Functionalized single graphene sheets derived from splitting graphite oxide
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FunctionalizedSingleGrapheneSheetsDerivedfromSplittingGraphiteOxide
HannesC.Schniepp,†Je-LuenLi,‡MichaelJ.McAllister,†HiroakiSai,†
MargaritaHerrera-Alonso,†DouglasH.Adamson,§RobertK.Prud’homme,†RobertoCar,‡
DudleyA.Saville,†andIlhanA.Aksay*,†
DepartmentofChemicalEngineering,DepartmentofChemistry,andPrincetonInstitutefortheScienceand
TechnologyofMaterials(PRISM),PrincetonUniVersity,Princeton,NewJersey08544
ReceiVed:February13,2006;InFinalForm:March16,2006
Aprocessisdescribedtoproducesinglesheetsoffunctionalizedgraphenethroughthermalexfoliationof
graphiteoxide.Theprocessyieldsawrinkledsheetstructureresultingfromreactionsitesinvolvedinoxidation
andreductionprocesses.Thetopologicalfeaturesofsinglesheets,asmeasuredbyatomicforcemicroscopy,
closelymatchpredictionsoffirst-principlesatomisticmodeling.Althoughgraphiteoxideisaninsulator,
functionalizedgrapheneproducedbythismethodiselectricallyconducting.
1.Introduction
Recentstudies1-6oftheelectricalpropertiesofgraphene
sheetsproducedbypeelingoffafewsheetswith“Scotch”tape
demonstratetheimportanceofgrapheneasa2Dcrystalline
materialforhighelectronmobilityapplications.7Moreover,
whenfunctionalized,single-sheetgrapheneisexpectedtoserve
asananofillerinnanocompositeapplications,asfunctionalsites
willfavorinteractionswiththematrix.8Thefirstattemptto
produceindividualgraphenesheetsbyexfoliationdatestothe
workofBrodiein1859.9Sincethen,anddespitemany
attempts,10-17large-scaleproductionofsinglegraphenesheets
hasnotbeenachieved.Inmoststudies,thestartingmaterialis
graphiteoxide(GO)producedthroughanacidtreatmentof
graphite.GOisthenexposedtoeitherathermalormechanical
(i.e.,ultrasonication)treatmenttoexpandortoexfoliateit.
Althoughnanoplatesofafewsheetshavebeengeneratedby
thesolutionapproach,17,18thefailuretoproducesinglesheets
bythermalexpansionappearstobeeitherduetoinsufficient
oxidationofgraphiteduringtheacidtreatmentorinadequate
pressurebuildupduringthethermalheattreatmentstages.In
thisLetter,weshowthat,throughanoptimalcombinationof
GOpreparationandthermaltreatment,bulkquantitiesof
functionalizedsinglegraphenesheetscanbeproduced.The
mechanismofexfoliationismainlytheexpansionofCO2evolvedintotheintersticesbetweenthegraphenesheetsduring
rapidheating.Whilethedecompositionoffunctionalgroupsof
GOyieldingCO2isexothermic,thevaporizationofwateris
endothermicanddelaystheheatingprocess.Forthesuccessof
theprocess,itisessentialtocompletelyeliminatetheinter-
graphenespacingassociatedwiththenativegraphiteduringthe
oxidationstageandalsotominimizethedetrimentalroleof
watervaporization.AnNMRstudy19hasshownthatGOasusedinthethermal
exfoliationprocesscontainsaromaticregionsrandomlyinter-
spersedwithoxidizedaliphaticsix-memberedrings.The
oxidizedringscontainC-O-C(epoxide)andC-OHgroups,
whilethesheetsterminatewithC-OHand-COOHgroups.
Someofthesefunctionalgroupsareretainedinthethermally
exfoliatednanoplatesofgraphenestacks.Thus,whenusedasa
nanofillerinapolymer(poly(methylmethacrylate))matrix,these
functionalizedgraphenestacksoffercomparableorbetter
thermal,mechanical,andelectricalpropertyenhancementsthan
SWCNTs.8,20
2.ExperimentalMethods
Webeginbytreatingnaturalflakegraphite,nominally∼45
µmacross(AsburyCarbons,Asbury,NJ),inanoxidizing
solutionofsulfuricacid,nitricacid,andpotassiumchlorate(for>96h),similartoaprocessfirstdescribedin1898(SI1,
SupportingInformation).10Thefundamentalprerequisitesthat
enableourpreparationoflargevolumesofdrysinglegraphene
sheetsarecompleteoxidationofgraphiteandextremelyrapid
heatingofGO.Completeoxidationismonitoredbythetotal
disappearanceofthe0.34-nmintergraphenespacingandthe
appearanceofanewonewitha0.65-0.75nmrangedepending
onthewatercontentofGO,asdeterminedbyX-rayandelectron
diffraction(SI1,SupportingInformation).Intermsofstructure,
thedisappearanceofthe0.34nmhasbeenreportedpreviously,18
butGOwithsuchcharacteristicshasneverbeenusedinthermal
expansionstudies,whichwefindtobeanessentialstepfora
successfulsplittingofGOintosinglegraphenesheets.To
quantifytheamountofresidualwaterandtheevolvedgases,
weusesimultaneousthermalgravimetricanalysis(TGA),
differentialscanningcalorimetry(DSC),andFouriertransform
infrared(FTIR)spectroscopy.Forthermalexfoliation,thedried
graphiteoxideischargedintoaquartztubeandpurgedwith
argon.Rapidheating(>2000°C/min)to1050°Csplitsthe
graphiteoxideintoindividualsheetsthroughevolutionofCO2(SI1,SupportingInformation).Eliminationofallthe
diffraction*Correspondingauthor.E-mail:iaksay@princeton.edu.†DepartmentofChemicalEngineering,PrincetonUniversity.‡DepartmentofChemistry,PrincetonUniversity.§PrincetonInstitutefortheScienceandTechnologyofMaterials(PRISM),PrincetonUniversity.8535
2006,110,8535-
8539
PublishedonWeb04/11/2006
10.1021/jp060936fCCC:$33.50©2006AmericanChemicalSociety