Preparation and characterization of organophilic long-chain alkyl silane functionalized graphene

Functionalized graphene(FG) was prepared in one-step by treating graphene oxide(GO) with hexadecyltrimethoxysilane and triethylamine.Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),X-ray diffraction(XRD),atomic force microscopy(AFM) and ultraviolet-visible(UV-Vis) spectroscopy were performed to characterize the structure and properties of FG.Investigation results confirmed that the silane molecules were attached on the surface of GO by Si—O—C,meanwhile the residual oxygen-containing functional groups of GO were removed and the sp2-hybridized structure of graphene was restored.FG had an excellent lipophilicity and could be stably dispersed in various solvents such as N,N-dimethylformamide(DMF),tetrahydrofurane,acetone and toluene.The maximum dispersibility of FG in DMF was 1.90mg/mL.AFM showed that FG was exfoliated into single sheets in DMF with a thickness of about 1.7nm.