In Situ Synthesis of Thermochemically Reduced Graphene Oxide Conducting Nanocomposites

• Published in: Nano letters 2012-04, Vol.12 (4), p.1789-1793
• Main Authors: Park, Ok-Kyung, Hahm, Myung Gwan, Lee, Sungho, Joh, Han-Ik, Na, Seok-In, Vajtai, Robert, Lee, Joong Hee, Ku, Bon-Cheol, Ajayan, Pulickel M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Conductivity; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electric Conductivity; Electrical resistivity; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Electronic transport in multilayers, nanoscale materials and structures; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Fullerenes and related materials; diamonds, graphite; Graphene; Graphite - chemistry; Materials science; Methods of nanofabrication; Micro- and nanoelectromechanical devices (mems/nems); Molecular Structure; Nanocomposites; Nanocomposites - chemistry; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxides; Oxides - chemical synthesis; Oxides - chemistry; Particle Size; Particulate composites; Physics; Polymers - chemical synthesis; Polymers - chemistry; Resistivity; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Specific materials; Strain; Surface Properties; Synthesis; Temperature
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/nl203803d

Highly conductive reduced graphene oxide (GO) polymer nanocomposites are synthesized by a well-organized in situ thermochemical synthesis technique. The surface functionalization of GO was carried out with aryl diazonium salt including 4-iodoaniline to form phenyl functionalized GO (I-Ph-GO). The thermochemically developed reduced GO (R-I-Ph-GO) has five times higher electrical conductivity (42 000 S/m) than typical reduced GO (R-GO). We also demonstrate a R-I-Ph-GO/polyimide (PI) composites having more than 104 times higher conductivity (∼1 S/m) compared to a R-GO/PI composites. The electrical resistances of PI composites with R-I-Ph-GO were dramatically dropped under ∼3% tensile strain. The R-I-Ph-GO/PI composites with electrically sensitive response caused by mechanical strain are expected to have broad implications for nanoelectromechanical systems.