Fabrication, Characterization, and Applications of Graphene-based Flexible Films.

摘要

Scientific interest in the field of nanotechnology has increased multifold since the discovery of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in the early 1990s. This further received a tremendous boost with the isolation of graphene, a single layer of sp2-hybridized carbon atoms, in 2004. Graphene has exceptional mechanical and electrical properties, which makes it an attractive candidate for electronics and composites. In order to realize the implementation of graphene for such applications, scalable production of graphene-based materials needs to be accomplished. Graphene oxide, the product of oxidation and exfoliation of graphite, is a promising precursor for bulk-production of graphene and graphene-like materials.;The oxidation of graphite to synthesize graphene oxide results in the decoration of the basal plane of graphene with oxygen-containing functional groups. The presence of these functional groups makes graphene oxide strongly hydrophilic, making it soluble in water and a good candidate for solution-based processing. This hydrophilic nature of graphene oxide can also be utilized to fabricate highly sensitive and flexible humidity sensors, the results of which are included in this research. The fabricated humidity sensors show high sensitivity and a fast response time. A difference in response is observed at low and high humidity, with hysteresis observed at high humidity levels. A method to "reset" the sensor and a mechanism to explain the response is also proposed.;Although the hydrophilic nature of graphene oxide makes it suitable for bulk processing, the presence of functional groups makes it defective and insulating. Graphene oxide needs to be reduced to make it electrically active. Numerous methodologies proposed for reduction of graphene oxide result in the simultaneous reduction and exfoliation of graphene oxide films. But for instances where flexible graphene films are required for certain applications, a method for reduction of graphene oxide flexible films while maintaining its structural integrity is essential. A method for thermal reduction of flexible graphene oxide films under stress confinement is described. Reduction of graphene oxide flexible films is carried out in a MTS testing machine equipped with a controlled atmosphere furnace. The reduced films show higher carbon-to-oxygen ratio and an increase in conductivity by over five orders in magnitude. An electromechanical application of these reduced graphene oxide films for strain sensing is also demonstrated, with high and tunable gauge factors, which are three orders of magnitude higher than conventional metal foil strain gauges. A mechanism and model to explain the strain sensing is also described.;Lastly, quantification of the degree of photoreduction and characterization of thermal properties of graphene-based flexible films is conducted. The temperature distribution on the surface of the graphene oxide flexible film is recorded using an infrared thermal camera. Effective reduction using a laser is achieved in a very short duration at low power and temperature. The thermal properties are calculated using the transient temperature response, and are found to be orders of magnitude lower than pristine graphene. The photoreduction method is a promising route for roll-to-roll production of reduced graphene oxide flexible films.