Thermally stable and highly conductive free-standing hybrid films based on reduced graphene oxide

Thermally stable and highly conductive films have been prepared based on thermally reduced graphene oxide and exfoliated α-zirconium phosphate nanoplatelet (ZrP) hybrids. Exfoliated ZrP and graphene oxide (GO) were first mixed in aqueous solution to form a stable dispersion and then cast into free-standing films through flow-directed assembly. Upon annealing at 750 °C in Argon atmosphere, significant amounts of oxidized species were removed from the GO and a noticeable recovery of sp2 structure of the reduced GO sheets was observed. With the incorporation of the inorganic nanoplatelets, the thermal stability and structural integrity of the hybrid films were greatly improved, while the good electrical conductivity of the reduced GO was maintained. Potential applications for graphene-based hybrid films based on the current approach are discussed.