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Explosive percolation yields highly-conductive polymer nanocomposites
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-10, 05:28 authored by Manuela Meloni, Matthew LargeMatthew Large, Jose Miguel Gonzalez Dominguez, Sandra Victor-Roman, Giuseppe Fratta, Emin Istif, Oliver Tomes, Jonathan Salvage, Christopher Ewels, Mario Palaez-Fernandez, Raul Arenal, Ana Benito, Wolfgang Maser, Alice KingAlice King, Pulickel Ajayan, Sean OgilvieSean Ogilvie, Alan DaltonAlan DaltonExplosive percolation is an experimentally-elusive phenomenon where network connectivity coincides with onset of an additional modification of the system; materials with correlated localisation of percolating particles and emergent conductive paths can realise sharp transitions and high conductivities characteristic of the explosively-grown network. Nanocomposites present a structurally- and chemically-varied playground to realise explosive percolation in practically-applicable systems but this is yet to be exploited by design. Herein, we demonstrate composites of graphene oxide and synthetic polymer latex which form segregated networks, leading to low percolation threshold and localisation of conductive pathways. In situ reduction of the graphene oxide at temperatures of <150?°C drives chemical modification of the polymer matrix to produce species with phenolic groups, which are known crosslinking agents. This leads to conductivities exceeding those of dense-packed networks of reduced graphene oxide, illustrating the potential of explosive percolation by design to realise low-loading composites with dramatically-enhanced electrical transport properties.
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Publication status
- Published
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- Published version
Journal
Nature CommunicationsISSN
2041-1723Publisher
Springer NatureExternal DOI
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13Page range
1-9Department affiliated with
- Physics and Astronomy Publications
Research groups affiliated with
- Materials Physics Group Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2022-11-14First Open Access (FOA) Date
2022-11-14First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2022-11-12Usage metrics
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