The thesis contains two parts. Part 1 describes the investigations on graphene and contains five sections. Section 1, gives a brief overview of graphene and other nanocarbons. The other four sections deal with various aspects of single-layer and few-layer graphene such as functionalization and solubilization, surface properties and gas adsorption, molecular charge transfer interaction and some properties and applications. Section 2 describes covalent and noncovalent functionalization and solubilization of few-layer graphene samples prepared by different methods as well as of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). It includes covalent functionalization of graphene with organometallic reagents, noncovalent functionalization of graphene and SWNTs with surfactants as well as large aromatic molecules, and exfoliation of few-layer graphene by a water-soluble coronene carboxylate. Section 3 deals with surface properties and gas adsorption (mainly H2 and CO2) of few-layer graphenes. It is found that graphene samples with high surface area can adsorb even more than 3 wt% of H2 at high pressure which makes it promising material for gas-storage applications. Section 4 describes the molecular charge-transfer interaction of single and few-layered graphenes and SWNTs with different electron-donor and -acceptor molecules probed by both ITC measurements and Raman spectroscopy. Electron–acceptor molecules interact more strongly with graphene and SWNTs than the -donor molecules and nature of interaction of metallic SWNTs are different than the as-prepared ones. A Raman study of the interaction of single-layer graphene, prepared by micromechanical cleavage as well as chemical route, with an electron donor molecule such as tetrathiofulvalene (TTF) and an electron acceptor molecule such as tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) is examined. In Section 5, some properties and applications of graphene are discussed. These include fluorescence quenching phenomena observed with few-layer graphene samples on two fluorescent molecules such as coronene and perylene derivatives. Fabrication of a sensing device as well as of FETs prepared from doped and undoped few-layer and single-layer graphene samples forms part of this section. Part 2 of the thesis includes a brief introduction of hybrid open-framework material and synthesis, characterization and crystal structure of various open-framework metal carboxylates, starting with different transition and main group metals. The carboxylic acids used to form these frameworks vary such as simple aliphatic amino acids such as beta-alanine and aspartic acid or simple aliphatic hydroxyl carboxylic acid such as malic acid in its chiral and achiral forms or five-membered heterocyclic aromatic acid, such as imidazole dicarboxylic acid.

The thesis is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the research work carried out on the synthesis and chemical modification of nanomaterials whereas the second part describes the preparation and characterisation of polymer films and their use as separation membranes. Part I of the thesis describing the synthetic strategies and chemical manipulation schemes employed on various types of nanomaterials is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 describes a chemist’s approach towards synthesizing and tuning the properties of different classes of nanomaterials along with a brief account of their potential applications. Chapter 2 of the thesis describes the synthesis and characterization of various metal nanostructures (viz. nanoparticles, nanorods, nanosheets etc.) of nickel, ruthenium, rhodium and iridium using a solvothermal procedure. Chapter 3 deals with the nanoparticles of the novel oxide metal ReO3. ReO3@Au, ReO3@Ag, ReO3@SiO2 and ReO3@TiO2 core-shell nanostructures with ReO3 as the core nanoparticle have been synthesized through a two-step process and characterized. Dependence of the plasmon band of the ReO3 nanoparticles on the interparticle separation has been examined by incorporating the nanoparticles in various polymer matrices and the results compared with those obtained with gold nanoparticles. Chapter 4 presents the dispersion of nanostructures of metal oxides such as TiO2, Fe3O4 and ZnO in solvents of differing polarity (water, DMF and toluene) in the presence of several surfactants. In Chapter 5 of the thesis, fluorous chemical method of separation of metallic and semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes is described. This method involves the selective reaction of the diazonium salt of a fluorous aniline with the metallic nanotubes in an aqueous medium and subsequent extraction of the same in a fluorous solvent leaving the semiconducting nanotubes in the aqueous layer. Chapter 6 presents the studies on the interaction of single walled nanotubes and graphene with various halogen molecules (I2, IBr, ICl and Br2) of varying electron affinity probed by employing Raman spectroscopy and electronic absorption spectroscopy. Part II of the thesis describes a general method of fabricating ultrathin free-standing cross-linked polymer films and their subsequent use as separation membranes. A particular class of 1-D nanomaterials namely cadmium hydroxide nanostrands were used in this method throughout, to generate a sacrificial layer upon which the polymer films were generated.