Abstract: "Graphene sheets--one-atom-thick two-dimensional
layers of sp(2)-bonded carbon --are predicted to have a range of unusual
properties. Their thermal conductivity and mechanical stiffness may rival
the remarkable in-plane values for graphite (similar to 3,000 W m(-1) K-1
and 1,060 GPa, respectively); their fracture strength should be comparable
to that of carbon nanotubes for similar types of defects; and recent
studies have shown that individual graphene sheets have extraordinary
electronic transport properties. One possible route to harnessing these
properties for applications would be to incorporate graphene sheets in a
composite material. The manufacturing of such composites requires not
only that graphene sheets be produced on a sufficient scale but that they
also be incorporated, and homogeneously distributed, into various
matrices. Graphite, inexpensive and available in large quantity,
unfortunately does not readily exfoliate to yield individual graphene
sheets. Here we present a general approach for the preparation of
graphene-polymer composites via complete exfoliation of graphite and
molecular-level dispersion of individual, chemically modified graphene
sheets within polymer hosts. A polystyrene-graphene composite formed by
this route exhibits a percolation threshold of similar to 0.1 volume per
cent for room-temperature electrical conductivity, the lowest reported
value for any carbon-based composite except for those involving carbon
nanotubes; at only 1 volume per cent, this composite has a conductivity of
similar to 0.1 S m(-1), sufficient for many electrical applications. Our
bottom-up chemical approach of tuning the graphene sheet properties
provides a path to a broad new class of graphene-based materials and their
use in a variety of applications."
This 2006 report from Nature was cited 21
times in current journal articles indexed by Clarivate
during May-June 2008. Based on this latest two-month total, the report is
currently the most-cited chemistry paper, aside from reviews, published in
the last two years. Prior to the most recent bimonthly count,
citations
to the paper have accrued as follows:
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