A bifunctional approach for the preparation of graphene and ionic liquid-based hybrid gels

Abstract

The synthesis of high quality graphene in large quantities from graphene oxide (GO) and its dispersion in a chemical environment is essential for the real-life applications. Although GO can be converted to reduced graphene oxide (RGO) by using reducing agents, in the absence of suitable stabilizing agents, RGO undergoes an irreversible aggregation in solution. Herein, we propose and illustrate the concept of using bifunctional molecules which (1) can enable the solubilization of GO sheets in ionic liquids (ILs) and (2) can facilitate the highly efficient thermal reduction of GO to RGO on account of the high thermal stability of ILs. We have demonstrated this concept by incorporating an imidazolium cation onto pyrene which can interact with RGO via cation–π and π–π interactions to form highly stable, porous hybrid gel materials.