Synthesis and characterization of liquid crystalline polyester/graphene and a study of their properties.

A new rod-like thermotropic liquid crystalline polyester (TLCP) material and its nanocomposites based on different concentrations of graphene were synthesized by in-situ high-temperature solution polymerization. The resulting nanocomposites were characterized using XRD, microscopic analysis (POM, SEM, and TEM), spectroscopic analysis (FT-IR, UV-Vis, and fluorescence), and thermal analysis (TGA and DSC). The XRD and POM methods showed that the composite materials exhibited only the nematic phase.

Fabrication of magnetic Ni nanoparticles functionalized water-soluble graphene sheets nanocomposites as sorbent for aromatic compounds removal.

The magnetic Ni nanoparticles functionalized water-soluble graphene sheets nanocomposites (Ni@GSs-C(CH(3))(2)COONa) were fabricated via a facile and mild strategy. We designed a simple and efficient approach (the addition of cyano radicals) to improve the water solubility of nanocomposites. The Ni@GSs-C(CH(3))(2)COONa nanocomposites had great potential as an effective absorbent for removing aromatic compounds from waste water owing to their rapid absorption rate, high absorption capacity, convenient magnetic separation and re-use property.

2, 2'-(Phenylazanediyl) diacetic acid modified Fe3O4@PEI for selective removal of cadmium ions from blood.

A water-dispersible and supermagnetic nanocomposite (PAD-PEG-Fe(3)O(4)@PEI) has been successfully synthesized using polyethylenimine (PEI, Mol MW = 10000) coated supermagnetic Fe(3)O(4)-NH(2) which was modified with 2, 2'-(phenylazanediyl) diacetic acid (PAD) through the bridge of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, Mol MW = 2000). The average particle size of PAD-PEG-Fe(3)O(4)@PEI was determined by TEM, and was about 50 nm. From magnetic hysteresis cycles for PAD-PEG-Fe(3)O(4)@PEI at room temperature, the saturation magnetization (Ms) was shown to be 58.

Properties of thermotropic liquid crystalline polyester nanocomposites derived from multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

A series of nanocomposites containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and terephthaloyl-di-p-oxybenzoyl chloride-triethylene glycol copolyester (T-T) were prepared by in-situ high-temperature solution polycondensation. The liquid crystalline properties and thermal stability of the resulted MWNTs/T-T nanocomposites were investigated by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), polarized optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), respectively. The results showed that MWNT doping at a low concentration improved the thermal stability of T-T matrix and expanded the nematic temperature range without largely changing its conformation, making it more suitable for processing.

Aryne cycloaddition: highly efficient chemical modification of graphene.

We have developed a simple and efficient approach for the synthesis of chemically converted graphene sheets via aryne cycloaddition under mild reaction conditions. The resulting highly functionalized and thermally stable aryne-modified graphene sheets can be well dispersed in various solvents.