title: Graphene aerogel/epoxy composites with exceptional anisotropic structure and properties.
abstract: 3D interconnected graphene aerogels (GAs) are prepared through one-step chemical reduction and rational assembly of graphene oxide (GO) sheets, so that the difficulties to uniformly disperse the individual graphene sheets in the polymer matrixes are avoided. Apart from ultralow density, high porosity, high electrical conductivity, and excellent compressibility, the resulting GAs possess a cellular architecture with a high degree of alignment when the graphene content is above a threshold, ∼0.5 wt %. The composites prepared by infiltrating GA with epoxy resin present excellent electrical conductivities, together with high mechanical properties and fracture toughness. The unusual anisotropic structure gives rise to ∼67% and ∼113% higher electrical conductivity and fracture toughness of the composites, respectively, in the alignment direction than that transverse to it.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology , Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Zhenyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akbari Garakani
authors.forename: Xiuyi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xinying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jang-Kyo
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: anisotropic properties; graphene aerogel; nanocomposite; reduced graphene oxide