Preparation of Reduced Graphene Oxide/Polyaniline Composite Conductive Materials by Ultrasonic-Assisted In Situ Polymerization

Graphene/polyaniline composites have potential applications in many fields because of their excellent electrical properties. Therefore, it is necessary to study a rapid method for their preparation. In this work, ultrasonic-assisted in situ polymerization of graphene/polyaniline composites with micro/nano structure was studied. Under the action of π-π conjugation and electrostatic adsorption, polyaniline fibers with a length of 126 nm and diameter of 10 nm were uniformly polymerized on an oxide graphene sheet. Then, L-ascorbic acid (green reducing agent) was used to reduce the oxide graphene for preparing the graphene/polyaniline composite. This method is green and simple, the reduction process was mild, and the reducing agent did not destroy the micro/nano structure of polyaniline. Polyaniline attached on the surface of graphene sheet remained as a nanofiber and prevented the aggregation of graphene as a barrier between layers. The fabricated graphene/polyaniline presented a high electrical conductivity of 356.7 S/m, which can be applied in the fields of electric conductivity, energy storage, electrostatic shielding and so on.Graphical Abstract