"Graphene-based composite materials," by Sasha Stankovich and 8 others, Nature, 442(7100): 282-6, 20 July 2006.

[Authors' affiliations: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN]

Abstract: "Graphene sheets--one-atom-thick two-dimensional layers of sp(2)-bonded carbon --are predicted to have a range of unusual properties. Their thermal conductivity and mechanical stiffness may rival the remarkable in-plane values for graphite (similar to 3,000 W m(-1) K-1 and 1,060 GPa, respectively); their fracture strength should be comparable to that of carbon nanotubes for similar types of defects; and recent studies have shown that individual graphene sheets have extraordinary electronic transport properties. One possible route to harnessing these properties for applications would be to incorporate graphene sheets in a composite material. The manufacturing of such composites requires not  only that graphene sheets be produced on a sufficient scale but that they also be incorporated, and homogeneously  distributed, into various matrices. Graphite, inexpensive and available in large quantity, unfortunately does not readily exfoliate to yield individual graphene sheets. Here we present a general approach for the preparation of graphene-polymer composites via complete exfoliation of graphite and molecular-level dispersion of individual, chemically modified graphene sheets within polymer hosts. A polystyrene-graphene composite formed by this route exhibits a percolation threshold of similar to 0.1 volume per cent for room-temperature electrical conductivity, the lowest reported value for any carbon-based composite except for those involving carbon nanotubes; at only 1 volume per cent, this composite has a conductivity of similar to 0.1 S m(-1), sufficient for many electrical applications. Our bottom-up chemical approach of tuning the graphene sheet properties provides a path to a broad new class of graphene-based materials and their use in a variety of applications."

This 2006 report from Nature was cited 21 times in current journal articles indexed by Thomson Reuters during May-June 2008. Based on this latest two-month total, the report is currently the most-cited chemistry paper, aside from reviews, published in the last two years. Prior to the most recent bimonthly count, citations
to the paper have accrued as follows:

March-April 2008: 15 citations
January-February 2008: 13
November-December 2007: 6
September-October 2007: 13
July-August 2007: 3
May-June 2007: 7
March-April 2007: 5
January-February 2007: 1
November-December 2006: 1
July-August 2006: 2

Total citations to date: 87

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