Design and fabrication of mechanically flexible three-dimensional graphene/polymer nanocomposites for multifunctional applications

Graphene and graphene nanoribbon (GNR) have been incorporated into a wide range of polymer matrixes to fabricate nanocomposites with improved electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties [1-4]. Especially, integration of a 2D building block into macroscopic three-dimensional (3D) porous structures represents an effective way to translate the performance of individual graphene or GNR sheets to multifunctional nanocomposite materials [5]. The GNR-based nanocomposites have demonstrated great promise for a broad range of applications in the fields of mechanical reinforcement, supercapacitors, separation, and flexible electronics [6]. However, the previous 3D GNR based composites still exhibited poor structural stability and hydrophobic properties, e.g. easy brittleness and low water contact angle (<150^o), limiting their practical applications in strain sensors and oil/water separation fields. Hence, it is still a challenge to fabricate 3D porous GNR based polymer composites with excellent mechanical flexibility and multi-functionality by using a facile and scalable method.