Detail:
Abstract: The performance of graphene-based bulk materials is dependent not only on the structure and properties of individual sheets, but also on the intersheet interactions and their hierarchical texture or its supramolecular structure. Our group has been studying the supramolecular chemistry of chemically converted graphene and how non-covalent interactions can be utilized to create carbon-based functional soft materials that are difficult to obtain with other techniques. Learning from nature, we have demonstrated that hydration of graphene not only enables its solution processability, but more importantly, offers simple and scalable ways to assemble graphene into well-controlled nano-architectures with extraordinary macroscopic properties. Highlighting the key role of supramolecular chemistry in the formation of several unusual graphene-based functional materials, this talk will share my personal view on some future directions of graphene-based soft materials, particularly on its implications on nanoionics.