Thermodynamics study of the noncovalent functionalization of surfactant suspended graphene nanosheets with porphyrin molecules

International audienceWe report on the noncovalent functionalization of graphene with hydrophobic tetraphenyl porphyrin (TPP) molecules in micellar aqueous suspensions. We study the thermodynamical parameters of the reaction using optical spectroscopy, and measure its Gibbs energy. We show that a total reaction can be achieved, leading to a high functionalization yield, despite the π-stacking noncovalent binding. Side view of a graphene nanosheet covered with porphyrins