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