Electrical measurement of PVA/graphene nanofibers for transparent electrode applications

• Graphene nanosheets are solubilized using alkaline solution.
• Graphene (different concentrations) are incorporated into PVA nanofiber.
• The higher concentration of graphene (0.7 and 0.9%) loaded into PVA has increased electrical conductivity.

In this study, using alkaline solution, we synthesized graphene-based nanosheets via general chemical reduction of exfoliated graphene oxide by Hummers method. The prepared sheets were characterized using Raman spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was synthesized using sol–gel method. The PVA/graphene hybrid nanofibers were produced by electrospinning technique with different concentrations (10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90%). The characteristics of the prepared hybrid nanofibers were confirmed through SEM and TEM analyses. The results showed an enhanced electrical conductivity of 10.7 × 10−6 S cm−1 for higher concentration of PVA/graphene hybrid nanofiber compared with 3.7 × 10−12 S cm−1 for pure PVA.