Kim Seung-Il, Moon Ji-Yun, Hyeong Seok-Ki, Ghods Soheil, Kim Jin-Su, Choi Jun-Hui, Park Dong Seop, Bae Sukang, Cho Sung Ho, Lee Seoung-Ki, Lee Jae-Hyun
Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Korea.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Korea.
Nat Commun. 2024 Mar 11;15(1):2172. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46502-6.
Semi-infinite single-atom-thick graphene is an ideal reinforcing material that can simultaneously improve the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of matrix. Here, we present a float-stacking strategy to accurately align the monolayer graphene reinforcement in polymer matrix. We float graphene-poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) membrane (GPM) at the water-air interface, and wind-up layer-by-layer by roller. During the stacking process, the inherent water meniscus continuously induces web tension of the GPM, suppressing wrinkle and folding generation. Moreover, rolling-up and hot-rolling mill process above the glass transition temperature of PMMA induces conformal contact between each layer. This allows for pre-tension of the composite, maximizing its reinforcing efficiency. The number and spacing of the embedded graphene fillers are precisely controlled. Notably, we accurately align 100 layers of monolayer graphene in a PMMA matrix with the same intervals to achieve a specific strength of about 118.5 MPa g cm, which is higher than that of lightweight Al alloy, and a thermal conductivity of about 4.00 W m K, which is increased by about 2,000 %, compared to the PMMA film.
半无限单原子厚的石墨烯是一种理想的增强材料，能够同时提升基体的机械、电学和热学性能。在此，我们提出一种浮动堆叠策略，以精确地使单层石墨烯增强体在聚合物基体中排列整齐。我们将石墨烯-聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯（PMMA）膜（GPM）漂浮在水-空气界面，并用辊子逐层卷起。在堆叠过程中，固有的水弯月面持续诱导GPM的幅面张力，抑制褶皱和折叠的产生。此外，在PMMA的玻璃化转变温度以上进行卷起和热轧工艺，可促使各层之间实现保形接触。这使得复合材料能够预张紧，从而最大限度地提高其增强效率。嵌入的石墨烯填料的数量和间距得到精确控制。值得注意的是，我们在PMMA基体中以相同间隔精确排列100层单层石墨烯，以实现约118.5 MPa g cm的比强度，高于轻质铝合金，以及约4.00 W m K的热导率，与PMMA薄膜相比提高了约2000%。
