Graphene is essentially an electrical and thermal conductive material endowed with extraordinary mechanical properties that result of extraordinary interest in its incorporation into polymeric matrices. On the other hand, the role of diverse types of clay minerals for the development of polymer-clay nanocomposites provided with functional or structural properties is well known, successfully receiving diverse applications since a couple of decades. The simultaneous presence of these two types of nanoparticulated solids as components in polymer-nanocomposites appears as an interesting challenge, according to the results presented in the past years as well as the expected developments in the near future. In this way, carbon-clay nanocomposites derived from natural or synthetic silicates, such as smectites, nanotubular halloysite and fibrous clay minerals, combined at the nanometric scale with graphene-based components, such as carbon nanotubes or graphene nanoplatelets, are a new class of hybrid materials. They can be prepared following two procedures: i) <i>top-down</i> methodologies, allowing the direct assembly of the individual components, and ii) <i>bottom-up</i> approaches, involving the use of diverse organic precursors, as for instance, organic molecules, polymers, biomolecules and biomass that are thermally transformed into graphene-like solids, with the clay acting as an inorganic template. Both types of procedures lead to conducting materials despite the reduction in the electrical conductivity due to the presence of the insulanting silicate counterpart. Importantly, the presence of these components is useful for their incorporation in diverse polymeric matrices and therefore can be used as nanofillers of various polymer nanocomposites showing synergistic improvement on the mechanical, electrical/electrochemical properties.

Progress in graphene-clay nanocomposites

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.