Electrical conductivity and hydrophobicity of graphene oxide-modified carbon nanofibers

Graphene oxide-modified carbon nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning and the effect of the amount of graphene additive and carbonization temperature on the physical and chemical properties of graphene/carbon nanofiber composites was investigated. Results showed that the conductivity of graphene-modified nanofibers increased with graphene content. The conductivity of the composite containing 5 wt% of graphene (0.39 S/cm) was 2.2 times higher than that of the pure fiber (0.19 S/cm). The conductivity also increased with carbonization temperature. The low graphene content allows to preserve the mechanical properties of graphene/carbon nanofiber composites. The graphene/carbon nanocomposite fibers obtained in this work were found to have excellent chemical stability, mechanical strength, and hydrophobic properties. In view of the overall enhancement in physical properties upon addition of even low amounts of graphene, these composites are advantageous in future industrial applications.