title: Highly Dispersible and Stable Anionic Boron Cluster-Graphene Oxide Nanohybrids.
abstract: An efficient process to produce boron cluster-graphene oxide nanohybrids that are highly dispersible in water and organic solvents is established for the first time. Dispersions of these nanohybrid materials in water were extraordinarily stable after one month. Characterization of hybrids after grafting of appropriate cobaltabisdicarbollide and closo-dodecaborate derivatives onto the surface of graphene oxide (GO) was done by FT-IR, XPS, and UV/Vis. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) clearly shows a higher thermal stability for the modified-GO nanohybrids compared to the parent GO. Of particular note, elemental mapping by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) reveals that a uniform decoration of the graphene oxide surface with the boron clusters is achieved under the reported conditions. Therefore, the resulting nanohybrid systems show exceptional physico-chemical and thermal properties, paving the way for an enhanced processability and further expanding the range of application for graphene-based materials.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Justo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cabrera-González
authors.affiliation: Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cabana
authors.affiliation: Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Belén
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1958-8911
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ballesteros
authors.affiliation: Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. gerard.tobias@icmab.es.
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7116-2152
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tobias
authors.affiliation: Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. rosario@icmab.es.
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4582-5148
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Núñez
keywords: boron clusters; dispersibility; electron microscopy; graphene oxide