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One-step functionalization of graphene via Diels—Alder reaction for improvement of dispersibility

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Abstract

Good dispersibility of graphene in a medium or matrix is a critical issue in practical applications. In this work, graphene was functionalized using N-(4-hydroxyl phenyl) maleimide (4-HPM) via the Diels—Alder (DA) reaction by a one-step catalyst-free approach. The optimal reaction condition was found to be 90 °C for 12 h using dimethylformamide (DMF) as the solvent. FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, XPS and EDS proved that 4-HPM moieties were successfully grafted onto the surface of graphene. UV-vis and TGA confirmed that the grafting amount of 4-HPM was 3.75%–3.97% based on the mass of graphene. Functionalized graphene showed excellent dispersion stability when dispersed in common solvents such as ethanol, DMF, water, tetrahydrofuran and p-xylene. Meanwhile, functionalized graphene also exhibited pH sensitivity in aqueous due to the phenolic hydroxyls from the 4-HPM moieties. As a result of good dispersion stability and pH sensitivity, compared with graphene, functionalized graphene had better adsorption capacity for methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution.

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Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51573211) for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China

    Jinxing Zhang, Kexing Hu, Qi Ouyang, Qilin Gui & Xiaonong Chen

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  1. Jinxing Zhang
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  2. Kexing Hu
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  3. Qi Ouyang
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  4. Qilin Gui
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  5. Xiaonong Chen
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Correspondence to Qilin Gui or Xiaonong Chen.

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Zhang, J., Hu, K., Ouyang, Q. et al. One-step functionalization of graphene via Diels—Alder reaction for improvement of dispersibility. Front. Mater. Sci. 14, 198–210 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11706-020-0501-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11706-020-0501-0

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