Mechanically Robust Polymer-Graphene Aerogels

Graphene has been intensely studied for the past several years due to its many attractive properties. Graphene oxide (GO) aerogels are particularly interesting due to their light weight and excellent performance in various applications, such as environmental remediation, super-hydrophobic and super-oleophilic materials, energy storage, etc. However, GO aerogels are generally weak and delicate which complicates their handling and potentially limits their application outside the research lab. The focus of this work is to synthesize mechanically stable aerogels that are robust and easy to handle without substantially sacrificing their low density. To overcome this challenge, we found that by intermixing a small amount of readily available and thermally crosslinkable polymer can enhance the mechanical properties without disrupting other characteristic intrinsic properties of the aerogel itself. This method is a simple straight-forward procedure that does not include any tedious chemical reactions or harsh chemicals. Furthermore, we will demonstrate the performance of these materials as a super-absorbent and pressure sensor.