Name: Alan Leong
Supervisors: Prof Eduardo Saiz and Dr Cecilia Mattevi.
Sponsor: Petronas, Malaysia
Graphene is a 2D material with unique functional and mechanical properties, from tuneable electrical and optical response to high intrinsic stiffness and strength, chemical versatility, controllable permeability or extremely high specific surface area. It has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of technologies from batteries to composites and membranes. However, to achieve this goal we need to develop ways to integrate graphene into fabrication technologies and to develop approaches to synthesize large quantities of material tailored for specific applications.
Graphene is a very appealing reinforcing phase for polymer pipeline liners/coatings. The addition of graphene can provide controlled permeability, enhanced mechanical properties and even sensing capabilities. However, neither mechanical exfoliation nor chemical vapour deposition are amenable to the large-scale synthesis of graphene needed for this application. We will address this need by using chemically modified graphene (CMG) that can be fabricated in bulk quantities. CMG intrinsic surface area, permeability and mechanical properties are comparable to pristine graphene and combined with its unique chemical versatility it opens exciting possibilities for the development of novel composites.