title: Conductive polymer nanocomposites with hierarchical multi-scale structures via self-assembly of carbon-nanotubes on graphene on polymer-microspheres.
abstract: A novel and highly conductive 3-dimensional (3D) hierarchical multi-scale structure is formed by a new, simple, facile, and water-based method that enables practical production of conductive carbon nanofiller/polymer composites. More specifically, the π-π interaction between CNTs and graphene oxide (GO) is exploited to disperse conductive but non-polar CNTs with amphiphilic GO sheets to form a stable aqueous colloidal solution. Aqueous-dispersible latex-polystyrene microspheres are then added to enable the self-assembly processes of anchoring CNTs on GO and wrapping microspheres with GO-stabilized CNTs for the formation of an intriguing 3D hierarchical multi-scale structure. During this process, GO is reduced to conductive reduced-graphene oxide (RGO). The resultant RGO sheets act as "nano-walls" to prevent CNTs from randomly diffusing into the polymer bulk during thermal pressing of RGO-CNT/microspheres, which results in the formation of a 3D foam-like network of RGO-CNTs with high quality. The resultant composite with such a structure gives an ultra-low percolation threshold (0.03 vol% RGO-CNTs) and a reasonably high conductivity (153 S m(-1) at 4 vol% RGO-CNTs), which could satisfy various applications requiring both transparency and electrical conduction characteristics (e.g. transparent antistatic coatings, capacitive touch-screens, and transparent electronic devices).
authors.affiliation: Chengdu Green Energy and Green Manufacturing Technology R&D Center, CAEP Chengdu Development Center of Science and Technology, China. sugarchangyu@163.com.
authors.forename: Changyu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Gucheng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Ka-wai
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Woon-ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Meikun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mei
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hui