Advancing the boundaries of the covalent functionalization of graphene oxide

The synthesis of a derivatized graphene oxide with a particularly high degree of functionalization is achieved through a facile wet-chemistry procedure. Graphene oxide is a highly reactive graphene derivative, especially with nucleophiles or dipolamphiles. However the reductive action of nucleophiles, as well as of other reactants or solvents usually prevails over functionalization. Therefore, the reactions of graphene oxide lead almost exclusively into reduced graphene derivatives with low functionalization degree. Here we report that tuning the reaction conditions during functionalization can alter the competition outcome of the two simultaneous reactions in a 1,3 dipolar cycloaddition on graphene oxide. Under these conditions, the cycloaddition pathway was dramatically favoured against the unspecific reduction/oxygen elimination side reactions, affording a selectively and densely functionalized graphene oxide. This property can be exploited for enhancing the interactions with target molecules (very effective immobilization of pharmaceutic compounds, as demonstrated here), as well as in other applications such as in preparing catalysts with high content of active sites by coordinating metal nanoparticles or atoms.