Noncovalent Functionalization of Graphene Nanosheets with Cluster-Cored Star Polymers and Their Reinforced Polymer Coating

A noncovalent and phase-transfer-assisted method is developed for the fabrication of polymer-functionalized graphene, in which a series of cluster-cored star polymers (CSPs) containing a polyoxometalate core and polystyrene (PS) arms are used as modifiers. Through the electron transfer interaction between polyoxometalate and graphene, the CSPs can strongly adsorb on graphene nanosheets and transfer them from aqueous media to organic solvents like chloroform, forming individually dispersed graphene. Moreover, the CSP-functionalized graphene is well compatible with additional polymer matrices and can serve as a reinforcing nanofiller for polymer composites. A 0.2 wt% loading of them in PS coating achieves a 98.9% high enhancement in Young’s modulus.