Hybrid films with graphene oxide and metal nanoparticles could now replace indium tin oxide.
Graphene oxide (G-O), a highly oxidized sheet of sp(2)-hybridized carbon with insulating electrical properties, can be transformed into graphene if it is adequately reduced. In the past, researchers believed that reduced G-O (rG-O) could be highly conducting, but it has been shown that the presence of extended vacancies and defects within rG-O negatively affect its electrical transport. Although these observations indicated that rG-O could not be used in the fabrication of any electronic device, in this issue of ACS Nano, Ruoff's group demonstrates that rG-O can indeed be used for producing efficient transparent conducting films (TCFs) if the rG-O material is coupled with Au nanoparticles (Au-NPs) and Ag nanowires (Ag-NWs). The work further demonstrates that these hybrid films containing zero-dimensional (Au-NPs), one-dimensional (Ag-NWs), and two-dimensional (rG-O) elements exhibit high optical transmittance (e.g., 90%) and low sheet resistance (20-30 Ω/□), with values comparable to those of indium tin oxide (ITO) films. In addition, Ruoff's group notes that the presence of Ag-NWs and rG-O in the films showed antibacterial properties, thus demonstrating that it is now possible to produce flexible TCFs with bactericidal functions. The data show that smart hybrid films containing rG-O and different types of NPs and NWs could be synthesized easily and could result in smart films with unprecedented functions and applications.
Chemical Engineering Department, Universidad de Alicante, P.O. Box 99, 03080 Alicante, Spain.
Helena
H
Varela-Rizo
Ignacio
I
Martín-Gullón
Mauricio
M
Terrones
D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties; D017971:Tin Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D010087:Oxides; D017971:Tin Compounds; C109984:indium tin oxide