In-Situ Radial Polymerization and Grafting Reaction Simultaneously Initiated by Fluorinated Graphene

Fluorinated graphene (FG) showed interesting electrochemical, electronic, and mechanical properties, as well as chemical reactivity for multifarious functionalization of graphene material. This work reported a free radical polymerization and grafting from polymerization of styrene monomer directly initiated by FG, which simultaneously obtained free polymers and functionalized graphene with polymer chains grafted. The FG almost behaved comparative initiation efficiency as equivalent commercial initiator azodiisobutyronitrile under similar conditions, resulting in high yield of free polystyrene (40.9 %) with high molecular weight (Mn=114.7 kg/mol). It was demonstrated that FG triggered polymerization presented some special characteristics, like long lifetime of chain radical centers even when reaction was stopped, and the insensitivity to oxygen molecules. The mechanistic study indicated the polymerization was initiated by single electron transfer reaction between FG and monomer leading to formation of prim...