This paper tackles the challenge of preparation stable, highly concentrated aqueous graphene dispersions. Despite tremendous recent interest, there has been limited success in developing a method that ensures the total dispersion of non-oxidized, defect-free graphene nanosheets in water. This study successfully demonstrates that few-layer graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) can form highly concentrated aqueous colloidal solutions after they have been pretreated in a low-concentration inorganic sodium-hypochlorite and sodium-bromide salted aqueous solvent. This method retains the graphitic structure as evidenced by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Vacuum-filtrated freestanding films demonstrate an electrical conductivity as high as 3000 S m−1. This dispersion technique is believed to be applicable not only for GNPs, but also for dispersing other types of graphitic materials, including fullerenes, single/double/multi-walled carbon nanotubes, graphene nanoribbons and etc.
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