Wednesday, 23 August 2017

Graphene Oxide - Paving the Way for Chemical Sensors and Electronics

Graphene is a two-dimensional building block which can be heaped as three-dimensional graphite and rolled into single layer graphene oxide nanotubes. The invention of this wonder material has stirred the world of material science and caught the attention of researchers globally. Graphene oxide Nano composites, the newest addition to this marvel, have paved the way for chemical sensing which can be used for monitoring inflammability, toxicity, and explosive nature of elements.

Many types of research are being conducted worldwide on chemical sensing technology and their application in the fields of environmental pollution, the spread of life-threatening diseases, and terrorism. Chemical sensors enable the detection of small amounts of chemicals and gases and this is one of the latesttechnologies being used in different sectors to monitor and regulate the quality of air in and around human habitation. Such sensors have potential application in the energy, space and nuclear sectors. However, the functioning and efficiency of the sensors depend entirely on the sensing material used.

Graphene has excellent chemical, structural, electronic, and electrical properties that make it an outstanding choice for chemical sensors. Graphene and graphene oxide based hybrid composites are an exceptional material for the fabrication of chemical sensors for versatile sensing applications. Binary oxides such as TiO2, ZnO, SnO2, CuO and WO3 combine with graphene as Nano composites and display excellent properties in terms of sensing amounts of hazardous chemicals and gas. Acid free GO is used to form Nano composites and synthesis of graphene in an acid free environment bypasses the use of various toxic chemicals and acids that are normally used in the preparation of graphene-based Nano composites.


Apart from chemical sensors and biosensors, another field that has been taken aback by the invention of graphene is electronics. Almost every modern electronic, used in households, run on Optoelectronics that makes use of a Transparent Conductive Film in its components. Touchscreens, LEDs, organic light-emitting diodes and organic photovoltaic cells - all consist of a Transparent Conductive Film. Due to its excellent electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, optical transparency, and cost-effectiveness, a graphene oxide film has been considered ideal for replacing the currently being used and expensive indium tin oxide as TCFs.

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