Functionalization of thermally reduced graphene by in situ atom transfer radical polymerization

In this report, functionalization of functionalized graphene sheets (FGS) was carried out by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) or polystyrene (PS) was successfully grafted from FGS. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to estimate the content of linked organic compound. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to observe the morphologies of the hybrid materials obtained. This approach was proved to be an effective way for functionalizing the graphene and tailoring the polymer structures.