Tunneling conduction in graphene/(poly)vinyl alcohol composites

TL;DR

This study investigates the electrical conduction mechanism in graphene/PVA composites, revealing tunneling behavior and two-dimensional charge transport, with implications for flexible conductor synthesis.

Contribution

It demonstrates that graphene/PVA composites exhibit tunneling conduction and can be modeled as a resistance-capacitor network, advancing understanding of their electrical properties.

Findings

Electron tunneling occurs between graphene sheets.

Charge carriers move in a two-dimensional space.

Composite can be modeled as a resistance-capacitor network.

Abstract

Graphene/(Poly)vinyl alcohol (PVA) composite film with thickness $60 \mu m$ were synthesized by solidification of a PVA solution comprising of dispersed graphene nanosheets. The close proximity of the graphene sheets enables the fluctuation induced tunneling of electrons to occur from one sheet to another. The dielectric data show that the present system can be simulated to a parallel resistance-capacitor network. The high frequency exponent of the frequency variation of the ac conductivity indicates that the charge carriers move in a two-dimensional space. The sample preparation technique will be helpful for synthesizing flexible conductors.