Sulfonated graphene oxide: the new and effective material for synthesis of polystyrene-based nanocomposites

The new sulfonated graphene oxide (S-GO) was prepared and firstly used as effective materials for the synthesis of polystyrene/graphene nanocomposites via Pickering emulsion polymerization. The functionalized, chemically modified GO nanosheets were obtained via facile covalent functionalization with a reactive surfactant, sulfanilic acid. It was found that Pickering emulsion could be formed by simple self-assembly method using the S-GO as a stabilizer (just need 1 wt% relative to the oil phase), which could be adsorbed at the oil–water interface to stabilize the emulsion effectively. After the Pickering emulsion polymerization of styrene, the polystyrene/S-GO nanocomposites were prepared successfully. It is noteworthy that the S-GO not only could be used as a highly effective surfactant for styrene monomers but also could be homogeneously dispersed and incorporated into the polymeric matrix.