Non-covalent graphene nanobuds from mono- and tripodal binding motifs

Abstract

Graphene nanobuds were prepared via the non-covalent anchoring of C60-based molecules endowed with one or three pyrene units. TGA, FTIR, UV-Vis and TEM investigations confirmed the nanohybrids formation. For the two molecular derivatives, striking differences were determined in their interaction with graphene or carbon surfaces by Raman, cyclic voltammetry and molecular mechanics calculations, revealing the important role of pyrene adsorption in the electronic properties of the nanohybrids.