Graphene sheets were covalently functionalized with poly( 1-vinylimidazole) (PVI) type poly( ionic liquid), by utilizing a diazonium addition reaction and the subsequent grafting of PVI polymers onto the graphene sheet surface by a quaternarization reaction. The resultant modified graphene sheets showed improved dispersion property when being dissolved in DMF and ethanol. FTIR, XPS, XRD and TEM observations confirmed the success of the covalent functionalization, and thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the grafting ratio of PVI was 12 wt%. The obtained PVI-functionalized graphene showed a high capability for removing anionic dyes such as methyl blue (MB) from water solution. The experimental data of isotherm fitted well with the Langmuir adsorption model. The adsorption capacity of 1910 mg g(-1) for methyl blue (MB) dye was observed for functionalized graphene sheets with poly(ionic liquid)s, which was higher than that of unmodified graphene. The high adsorption capacity observed in this study emphasizes that poly( ionic liquid)s-modified graphene materials have a great potential for water purification as they are highly efficient and stable adsorbents for sustainability. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.