Percolating Metallic Structures Templated on Laser-Deposited Carbon Nanofoams Derived from Graphene Oxide: Applications in Humidity Sensing

Sebastian Nufer, Dimitrios Fantanas, Sean Ogilvie, Matthew Large, Dominik Winterauer, Jonathan Salvage, Manuela Meloni, Alice King, Pascale Schellenberger, Aleksey Shmeliov, Sandra Victor-Roman, Mario Pelaez-Fernandez, Valeria Nicolosi, Raul Arenal, Ana Benito, Wolfgang Maser, Adam Brunton, Alan Dalton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Carbon nanofoam (CNF) is a low-density, high-surface-area material formed by aggregation of amorphous carbon nanoparticles into porous nanostructures. We report the use of a pulsed infrared laser to prepare CNF from a graphene oxide (GO) target material. Electron microscopy shows that the films consist of dendritic strings that form web-like three-dimensional structures. The conductivity of these structures can be modified by using the CNF as a nanostructured scaffold for gold nanoparticles deposited by sputter coating, controllably increasing the conductivity by up to 4 orders of magnitude. The ability to measure the conductivity of the porous structures allows electrochemical measurements in the environment. Upon decreasing humidity, the pristine CNF exhibits an increase in resistance with a quick response and recovery time. By contrast, the gold-sputtered CNF showed a decrease in resistance, indicating modification of the doping mechanism due to water adsorption. The sensitivity to humidity is eliminated at the percolation threshold of the metal on the CNF.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1828–1835
JournalApplied Nano Materials
Volume1
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Mar 2018

Keywords

  • carbon nanofoam
  • reduced graphene oxide
  • humidity sensor
  • scaffold
  • SEM
  • scanning electron microscopy
  • nanotechnology
  • nanomaterials

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