Microwave-assisted covalent modification of graphene nanosheets with chitosan and its electrorheological characteristics

Biofunctionalization and manipulating of graphene nanosheets (GNS) are important for biomedical research and application. Chitosan (CS) modified graphene nanosheets have been successfully prepared under microwave irradiation in N,N-dimethylformamide medium, which involved the reaction between the carboxyl groups of graphene oxide nanosheets (GONS) and the amido groups of chitosan followed by the reduction of graphene oxide nanosheets into graphene nanosheets using hydrazine hydrate. The as-prepared graphene nanosheets–chitosan (GNS–CS) nanocomposites have been characterized by FTIR, TEM, FESEM, XRD and TG. The results showed that chitosan was covalently grafted onto the surface of graphene nanosheets via amido bonds. Solubility measurements indicated that the resultant nanocomposites dispersed well in aqueous acetic acid. Especially, the electrorheological (ER) properties of the GNS–CS nanocomposites have been investigated. It is believed that this new nanocomposites may be promising for biomedical applications.