Controllable coverage of chemically modified graphene sheets with gold nanoparticles by thermal treatment of graphite oxide with N,N-dimethylformamide

We describe a simple chemical method to reduce and functionalize graphite oxide by reaction with dimethylformamide under controlled heating. Our experiments suggest that the reaction conditions assist the decomposition of the solvent to produce dimethylamine molecules that can react with the oxygen-rich functional groups covering the surface of the exfoliated layers of graphene, therefore generating chemically modified graphene (CMG). These N-functionalities have been next used as anchoring points for the grafting of Au nanoparticles. Given that the functionalization extent can be controlled with the temperature and reaction time, our approach can be considered as a straightforward route for the controlled decoration of CMG layers with gold nanoparticles.