Polymer nanoparticles as a tool for the exfoliation of graphene sheets

•A novel facile method for graphene exfoliation has been developed.•Suitable polymer nanoparticles have been prepared by different techniques.•The type of polymer nanoparticles is crucial for the method developed.•The number of graphene layers can be defined by the method.

The exfoliation of graphene sheets has been achieved by using commercial graphite in the presence of spherical polymer nanoparticles based on poly(ethylene glycol). The polymer nanoparticles with an average diameter of ~20 nm were prepared by two different methods including the ball milling technique and a magnetic stirring process. These nanoparticles in conjunction with an ultrasonication procedure yielded graphene sheets of about three layers or less. The polymer nanoparticles played a crucial role in the preparation of the graphene sheets through a wrapping process. The number of graphene layers can be tuned by varying the preparation method of the polymer nanoparticles.