Preparation and electrical conductivity of graphene/ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene composites with a segregated structure

Graphene-coated ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) powders were prepared by a two-step process. The first step is to coat UHMWPE polymers with graphene oxide (GO) sheets. The second step is to reduce GO on the powders to graphene. The two-step process can effectively prevent the aggregation of graphene during reduction. The resultant graphene/UHMWPE mixtures were hot pressed at 200 degrees C to obtain the composites with a segregated structure. The composites exhibit high electrical conductivity at a very low percolation threshold (0.028 vol.%). Our method provides a new route for preparing electrical conductive graphene/polymer composites with low percolation threshold. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.