EXPLORING APPLICATIONS OF GRAPHENE ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES

Abstract

Graphene has attracted the attention of the scientific community over the last decade due to its outstanding properties, such as high thermal and high electrical conductivity and remarkable mechanical properties. Intensive research has focussed on developing applications to harness these properties. The broad range of applications includes developing long-lasting batteries, flexible and transparent screens, super tough polymer composite materials, and highly selective sensors for early disease detection.
Since graphene was discovered, its high conductivity inspired the development of conductive polymers and composites. Graphene platelets and their derivatives can be readily used in various polymer-based applications since they are commercially available and readily prepared in wet conditions starting from graphite. However, it has been found that uniform graphene dispersion in polymer matrices is extremely difficult. Here, we describe a novel way in which graphene can be preferentially located at the interface of immiscible polymer blends during extrusion so the polymer microstructure can be used as a scaffold for graphene to form a conductive network. Furthermore, this approach can be used to make two immiscible polymers more compatible and improve the rheological properties of the blend.
In addition to platelets, graphene films synthesized by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) can be used in applications such as developing graphene-based sensors that can detect picomolar concentrations of analytes. Graphene growth on copper by CVD is the accepted method for high-quality monolayer graphene synthesis. This makes graphene transfer between surfaces an unavoidable step for any application. Although several protocols have been proposed to transfer graphene, they are difficult to reproduce, particularly over large areas. By applying a conformability concept, here we describe a protocol for a successful transfer of graphene on substrates with different roughness using Si/SiO2 as a typical rigid and flat widely used in electronic applications and the skin as an example of a highly rough and soft substrate.