Highly Conductive Polymer Blends Produced by Self-assembly of Functionalized Graphene Nanosheets in Dynamically Asymmetric Blend

The addition of nanoparticles with a preferential affinity to the minor component into a dynamically asymmetric LCST blend of polystyrene/ poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PS/PVME), a well-known phase separating model of viscoelastic phase separation (VPS), is a potential route to induce desired phase-separating morphology. For this purpose, functionalized graphene nanosheets which self-assemble in the bulk of PS-rich phase (slower dynamics) are used to control the kinetics of phase separation by slowing down (or even arresting) the domain growth and to induce high electrical conductivity through double percolation event at a very low volume fraction