Facile Preparation of Water-Dispersible Adenosine-Functionalized Graphene Nanosheets

Water-dispersible graphene nanosheets were achieved by a simple three-step process. First, pristine graphite was oxidized and exfoliated to obtain graphene oxide, which was further acylated with thionyl chloride to introduce acyl chloride groups on the surfaces. Second, graphene oxide was covalently functionalized with an environment-friendly reagent, namely, adenosine. Subsequently, adenosine-functionalized graphene oxide was reduced to obtain graphene nanosheets by using NaBH4 as a reducing agent. This approach facilitates graphene nanosheets that have a combination of stable aqueous dispersions and an electrical conductivity that are much better in comparison to graphene oxide, offering a great flexibility for further applications.