Graphene Oxide (GO) as Stabilizer for Preparing Chirally Helical Polyacetylene/GO Hybrid Microspheres via Suspension Polymerization

Hybrid materials consisting of polymers and graphene are gathering ever-growing interest. This article reports a novel methodology for preparing chirally helical polyacetylene/graphene hybrid microspheres (MPs) via suspension polymerization in which graphene oxide (GO) or alkynylated GO (MGO) serves as a sole stabilizer. Such polymerizations show remarkable advantages in circumventing the difficulties in usual suspension polymerizations and especially in directly providing clean hybrid MPs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectra, and electron dispersive spectroscopy indicate that graphene sheets cover the MPs through physical interaction (GO) or covalent bonds (MGO). The hybrid MPs are also characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Circular dichroism spectra demonstrate that the polymer chains constituting the MPs adopt predominantly one-handed helices, endowing the MPs with intriguing optical activity. The established strategy opens a new approach for preparing hybrid MPs constructed by acetylenic polymers and GO.