Preparation of chitosan–graphene nanosheet composites with enhanced electrochemical and mechanical properties

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this study, we proposed an alternative way to produce graphene nanosheet (GNS)/chitosan (CS) composites. Graphite‐intercalating compounds (GICs) were prepared by graphite and m ‐chloroperbenzion acid (M‐CPBA) as starting materials. The GNS–CS composites were produced through the mixing of the GICs into CS and the removal of impurities in the final step. X‐ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and transmission and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed that graphite could be effectively exfoliated by an intercalating agent (M‐CPBA) and the GNSs were homogeneously dispersed into the CS matrix. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the electrochemical behavior and mechanical properties of the GNS–CS composites were significantly improved with a low level of GNSs in CS. The redox peak current increased 509%, and the modulus and hardness of the GNS–CS composites increased by 2.7 and 0.15 GPa, respectively, when the GNSs addition was 0.6 wt %. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45104.