The piezoresistive effect in graphene-based polymeric composites

• Published in: Nanotechnology 2013-11, Vol.24 (46), p.465702-465702
• Main Authors: Tamburrano, A, Sarasini, F, De Bellis, G, D'Aloia, A G, Sarto, M S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electric Conductivity; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Electronic transport in multilayers, nanoscale materials and structures; Exact sciences and technology; Fullerenes and related materials; diamonds, graphite; Graphite - chemistry; Materials science; Methods of nanofabrication; Nanocomposites - chemistry; Nanocrystalline materials; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Physics; Polymers - chemistry; Specific materials
• ISSN: 0957-4484; 1361-6528
• DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/24/46/465702

The strain-dependent electrical resistance of polyvinyl ester-based composites filled with different weight fractions of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) has been experimentally investigated. The GNP synthesis and nanocomposite fabrication process have been optimized in order to obtain highly homogeneous filler dispersion and outstanding electrical properties. The produced nanocomposites showed a low percolation threshold of 0.226 wt% and electrical conductivity of nearly 10 S m−1 at only 4 wt% of GNPs. The piezoresistive response of thin nanocomposite laminae has been assessed by measuring the variation of the electrical resistance as a function of the flexural strain in three-point bending tests under both quasi-static monotonic and dynamic cyclic loading conditions. The obtained results showed higher strain sensitivity than traditional metal foil strain gauges or recently investigated carbon-based nanocomposite films.