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Title: Deformation sensor based on polymer-supported discontinuous graphene multi-layer coatings

Journal Article · · AIP Conference Proceedings
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4876767· OSTI ID:22280334
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Institute for Composite and Biomedical Materials, National Research Council, Piazzale E. Fermi, 1, 80055 Portici (Italy)

Graphene can be conveniently used in the modification of polymer surfaces. Graphene macromolecules are perfectly transparent to the visible light and electrically conductive, consequently these two properties can be simultaneously provided to polymeric substrates by surface coating with thin graphene layers. In addition, such coating process provides the substrates of: water-repellence, higher surface hardness, low-friction, self-lubrication, gas-barrier properties, and many other functionalities. Polyolefins have a non-polar nature and therefore graphene strongly sticks on their surface. Nano-crystalline graphite can be used as graphene precursor in some chemical processes (e.g., graphite oxide synthesis by the Hummer method), in addition it can be directly applied to the surface of a polyolefin substrate (e.g., polyethylene) to cover it by a thin graphene multilayer. In particular, the nano-crystalline graphite perfectly exfoliate under the application of a combination of shear and friction forces and the produced graphene single-layers perfectly spread and adhere on the polyethylene substrate surface. Such polymeric materials can be used as ITO (indium-tin oxide) substitute and in the fabrication of different electronic devices. Here the fabrication of transparent resistive deformation sensors based on low-density polyethylene films coated by graphene multilayers is described. Such devices are very sensible and show a high reversible and reproducible behavior.

OSTI ID:
22280334
Journal Information:
AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1599, Issue 1; Conference: 7. international conference on times of polymers (TOP) and composites, Ischia (Italy), 22-26 Jun 2014; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English