Functionalized Graphene/Polymer Nanofiber Composites and Their Functional Applications

Nanofiber composites materials produced by electrospinning may have a very high specific surface area owing to their small diameters, and nanofiber mats can be highly porous with excellent pore interconnection. However, applications using nanofiber composites also require specific properties such as good electrical conductivity, are flame retardant, anti-static and anti-radiative as well. Over the past few decades, the carbon nanomaterial, graphene has been researched widely owing to its intrinsic properties such as large surface area, excellent thermal, electrical, and optical properties in addition to superior chemical and mechanical characteristics needed in specific applications. The chemical functionalization of graphene nanosheet improved its dispersibility in common organic solvents, which is important when developing novel graphene-based nanocomposites. Moreover, graphene may also be functionalized in order to modify its intrinsic characteristics, for example, its electronic properties can be modified to control the conductivity and band gap in nano-electronic devices. Functionalized graphene-based polymer nanofiber composites exhibit a variety of improved, or even new properties such as adsorption performance, anti-bacterial, hydrophobicity and conductivity valued across a wide range of applications in sensors, biosensors, transparent conductive films, high-frequency circuits, toxic material removal, capacitors, spintronic devices, fuel cells, touch screens, flexible electronics and batteries. This book chapter summarizes the recent progress in functionalized graphene-based polymer nanofibers composites, with an emphasis on their applications.