Synthesis of reduced graphene oxide-Fe3O4 multifunctional freestanding membranes and their temperature dependent electronic transport properties

A simple and scalable method for the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) based conductive and magnetic multifunctional films (membranes) is reported. A RGO-iron oxide (Fe3O4) freestanding film is fabricated using a versatile chemical route followed by vacuum infiltration. Temperature dependent electronic transport properties of the magnetic GO and RGO films were measured using a four probe technique from room temperature to 15 K. A conduction mechanism based on variable range hopping is suggested for explaining of the electronic conductivity variations. Possible applications of this multifunctional membrane are also discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.