Functionalised graphene oxide

Abstract

A functionalised graphene oxide and a method of making a functionalized graphene oxide comprising: (i) oxidizing graphite to form graphite oxide wherein the graphene sheets which make up the graphite independently of each other have a basal plane fraction of carbon atoms in the sp2-hybridised state between 0.1 and 0.9, wherein the remainder fraction comprises sp3-hybridised carbon atoms which are bonded to oxygen groups selected from hydroxyl and/or epoxy and/or carboxylic acid; and (ii) exfoliating and in-situ functionalizing the graphite oxide surface with one or more functional groups such that fictionalization of the surface is effected at a concentration greater than one functional group per 100 carbon atoms and less than one functional group per six carbon atoms. The functionalized graphene oxide is dispersible at high concentrations in appropriate solvents without aggregating or precipitating over extended periods at room temperature.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.