title: Intercalation and stitching of graphite oxide with diaminoalkanes.
abstract: The intercalation reaction of graphite oxide with diaminoalkanes, with the general formula H2N(CH2)nNH2 (n = 4-10), was studied as a method for synthesizing pillared graphite with tailored interlayer spacing. Interlayer spacings from 0.8 to 1.0 nm were tailored by varying the size of the intercalant from (CH2)4 to (CH2)10. X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy were used to confirm intercalation, and the frequency of the CH2 stretch confirmed that the intercalants are in a disordered state, with an important contribution from the gauche conformer. Sequential intercalation of diaminoalkanes followed by dodecylamine demonstrated the inability of these "stitched" systems to undergo expansion along the c-direction, indicative of cross-linking. Finally, the reaction of graphite oxide with diaminoalkanes under reflux and for extended periods (>72 h) resulted in the chemical reduction of the graphite oxide to a disordered graphitic structure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herrera-Alonso
authors.forename: Ahmed A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Abdala
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: McAllister
authors.forename: Ilhan A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Aksay
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Prud'homme