I will detail our continuing efforts to create new robust methods for the functionalization of carbon nanotubes and graphenes. We will discuss reductive activation of materials as a means to effect functionalization. In one method we have developed conditions for the selective transfer of phenyl groups from diaryl-iodonium ions to graphene and carbon nanotubes. This method has many advantages over aryl-diazonium ions that are highly reactive and often undergo unimolecular decomposition or give polymeric side products. These methods have enabled the formation of new functional materials. In another method we have developed electrochemical methods for the formation of Stage-1 Graphite compounds. These methods have given rise to the formation of highly activated graphite materials that we refer to has Hyper-Stage-1 Graphite. These materials when reacted with electrophiles can spontaneously dissolve to create systems with record levels of functionalization and solubility. Dissolution of the Hyper-Stage-1 Graphite by sonication in solvent gave high purity graphene suspensions with no detectable addition of defects relative to the starting high purity graphite.

Top-down chemistry: Functional materials by modification of carbon nanomaterials

255th National Meeting (2018)

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