Preparation of graphene/polymer composites by direct exfoliation of graphite in functionalised block copolymer matrix

The preparation of graphene/polymer composites by direct exfoliation of graphene from micro-sized graphite using a pyrene-functionalised amphiphilic block copolymer, poly(pyrenemethyl acrylate)-b-poly[(polyethylene glycol) acrylate] (polyPA-b-polyPEG-A), in either aqueous or organic media is presented. PolyPA-b-polyPEG-A was prepared using reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of a pyrene-functionalised monomer to afford a homopolymer (polyPA), followed by copolymerization with PEG-A using polyPA as the macroRAFT agent. The composites were used to prepare sheets that exhibited increased tensile strength comparing to pure graphene and tunable conductivity. The composites were used to generate pure graphene sheets with a large size and increased conductivity comparing to those prepared by oxidation–reduction as shown by transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.