Solvated graphenes: An emerging class of functional soft materials

Abstract

From a materials science point of view, graphene is essentially a polymer having a giant, two-dimensional molecular configuration. In this Progress Report, solvated graphene and its derivatives are illustrated from the perspective of soft matter. Firstly, the key appealing features of graphene as a molecular building block for assembling bulk soft materials are highlighed. It is then demonstrated how the intersheet interactions in solution are correlated with the molecular structure of graphene, and how a combination of the unique molecular structure and colloidal interactions can lead to simple, solution-phase approaches for assembling graphenes into a variety of macroscopic nanoarchitectur..