Graphene Oxide as a Radical Initiator: Free Radical and Controlled Radical Polymerization of Sodium 4‑Vinylbenzenesulfonate with Graphene Oxide

The free radical and controlled radical polymerization of sodium 4-vinylbenzenesulfonate using graphene oxide as a radical initiator was studied. This work demonstrates that graphene oxide can initiate radical polymerization in an aqueous solution without any additional initiator. Poly­(sodium 4-vinylbenzenesulfonate) obtained via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization had a controlled molecular weight with a very narrow polydispersity ranging between 1.01 and 1.03. The reduction process of graphene oxide as well as the resulting composite material properties were analyzed in detail.