Dispersing carbon-based nanomaterials in aqueous phase by graphene oxides

Graphene oxides (GO) can be considered as polyelectrolytes with surfactant-like characteristics. On one hand, due to the electrical repulsion between the negatively charged ionized edges, GO exhibits great water solubility; on the other hand, its hydrophobic central plane retains the potential of strong π-π interaction with other conjugated sp(2) network structures. Therefore, it is expected that GO can serve as an excellent dispersing agent for dispersion of various carbon-based nanomaterials in aqueous phase. Here we report a systematic study of dispersing various carbon-based nanomaterials, including SWNTs, C60, and graphene, by aqueous GO. The GO-dispersed all-carbon nanocomposites are characterized using various spectroscopic methods and electron microscopies, and their stabilities are tested. Compared to other dispersing agents, the GO concentration is much lower than the concentrations of other dispersing agents used when similar contents of carbon-based nanomaterials are dispersed. Involving only simple ultrasonication and centrifugation processes, GO dispersion thus offers an easy manipulation for large-scale solution-dispersed all-carbon nanocomposites.