A facile approach to selective reduction and functionalization of graphene oxide and its application in fabrication of multifunctional polypropylene nanocomposites

Reducing and chemically functional modification of graphene oxide (GO) has attracted much attention in nanomaterial fields due to the outstanding properties of the graphene. In this article, water, a low cost and environmentally friendly reduction agent, to reduce selectively GO to form reduced GO (rGO) was applied, followed by modifying rGO with functional monomer octadecylamine (ODA), and subsequently polypropylene (PP) based nanocomposites containing functional graphene were fabricated via masterbatch‐melt blending technique. The effects of reduction and functionalization on the microstructural and chemical–physical properties of GO were investigated comparatively by using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The dispersibility of functional graphene before and after reduction was verified by using various agents. The experimental results showed that GO has been reduced selectively by water. Functional monomer ODA has been grated successfully on the surface of rGO and GO. The prepared graphene/PP nanocomposites were characterized by using Differential scanning calorimetric (DSC), XRD, scanning electron microscope (SEM), tensile, and impact tests. The results showed that the crystallization temperature (T_c) and melting temperature (T_m) of PP in the nanocomposites increased when the functional graphene was incorporated. The functional graphene has been dispersed uniformly in the PP matrix. Tensile tests showed that rG‐ODA could improve the tensile strength and elastic modulus of composites more effectively than G‐ODA. But G‐ODA was more effectively in improving the toughness of PP than rG‐ODA, as indicated by impact tests. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:E221–E228, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers