Water soluble graphene oxide/poly(1-vinylimidazole) composites: synthesis and characterization

Modified graphene oxide/poly(1-vinylimidazole) (mGO/PVIm) composites were prepared via surface-initiated free radical graft polymerization. First, the hydroxyl-enriched GO sheets were functionalized with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane to introduce active-vinyl groups on the GO surfaces. Subsequently, 1-vinylimidazole was chemically grafted and polymerized in the presence of mGO. The chemical structures and morphology of the covalently bonded composites were characterized using FTIR, XPS, TGA, HRTEM, FESEM and XRD measurements. The mGO/PVIm composites exhibit a stable dispersion in water and show high storage stability (>10 days). Furthermore, the morphological analysis showed that mGO was homogeneously dispersed in the polymer matrix.