Preparation of polymer decorated graphene oxide by γ-ray induced graft polymerization

Abstract

Herein, we report a facile approach to decorate graphene oxide (GO) sheets with poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) by γ-ray irradiation-induced graft polymerization. The content of PVAc in the obtained sample, i.e., PVAc grafted GO (GO-g-PVAc) is calculated by the loss weight in thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) curves. A GO-g-PVAc sample with a degree of grafting (DG) of 28.5% was well dispersed in common organic solvents and the dispersions obtained were extremely stable at room temperature without any aggregation, even after standing for 2 months. The excellent dispersibility and stability of GO-g-PVAc in common organic solvents are readily rationalized in terms of the full coverage of PVAc chains and solvated layer formation on graphene oxide sheets surface, which weakens the interlaminar attraction of GO sheets. This approach presents a facile route for the preparation of dispersible GO and shows great potential in the preparation of graphene-based composites by solution-processes.

Building up Graphene-Based Conductive Polymer Composite Thin Films Using Reduced Graphene Oxide Prepared byγ-Ray Irradiation

“…As reported in our previous work, γ -ray induced reduction is a very effective method for the preparation of RGO in solutions [17]. Here, we confirmed the reduction by UV-Vis spectra, FT-IR spectra, and XPS analysis.…”

“…GO was synthesized from the commercial graphite power by a modified Hummer's method as previously reported [17]. First, the GO is dispersed in Milli-Q water by ultrasonication.…”

Tuning the grade of graphene: Gamma ray irradiation of free-standing graphene oxide films in gaseous phase

“…Alternative non-invasive functionalization routes, such as hard X-ray lithography, were previously shown to lead to effective and specific functionalization of thick arrays of carbon nanotubes by interfering with the surface electronic density of the graphitic walls in air, which lead to the formation of highly crystalline, but yet hydrophilic nanotubes [27]. Recently, radiation chemistry by gamma ray irradiation, a simple and efficient strategy to uniformly induce chemical reactions in solutions via production of reactive radicals [27,28] has been used to reduce GO suspended either in aqueous solution or organic solvents [29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. Radicals, such as ethoxy or hydronium [36,37] generated across the solvent act as reducing agents against oxygen functional groups present on the GO surface.…”

Electrical Switchability and Dry-Wash Durability of Conductive Textiles

“…It is known that the modification of polymer substrates by grafting is a strong approach in the fabrication of stable functional materials owing to the covalent bonding achieved between the functional moieties and the substrates23242526. In our previous work, we successfully fabricated novel superhydrophobic fabrics272829, antibacterial fabrics3031, and self-cleaning fabrics32 with excellent washing durability and abrasion resistance via gamma ray irradiation-induced graft polymerization of functional monomers and components.…”