Electrically Conductive Resorcinol-Formaldehyde Reinforced Graphene Aerogels

Abstract

The use of aerogels in electrically conductive applications, such as super-capacitor electrodes, is currently limited by their low conductivity. Composite graphene and resorcinol formaldehyde resin aerogels have higher conductivity than organic aerogels and graphene aerogels because of the high intrinsic conductivity of graphene and the conductive contacts the resorcinol formaldehyde forms between sheets. This research aimed to maximize the conductivity of composite carbon aerogels by manipulating the mechanism of gelation and the temperature of pyrolysis. Results show that the typical method of controlling the microscopic texture of the aerogel, adjusting the catalyst concentration, does not affect composite aerogels the same way it does organic aerogels. The addition of graphene to the aerogel completely alters the mechanism by which the gel is formed; control of this mechanism can lead to even higher conductivities. Additionally, it was found that the impact of pyrolysis temperature on the conductivity of a composite aerogel is large. Higher temperatures yield higher conductivities, with the largest gains in conductivity occurring before 1100 °C.