Synthesis of polystyrene-grafted-graphene hybrid and its application in electrochemical sensor of dopamine

Polystyrene-grafted-graphene oxide hybrid was prepared via gamma-ray irradiation-induced graft polymerization and then reduced to polystyrene-grafted-graphene hybrid by the solvothermal reduction method. The structure, thermal stability and morphology of polystyrene-grafted-graphene hybrid were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. It reveals that gamma-ray irradiation is expected to be an effective and facile technique for scale-up preparation of polymer functionalized graphene. The hybrid modified glassy carbon electrodes were applied to the electrochemical sensor of dopamine and a good linearity with the concentration in the range of 5-100 mu M was obtained. The excellent behavior as electrochemical sensor of the polymer functionalized hybrid may lead to new applications in electrochemical analysis. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.