Electric field assisted thermal annealing reorganization of graphene oxide/polystyrene latex films

Graphene/polymer films were prepared by casting water dispersion of graphene oxide (GO) in the presence of polystyrene (PS) latex particles. The samples were heated up to 180 degrees C and exposed to an external electric voltage during their annealing. We observed that for the GO/PS films deposited before the electric field assisted thermal annealing the polymer latex was embedded in the graphene sheets, while the electric field assisted thermal annealing induces a phase separation with the enrichment of the PS phase above an underlying GO layer. For the films annealed under an external electric field we have also found that as the electric current passes through the GO film, GO could be recovered to reduced GO with decreased resistance.