Preparation of polymer/oriented graphite nanosheet composite by electric field-inducement

Graphite nanosheets (GNs) prepared by sonicating expanded graphite were homogeneously dispersed in unsaturated polyester resin using sonication. The dispersion with a curing agent was then subjected to a de electric field, followed by crosslinking, to fabricate a polymer/GN composite film. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the GNs in the film were oriented parallel to the electric field. UV-VIS measurements indicated that the optical properties of the field-induced composite film showed significant improvement in visible light transmittance compared with those prepared without the electric field. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd.