As a building block for carbon materials of all other dimensionalities (such as 0D buckyball, 1D nanotube, 3D graphite), the two-dimensional (2D) single atomic carbon sheet of graphene has emerged as an attractive candidate for energy applications due to its unique structure and properties. However, a graphene-based material that possesses desirable bulk properties rarely possesses the solubility required for certain specific applications. Therefore, functionalization is essential, and researchers have devised various covalent and non-covalent chemistries for making graphene materials with the bulk and processing properties needed for efficient energy conversion and storage. Of particular interest, edge-functionalization by selectively attaching chemical moieties at the edge of graphene sheets with minimal carbon basal plane damage can impart solubility, film forming capability, and electrocatalytic activity while largely retaining physiochemical properties of the pristine graphene. The resultant edge-functionalized graphene materials (EFGs) are attractive for various energy-related applications with enhanced performance in energy conversion and storage.<br/><br/>In this talk, we will provide some rational concepts for the controlled functionalization of graphene for the development of efficient energy conversion and storage devices, along with an overview on recent progresses in this emerging research area.

Region-selective functionalization of graphene for efficient energy conversion and storage

254th National Meeting (2017)

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