Preparation of chitosan–graphene nanosheet composites with enhanced electrochemical and mechanical properties

In this study, we proposed an alternative way to produce graphene nanosheet (GNS)/chitosan (CS) composites. Graphite-intercalating compounds (GICs) were prepared by graphite and m -chloroperbenzion acid (M-CPBA) as starting materials. The GNS–CS composites were produced through the mixing of the GICs into CS and the removal of impurities in the final step. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and transmission and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed that graphite could be effectively exfoliated by an intercalating agent (M-CPBA) and the GNSs were homogeneously dispersed into the CS matrix. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the electrochemical behavior and mechanical properties of the GNS–CS composites were significantly improved with a low level of GNSs in CS. The redox peak current increased 509%, and the modulus and hardness of the GNS–CS composites increased by 2.7 and 0.15 GPa, respectively, when the GNSs addition was 0.6 wt %. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45104.