A facile approach to the fabrication of graphene-based nanocomposites by latex mixing and in situ reduction

Graphene-based polystyrene (PS) nanocomposites were prepared by latex mixing, co-coagulation, and in situ reduction process. In the process, aqueous dispersion of graphene oxide (GO) was mixed with PS latex, which was then co-coagulated with sodium chloride to form stabilized particle suspension; subsequently, hydrazine hydrate was added to reduce GO in situ. This process could avoid the use of additional surfactant or ultrasonic power to stabilize graphene during reduction, thus is facile and energy saving. The preparation process and the resulting nanocomposites were characterized in detail. The results show that, after co-coagulation, GO nanosheets are isolated by PS nanospheres through π–π interaction, which prevents the restacking of graphene in the subsequent reduction process. Thus, a molecular-level dispersion of the graphene nanosheets in the PS matrix is achieved, which greatly improves the electrical conductivity and the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites.