Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T23:28:30.677Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Fabrication of electrically conductive graphene/polystyrene composites via a combination of latex and layer-by-layer assembly approaches

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2013

Wei Fan
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People’s Republic of China
Chao Zhang
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People’s Republic of China
Weng Weei Tjiu
Affiliation:
Department of Synthesis and Integration, Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Singapore 117602
Tianxi Liu*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People’s Republic of China
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Due to its excellent physical properties, graphene acting as reinforcing fillers has attracted intense interests. To achieve a controlled distribution, the formation of a conductive network composed of graphene sheets within polymer matrix is of critical importance. In this work, polystyrene (PS) microspheres wrapped by graphene oxide (GO) sheets were prepared via layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly of oppositely charged GO sheets onto PS microspheres. The deposited GO was then reduced, and the composite films with a graphene conductive network were prepared by hot pressing. The morphology of graphene conductive network was studied, and the thermal and electrical properties of the composite films were measured. The as-prepared composites showed an improved thermal stability as well as electrical conductivity with a percolation threshold as low as 0.2 vol%. The combination of latex technology and LBL self-assembly method thus demonstrated an efficient and facile approach to fabricate electrically conductive graphene/polymer composites.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Rao, C.N.R., Sood, A.K., Subrahmanyam, K.S., and Govindaraj, A.: Graphene: The new two-dimensional nanomaterial. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 48(42), 7752 (2009).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meyer, J.C., Geim, A.K., Katsnelson, M.I., Novoselov, K.S., Booth, T.J., and Roth, S.: The structure of suspended graphene sheets. Nature 446(7131), 60 (2007).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dreyer, D.R., Park, S.J., Bielawski, C.W., and Ruoff, R.S.: The chemistry of graphene oxide. Chem. Soc. Rev. 39(1), 228 (2010).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhou, T.N., Chen, F., Tang, C.Y., Bai, H.W., Zhang, Q., Deng, H., and Fu, Q.: The preparation of high performance and conductive poly (vinyl alcohol)/graphene nanocomposite via reducing graphite oxide with sodium hydrosulfite. Compos. Sci. Technol. 71(9), 1266 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, K., Chen, L., Chen, Y., Wu, J.L., Zhang, W.L., Chen, F., and Fu, Q.: Preparation of polyester/reduced graphene oxide composites via in situ melt polycondensation and simultaneous thermo-reduction of graphene oxide. J. Mater. Chem. 21(24), 8612 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qi, X.Y., Yan, D., Jiang, Z.G., Cao, Y.K., Yu, Z.Z., Yavari, F., and Koratkar, N.: Enhanced electrical conductivity in polystyrene nanocomposites at ultra-low graphene content. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 3(8), 3130 (2011).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhang, H.B., Zheng, W.G., Yan, Q., Yang, Y., Wang, J.W., Lu, Z.H., Ji, G.Y., and Yu, Z.Z.: Electrically conductive polyethylene terephthalate/graphene nanocomposites prepared by melt compounding. Polymer 51(5), 1191 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stankovich, S., Dikin, D.A., Dommett, G.H.B., Kohlhaa, K.M., Zimney, E.J., Stach, E.A., Piner, R.D., Nguyen, S.T., and Ruoff, R.S.: Graphene-based composite materials. Nature 442(7100), 282 (2006).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Quintana, M., Spyrou, K., Grzelczak, M., Browne, W.R., Rudolf, P., and Prato, M.: Functionalization of graphene via 1, 3-dipolar cycloaddition. ACS Nano 4(6), 3527 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stankovich, S., Piner, R.D., Nguyen, S.T., and Ruoff, R.S.: Synthesis and exfoliation of isocyanate-treated graphene oxide nanoplatelets. Carbon 44(15), 3342 (2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peng, M, Li, D, Chen, Y, and Zheng, Q: Electrostatic-assembly of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polymer particles in water: A facile approach to improve the dispersion of CNTs in thermoplastics. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 27(11), 859 (2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grunlan, J.C., Mehrabi, A.R., Bannon, M.V., and Bahr, J.L.: Water-based single-walled-nanotube-filled polymer composite with an exceptionally low percolation threshold. Adv. Mater. 16(2), 150 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ju, S.A., Kim, K., Kim, J.H., and Lee, S.S.: Graphene-wrapped hybrid spheres of electrical conductivity. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 3(8), 2904 (2011).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, Y.X., Wang, Z.Q., Yang, L., Gua, H., and Xue, G.: Efficient coating of polystyrene microspheres with graphene nanosheets. Chem. Commun. 47(38), 10722 (2011).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tkalya, E., Ghislandi, M., Alekseev, A., Koninga, C., and Loos, J.: Latex-based concept for the preparation of graphene-based polymer nanocomposites. J. Mater. Chem. 20(15), 3035 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, W.L., Liu, Y.D., and Choi, H.J.: Graphene oxide coated core–shell structured polystyrene microspheres and their electrorheological characteristics under applied electric field. J. Mater. Chem. 21(19), 6916 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kulkarni, D.D., Choi, I., Singamaneni, S.S., and Tsukruk, V.V.: Graphene oxide–polyelectrolyte nanomembranes. ACS Nano 4(8), 4667 (2010).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wang, D.R. and Wang, X.G.: Self-assembled graphene/azo polyelectrolyte multilayer film and its application in electrochemical energy storage device. Langmuir 27(5), 2007 (2011).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhao, X., Zhang, Q.H., Hao, Y.P., Li, Y.Z., Fang, Y., and Chen, D.: Alternate multilayer films of poly(vinyl alcohol) and exfoliated graphene oxide fabricated via a facial layer-by-layer assembly. Macromolecules 43(22), 9411 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hong, J., Char, K., and Kim, B.S.: Hollow capsules of reduced graphene oxide nanosheets assembled on a sacrificial colloidal particle. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 1(24), 3442 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tang, M.X., Qin, Y.J., Wang, Y.Y., and Guo, Z.X.: Hollow carbon nanotube microspheres and hemimicrospheres. J. Phys. Chem. C 113(5), 1666 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hummers, W.S. and Offeman, R.E.: Preparation of graphitic oxide. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 80(6), 1339 (1958).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pham, V.H., Cuong, T.V., Dang, T.T., Hur, S.H., Kong, B.S., Kim, E.J., Shin, E.W., and Chung, J.S.: Superior conductive polystyrene–chemically converted graphene nanocomposite. J. Mater. Chem. 21(30), 11312 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, L.M., Lu, Z.X., Zhao, Q.H., Huang, J., Shen, H., and Zhang, Z.J.: Enhanced chemotherapy efficacy by sequential delivery of siRNA and anticancer drugs using PEI-grafted graphene oxide. Small 7(4), 460 (2011).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhu, C.Z., Guo, S.J., Fang, Y.X., and Dong, S.J.: Reducing sugar: New functional molecules for the green synthesis of graphene nanosheets. ACS Nano 4(4), 2429 (2010).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jorio, A., Ferreira, E.H.M., Moutinho, M.V.O., Stavale, F., Achete, C.A., and Capaz, R.B.: Measuring disorder in graphene with the G and D bands. Phys. Status Solidi B 247(11–12), 2980 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grady, P.B.: Recent developments concerning the dispersion of carbon nanotubes in polymers. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 31(3), 247 (2010).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed