Promising alternative routes for graphene production and functionalization

A decade after scientists from Manchester University isolated a single graphene sheet, the development of a method for mass-scale production of graphene of a similar quality to that obtained, and the implementation of a modular chemical route to incorporate graphene into multicomponent/multifunctional materials are still fundamental challenges. The methods for graphene production and the synthetic procedures for its modification are limited to a handful of established methodologies, each with important limitations. In this manuscript a non-conventional electrochemical method for the preparation of high-quality graphene, and a recently reported general chemical approach for graphene functionalization through thiol-ene click reactions are highlighted.