Abstract
Graphene-based nanocomposites are largely explored for the development of sensing devices due to the excellent electrical and mechanical properties of graphene. These properties, in addition to its large specific surface area, make graphene attractive for a wide range of chemical functionalization and immobilization of (bio)molecules. Several techniques based on both top-down and bottom-up approaches are available for the fabrication of graphene fillers in pristine and functionalized forms. These fillers can be further modified to enhance their integration with polymeric matrices and substrates and to tailor the sensing efficiency of the overall nanocomposite material. In this review article, we summarize recent trends in the design and fabrication of graphene/polymer nanocomposites (GPNs) with sensing properties that can be successfully applied in environmental and human health monitoring. Functional GPNs with sensing ability towards gas molecules, humidity, and ultraviolet radiation can be generated using graphene nanosheets decorated with metallic or metal oxide nanoparticles. These nanocomposites were shown to be effective in the detection of ammonia, benzene/toluene gases, and water vapor in the environment. In addition, biological analytes with broad implications for human health, such as nucleic bases or viral genes, can also be detected using sensitive, graphene-based polymer nanocomposites. Here, the role of the biomolecules that are immobilized on the graphene nanomaterial as target for sensing is reviewed.
Highlights
Significant progress has been achieved in the development of nanocomposite materials with enhanced sensing properties, making them suitable to be used in monitoring devices for a wide range of applications
In the case of graphene nanoplatelets dispersed into a polymer phase, the filler tends to form agglomerates due to the non-covalent van der Waals and π–stacking interactions acting between the nanoparticles, which leads to a loss of performance of the overall nanocomposite
We report on recent trends in the development of graphene/
Summary
Significant progress has been achieved in the development of nanocomposite materials with enhanced sensing properties, making them suitable to be used in monitoring devices for a wide range of applications. Single-layer graphene shows electrical conductivity up to 6000 S/cm [14,15], which is independent of chirality, and high thermal conductivity up to 5300 W/mK at room temperature [16] These properties are enhanced by choosing a suitable polymer matrix or substrate, with an optimized interaction at the interphase region with the graphene layer [17–19], and by adding specific elements with sensing abilities, such as biomolecules [20–22], metals, or metal oxides [23]. Graphene-based polymer nanocomposites are successfully employed in sensing devices for monitoring human health In this field of application, the high specific surface area and the atomic thickness of the graphene layers play a key role for improving the interaction between carbon atoms and analytes [34]. The role of biomolecules and how they can be integrated to enhance the sensing properties of the nanomaterials is highlighted
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