Method for functionalizing carbon nano-objects, composition comprising functionalized carbon nano-objects suspended in an organic solvent and uses thereof

A method for functionalizing carbon nano-objects by forming at least one layer of a crosslinked polymer around the nano-objects, comprising:

• a) dispersing the nano-objects in an aqueous solution of a surfactant to form a suspension in which each nano-object is surrounded with surfactant molecules, each surfactant molecule having a hydrophobic portion oriented towards the nano-object and a hydrophilic portion in contact with the water of the suspension;
• b) mixing the suspension formed in a) with a solution comprising at least one organic or organo-inorganic monomer in an organic solvent non-miscible with water, the monomer having a dichloromethane/deionized water partition coefficient at least equal to 5 at a temperature of 25° C. and comprising at least three polymerizable chemical groups, the chemical groups comprising thiol or selenol groups, and the mixing comprising stirring to bring the solution of the monomer to an interface between the nano-objects and the surfactant molecules surrounding the nano-objects;
• c) removing the organic solvent from the mixture obtained in b);
• d) polymerizing and crosslinking the monomer at the interface between the nanoobjects and the surfactant molecules surrounding the nano-objects to form a crosslinked polymer layer around the nano-objects, the crosslinked polymer layer being surrounded by surfactant molecules;
• e) removing the surfactant molecules which surround the crosslinked polymer layer;
• and
• f) recovering the thereby functionalized nano-objects.