Colloidal suspensions of highly reduced graphene oxide in a wide variety of organic solvents

Abstract

We report that homogeneous colloidal suspensions of chemically modified graphene sheets were readily produced in a wide variety of organic solvent systems. Two different sets of solubility parameters are used to rationalize when stable colloidal suspensions of graphene oxide sheets and, separately, of reduced graphene oxide sheets in a given solvent type are possible and when they are not. As an example of the utility of such colloidal suspensions, "paperlike" materials generated by very simple filtration of the reduced graphene oxide sheets had electrical conductivity values as high as 16,000 S/m.