Synthesis and characterization of well-defined poly(l-lactide) functionalized graphene oxide sheets with high grafting ratio prepared through click chemistry and supramolecular interactions

Two simple and effective methods, “click” chemistry and supramolecular interactions, are demonstrated here to synthesize well-defined poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) functionalized graphene oxide (GO) sheets. We provide a simple method to introduce azide groups on GO sheets by the ring opening reaction of sodium azide with the epoxide groups of GO. The GO-N3 sheets can easily undergo “click” reaction with alkyne-terminated PLLA by “grafting onto” method to produce GO/PLLA composites with high grafting ratio and exfoliated structure. Interestingly, GO-N3 can be grafted with oxygen-containing polymers such as PLLA, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or polyethylene oxide (PEO) via supramolecular interactions between the azide groups and these oxygen atoms on polymers, producing GO/polymer composites with low grafting ratio and intercalated structure. These “grafting onto” methods are useful to produce a variety of GO/polymer composites with different structure via “click” reaction or supramolecular interactions, which have potential applications in material science.