Reduced graphene oxide resistance in composites with polystyrene of different molecular masses

Abstract

Multi-layered reduced graphene oxide after UV-perforation (RGOp) flakes of large areas, some of them up to 1 mm in diameter, have been produced on polystyrene surface during special precipitation method of RGOp/polystyrene composites from benzene solution. For this, composites on the base of polystyrenes of different molecular masses: 4500 Da; 6000 Da; 9000 Da; and 45,000 Da were synthesized. Very low resistances at the room temperature for some RGOp flakes deposited from benzene-petroleum ether solution of composite of 9000 Da molecular mass were obtained. The absolute values of measured resistances turned out to be almost 3 orders lower than copper resistance. This result can be related to formation a high conductive phase in the reduced graphene oxide bilayer inclusions. In the case of RGOp flakes produced from our highest molecular mass polystyrene composite (45,000 Da) resistance was high and varying from semiconducting values to non-conductive state.