionary aspirations because of its remarkable electronic, thermal and mechanical properties. These unique properties make it promising for preparing multifunctional nanocomposites. In recent years, polymer foams based on graphene have also received increasing attention in both the scientific and industrial communities. This review presents an overview of polymer/graphene nanocomposite foams discussing the production of graphene, the polymer functionalization of graphene and different polymer/graphene foams with different properties. One of the most promising avenues is to fabricate tough and lightweight materials with superior electrical and electromagnetic interference shielding properties. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry

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