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Highly Elastic and Conductive N‐Doped Monolithic Graphene Aerogels for Multifunctional Applications
Author(s) -
Moon In Kyu,
Yoon Seonno,
Chun KyoungYong,
Oh Jungwoo
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201502395
Subject(s) - aerogel , materials science , graphene , oxide , chemical engineering , composite material , conductivity , mesoporous material , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , chemistry , engineering , metallurgy , catalysis
The simple synthesis of ultralow‐density (≈2.32 mg cm −3 ) 3D reduced graphene oxide (rGO) aerogels that exhibit high electrical conductivity and excellent compressibility are described herein. Aerogels are synthesized using a combined hydrothermal and thermal annealing method in which hexamethylenetetramine is employed as a reducer, nitrogen source, and graphene dispersion stabilizer. The N‐binding configurations of rGO aerogels increase dramatically, as evidenced by the change in pyridinic‐N/quaternary‐N ratio. The conductivity of this graphene aerogel is ≈11.74 S m −1 at zero strain, whereas the conductivity at a compressive strain of ≈80% is ≈704.23 S m −1 , which is the largest electrical conductivity reported so far in any 3D sponge‐like low‐density carbon material. In addition, the aerogel has excellent hydrophobicity (with a water contact angle of 137.4°) as well as selective absorption for organic solvents and oils. The compressive modulus (94.5 kPa; ρ ≈ 2.32 mg cm −3 ) of the rGO aerogel is higher than that of other carbon‐based aerogels. The physical and chemical properties (such as high conductivity, elasticity, high surface area, open pore structure, and chemical stability) of the aerogel suggest that it is a viable candidate for the use in energy storage, electrodes for fuel cells, photocatalysis, environmental protection, energy absorption, and sensing applications.