Flexible polymer composite films incorporated with Li-ion/reduced graphene oxide: excellent optical and photoluminescence performance

Abstract

A flexible polymer composite film (PL-rGO) was prepared from reduced graphene oxide (rGO) (derived from graphite) and lithium phosphate (Li3PO4) incorporated in a pale yellow colored polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSSA) polymer by solution casting method. The resulting flexible translucent PL-rGO composite films were obtained with smooth surface and thickness in the range of 2–3 µm. The optical and photoluminescence properties of PL-rGO were explored in the present study. The intensity of photoluminescence spectra at excitation band ∼ 320 nm increases with significant broadening with varying concentration of rGO in the matrix. The evaluated direct and indirect energy bandgap of PL-rGO composite from optical absorbance is in the range of 3.06 ~ 3.26 eV. These results from optical properties for PL-rGO composite indicate the accurate tailoring of the composite by changing the rGO volume fraction.