Highly hydrophilic and insulating fluorinated reduced graphene oxide

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemistry

Background:

• Graphene oxide (GO) is a precursor for various graphene derivatives.
• Fluorination of GO can impart unique properties like hydrophobicity and enhanced electrical insulation.
• Scalable synthesis methods for fluorinated graphene materials are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile and scalable method for synthesizing highly fluorinated reduced graphene oxide (frGO).
• To investigate the mechanism of fluorination using BF3-OEt2 and alkylthiol/alkylamine.
• To characterize the properties of the synthesized frGO, focusing on fluorine content, wettability, and electrical insulation.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of frGO from GO using Boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BF3-OEt2) and alkylthiol/alkylamine.
• Gram-scale production of the fluorinated material.
• Detailed mechanistic study of the fluorination process.
• Characterization of frGO using techniques to determine fluorine content, wettability, and insulating properties.

Main Results:

• A facile and scalable method for synthesizing frGO was successfully established.
• The maximum fluorine content achieved was 38 wt%.
• The resulting frGO exhibited excellent wettability and high electrical insulating properties.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides an efficient route for large-scale production of highly fluorinated reduced graphene oxide.
• The synthesized frGO possesses desirable properties for potential applications requiring hydrophobicity and electrical insulation.
• The detailed mechanism offers insights into the fluorination process of graphene oxide.