“Clicking” graphite oxide sheets with well-defined polystyrenes: A new Strategy to control the layer thickness

Polystyrene (PS) graft graphite oxide (GO) was synthesized by Cu (I)-catalyzed 1, 3-dipolar cycloaddition (“click” coupling) of azido modified graphite oxide with well-defined, alkyne-terminated polystyrene. This method produced PS blocks graft on GO surface, while ordered layer structure between GO sheets was observed for the first time in GO/Polymer composite. The layered structure was characterized and confirmed by 1D X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the layer thickness was observed to be controlled with intercalated PS length between GO layers.