title: Graphene-philic surfactants for nanocomposites in latex technology.
abstract: Graphene is the newest member of the carbon family, and has revolutionized materials science especially in the field of polymer nanocomposites. However, agglomeration and uniform dispersion remains an Achilles' heel (even an elephant in the room), hampering the optimization of this material for practical applications. Chemical functionalization of graphene can overcome these hurdles but is often rather disruptive to the extended pi-conjugation, altering the desired physical and electronic properties. Employing surfactants as stabilizing agents in latex technology circumvents the need for chemical modification allowing for the formation of nanocomposites with retained graphene properties. This article reviews the recent progress in the use of surfactants and polymers to prepare graphene/polymer nanocomposites via latex technology. Of special interest here are surfactant structure-performance relationships, as well as background on the roles surfactant-graphene interactions for promoting stabilization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia; Nanotechnology Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia. Electronic address: azmi.mohamed@fsmt.upsi.edu.my.
authors.forename: Azmi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Tretya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ardyani
authors.affiliation: Nanotechnology Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Suriani Abu
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Bakar
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hollamby
authors.affiliation: Department of Frontier Materials Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Hirosaki University, Bunkyo-cho 3, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8561, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sagisaka
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eastoe
keywords: Graphene; Latex technology; Nanocomposites; Stabilization; Surfactants