Chemical Sensors Using Polymer/Graphene Composite and The Effect of Graphene Content on Sensor Behavior

In this study, a polymer/graphene hybrid composite was prepared by a simple roll-method and a simple sensor was produced by a convenient surface engineering procedure. The sensor performance was examined and the effect of graphene content on the sensing behavior was monitored. A polymer (polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS) paste containing graphene powder was prepared by a three-roll apparatus and polymer/graphene hybrid composite was produced by a two-roll technique. The sensing medium, cyclodextrin (CD) was introduced by a convenient bio-conjugation method. The efficacy of surface modification was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and the ohmic relation was observed on composite surfaces. An analyte (e.g., methyl paraben, MePRB) at a 10 nM concnetration could be detected. When the graphene loading was low, the sensor performance was relatively poor. This was attributed to the absence of graphene alignments, which were observed for the composites having a high graphene loading. This indicates that the sensor performance was influenced by physical alignments of the filler. This article can provide important information for future research on developing sensing devices.