Functionalization of Graphene with Molecules and/or Nanoparticles for Advanced Applications

Abstract

Graphene is considered the material of the third millennium, due to its extraordinary electronic and mechanical properties, and due to the possibility to modulate its conductivity, flexibility, elasticity, transparency, and biocompatibility by bottom-up approach. The possibility to gather the proper- ties of graphene and graphene oxide with those of functional moieties or nanoparticles is herein reviewed. The synthetic approaches proposed, either covalent or noncovalent, are aimed to tune appropriately graphene’s properties for the realization of materials for advanced uses, such as bio- medical applications, sensors, catalysis, and energy devices. In particular, methods based on covalent linking and noncovalent functionalization by supramo- lecular interaction will be discussed, by elucidating main advantages and drawbacks, focusing on recent papers in developing advanced applications.