Pyrrolidine-functionalized fluorine-containing graphene sheets

Abstract

A method to prepare high-quality pyrrolidine-functionalized fluorine-containing single- or few-layer graphene sheets was presented. Natural graphite powder was firstly treated with sarcosine and pentafluorobenzaldehyde in ortho-dichlorobenzene (ODCB) via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to afford surface-modified graphite. This surface-functionalized graphite was successively dispersed and exfoliated in various solvents by bath sonication and a stable homogeneous dispersion of pyrrolidine-functionalized graphene sheets was obtained after centrifugation. These fluorine-containing graphene sheets can be dispersed in various solvents with a concentration up to 0.7 mg mL⁻¹.