Plasma modification of graphene nanoplatelets surfaces

Atmospheric plasma processing, which combines the efficacy of chemical processes and the safety of physical processes, has been used to modify the surface characteristics of graphite-based materials. In this work, two distinct plasma source gases, C₄F₈ and O₂, with the addition of a rotary reactor were used. The effectiveness of modifying the basal plane of intercalated graphite nanoplatelets (GnP) was investigated with various analytical techniques and the visual observation of the dispersion of these plasma-treated GnP in solvents was also reported. It is shown that this low-temperature plasma processing technique can be used to successfully modify the GnP surface without significantly changing the intrinsic structure of the GnP, which is desirable in many applications. With the C₄F₈ plasma treatment, the immersion characteristics in solvents can be tuned and the functional groups present on the surface can be tailored to produce desired bonding environments. This surface chemistry tunability will provide the needed functionalities in creating graphene-containing composite materials.