Self-assembly of biofunctional polymer on graphene nanoribbons

Abstract

Graphene's adhesive properties owing to inherent van der Waals interactions become increasingly relevant in the nanoscale regime. Polymer self-assembly via graphene-mediated noncovalent interactions offers a powerful tool for the creation of anisotropic nanopatterned systems. Here, we report the supramolecular self-assembly of biofunctional-modified poly(2-methoxystyrene) on graphene nanoribbons prepared by unzipping multiwalled carbon nanotubes. This approach promotes the glycol-modified polymer to self-assemble into structured nanopatterns with preserved bioactivity. The self-assembly is attributed to enhanced van der Waals interactions and the associated charge transfer from polymer to graphene. These findings demonstrate that the assembly yields a prospective route to novel nanomaterial systems. © 2012 American Chemical Society.