Secondary Interactions of Graphene Oxide on Liquid Crystal Formation and Stability

Graphene oxide liquid crystals (GO LC) prove their potential usefulness in a new design of carbon scaffold composites with ordered structures from nano to macroscale. This paper highlights the degree of GO functionalization as a notable influencing factor on GO LC formation. The large amount of oxygen functional groups, which cause secondary interactions between GOs, decrease the critical concentration for the phase transitions from isotropic to biphasic to nematic phases. In the biphasic state where isotropic and anisotropic phases coexist, highly oxidized GO sheets spontaneously develop LC phases among themselves. Furthermore, the strong hydrogen bonding networks between GO sheets govern the stabilization of the GO aqueous dispersion for a long period. This unique behavior can be used to design GO-based architecture with controllable density and ordering.