title: Three-dimensional flexible and conductive interconnected graphene networks grown by chemical vapour deposition.
abstract: Integration of individual two-dimensional graphene sheets into macroscopic structures is essential for the application of graphene. A series of graphene-based composites and macroscopic structures have been recently fabricated using chemically derived graphene sheets. However, these composites and structures suffer from poor electrical conductivity because of the low quality and/or high inter-sheet junction contact resistance of the chemically derived graphene sheets. Here we report the direct synthesis of three-dimensional foam-like graphene macrostructures, which we call graphene foams (GFs), by template-directed chemical vapour deposition. A GF consists of an interconnected flexible network of graphene as the fast transport channel of charge carriers for high electrical conductivity. Even with a GF loading as low as ∼0.5 wt%, GF/poly(dimethyl siloxane) composites show a very high electrical conductivity of ∼10 S cm(-1), which is ∼6 orders of magnitude higher than chemically derived graphene-based composites. Using this unique network structure and the outstanding electrical and mechanical properties of GFs, as an example, we demonstrate the great potential of GF/poly(dimethyl siloxane) composites for flexible, foldable and stretchable conductors.
authors.affiliation: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
authors.forename: Zongping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wencai
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Libo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Bilu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Songfeng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.forename: Hui-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Cheng