I have graphene nanoplatelets, I would like to mix it with polymer. In some papers I read that the functionalization of graphene is started based on Graphene Oxide which is mixed by isocyanate. Can I do it the same with Graphene nanoplatelets?
You can try to graft amine chains on the surface of the graphene through a sequential acid and amination process. You can also use a simple acidic functionalization (treatment with HNO3 and/or HCl/HNO3 at 80°C) to decorate the surface of the graphene platelets with oxygenated functional groups as well.
You can try to graft polymer chains onto the graphene oxide first. Then, you can reduce the graphene oxide to graphene. It is very difficut to directly graft polymer chain onto graphene nanosheets. For my method, please read my published paper (ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2012, 4, 5281−5286). Good luck!
Actually I am bit skeptical about the concept of "grafting polymer chains" especially on CNT/CNF..... dozens of papers on this topic, but in most cases it is "wrapping" of polymer chains around CNT rather than "grafting", though the title of many papers say "grafting".
There is universal functionalization.. but functionalization of carbon surfaces with maleic anhydride(MA) comes very close to this concept.. and MA grafting works pretty well with any carbon surface be it Graphene or CNT or CNF or carbon blacks.
Coming to your question, I guess you are referring to the paper "isocyanate treated GO (DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2006.06.004)" from Ruoff group.. if so, first convert your graphite nanoplatelets to graphite oxide NP.. then follow the procedure reported in that paper.
@Sridhar Vadahanambi. my material is Graphene nanoplatelets not the Graphite nanoplatelets. Should I convert it to be the Graphene Oxide first before it functionalized ?
Thinking about the ways of making n-type graphene can give some ideas to deal with functionalizing of graphene oxide, I attach a review paper about it for you.
You should use graphene oxide as the precursor. It has three main functional groups, epoxide and hydroxyl on the surface and carboxyl at the edge. Therefore, esterification reactions can be applied to the other acidic and alchoholic functional groups. Amidation reactions can also carried out. In addition, ring opening reactions from the epoxide groups in the presence of amine groups and DMAP (catalyst) can be accomplished.
I am running the experiment to functionalize the graphene nanoplatelets by refluxing it in nitric acid 30 mL under constant temperature of water bath for 12 hours as what Kiran Shejale proposed me to do. later on, will be checked the result under FTIR,