Abstract

Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) as graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted attention of scientific community due to their high performance and applications. However, their potential applications as nanofillers, depends necessarily of their production which high structural quality, great compatibility with the host system. For instance, in polymeric matrices this issue involves several challenges due to their low dispersibility in water and organic solvents, thus different process of chemical modification of CNMs surfaces have been reported. In cases of functionalization with amino groups, most of them use in one of their chemical steps thionyl chloride (SOCl₂) as intermediate reagent. In general, the use of SOCl₂ limits the chemical process, due to of its dangerous nature and high level of toxicity. Another drawback found in this kind of methodology is the time spent on reflux lasting days and making it a very onerous process. In this context, the chemical modification of CNMs assisted by microwave radiation has been explored in synthesis, purification and chemical modification processes of these nanostructures resulting in simpler and faster procedures that allow its used on a large scale and with low environmental impact.

Keywords: Carbon nanomaterials; Graphene; Carbon nanotubes; Chemical functionalization; Microwave irradiation