Side-selective self-assembly of graphene and FLG on piezoelectric PVDF from suspension

Abstract

The deposition of few-layer graphene by self-assembly from suspension onto a piezoelectric polymer substrate is presented. The graphene self-assembles with negligible overlap between flakes, and with high selectivity for one of the faces of the substrate, an observation which is discussed and rationalized. A computational study on a model system further confirms the theory and supports the experimental results. The highest obtained degree of surface coverage was estimated to 77%.

Fluid-Assisted Sorted Assembly of Graphene on Polymer

“…Second, the assembly process and resultant coverage can be enhanced by increasing the assembly time (Figure f). The coverage can reach 75% (at 20 min) which is comparable to the maximum coverage achieved through dip coating polymer substrate in a graphene–water solution . The continuous graphene network on a flexible substrate makes it suitable for flexible electronics applications such as strain sensors, which will be discussed below.…”

“…Unfortunately, integration of the solution-based method with a nanomaterials–polymer substrate system is in its embryonic stage. There are two challenges: (1) limited device stability and reproducibility due to a wide size distribution of nanomaterials ,,− and (2) lack of high-rate and large-assembly technology for integrating nanomaterials with polymer substrate. ,, The first challenge is inherent to all nanomaterials because the miniaturized size of nanomaterials inhibits control of material dimensions during the synthesis process. Graphene nanoflakes, for example, represent the most cost-efficient graphene raw materials and constitute the largest portion (90%) of the graphene market .…”