Synthesis And Properties Of Click Coupled Graphene Oxide Sheets With Three-Dimensional Macromolecules

A facile click chemistry approach to the functionalization of three-dimensional hyperbranched polyurethane (HPU) to graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets is presented. HPU-functionalized GO samples of various compositions were synthesized by reacting alkyne-functionalized HPU with azide-functionalized GO sheets. The morphological characterization of the HPU-functionalized GO was performed using transmission electron microscopy and its chemical characterization was carried out using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The graphene sheet surfaces were highly functionalized, leading to improved solubility in organic solvents, and consequently, enhanced mechanical, thermal, and thermoresponsive and photothermal shape memory properties. The strategy reported herein provides a very efficient method for regulating composite properties and producing high performance materials. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43358.