Synthesis of reduced graphene oxide/aluminum nanocomposites via chemical-mechanical processes

The present study employed a combination of solution-based synthesis and mechanical milling to develop reduced graphene oxide/aluminum composites, in order to achieve uniform dispersion of reduced graphene oxide and strong interfaces between reduced graphene oxide and aluminum. First, spherical aluminum powder was flattened via mechanical milling to afford a large specific surface area and many reaction sites for the graphene oxide. A hydrophilic surface was then created by coating the aluminum powder with polyvinyl alcohol. The polyvinyl alcohol-coated aluminum slurry was mixed with a graphene oxide suspension, thereby inducing a reaction between graphene oxide and polyvinyl alcohol via hydrogen bonding. After thermal reduction, the composite powder was further ball milled and hot-pressed at 500℃ to produce a reduced graphene oxide/aluminum composite. The dispersion of reduced graphene oxide in the composite, as well as the mechanical and thermal behaviors of the composite, improved with increased flattening and specific surface area of the starting aluminum powder.