Preparation of stretchable and porous graphene paper via functionalized with diol oligomer

With the widespread application of graphene paper in energy storage, an increasing amount of research is focused on how to enhance its mechanical properties and specific surface area. In this study, flexible porous graphene papers were prepared using a graphene oxide (GO) dispersion and polyurethane diol oligomer (PUO) via electrospray deposition. The improved mechanical properties of the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) papers were attributed to the cross-linking of PUO molecules with the neighbouring GO flakes through pi-pi stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions during the mixing of the GO dispersion and PUO. In addition, owing to the bursting of the bubbles introduced by PUO during the reduction process, many porous structures appeared inside the rGO paper. The rGO paper performance was adjusted by varying the ratio of PUO content. The optimised rGO paper proved to be excellent for energy storage and oil/water separation.