Noncovalently functionalized pristine graphene/metal nanoparticle hybrid for conductive composites

The combination of metal nanostructures and pristine graphene with high quality is highly expected for many applications. A method for the large-scale production of metal nanoparticle (NP)/pristine graphene hybrid and its conductive polymer composites is presented, by a combinatorial process of noncovalent functionalization of defect-free pristine-graphene with Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer and the homogenous attachment of metal NPs on graphene surface. Stable PAMAM functionalized graphene nanofluid is achieved when there is the absence of solvents. The graphene sheets in the hybrid preserve the intrinsic structure and homogenous dispersion. Silver NP (AgNP) decorated graphene hybrid with homogenous dispersion is realized by using PAMAM as stabilizing and also reducing agents through thermal reduction method. The hybrid is used as nanoscale filler to generate epoxy-based conductive composites for electrical interconnects due to the combined effects of the excellent electrical conductivity of high-quality pristine-graphene at low percolation threshold and enhanced contacts between the fillers by low temperature sintering of AgNPs. This method could lead to the large-scale production of graphene-based composites for a wide range of applications.